The proverbial cat has been out of the bag for a while now, that a society of laws is only as strong as its citizens generally go along with it. Rights are not inalienable, they are given in ongoing active means by a citizenry that says this is how we want to live. Laws are not automatically applicable, they require ongoing enforcement by entities that have the moral fortitude to care. Societal norms are not baked in, they are accepted by and actively expressed through a citizenry that says we’d rather have norms, however at times imperfect, than an amoral individuality that cares only for one’s own lived experience.

How we turn the proverbial ship around (is the cat driving it?) is not something that’s going to be done overnight, with one or even a couple elections, and the fact that so many think it will is exactly a big part of the problem.