Shifting ideas versus flip-flopping

I’ve said for nearly a decade that changing your mind on a topic can be a great thing. This can be little things like the type of phone you prefer, or bigger things like the governmental policies that you support. Locking yourself in and refusing to be open to new ideas is a dangerous place to be.

I was recently listening to Malcolm Gladwell interview Ibram X. Kendi about Kendi’s new podcast called “Be Antiracist“, and they briefly discussed two famous historical figures. Specifically, they talked about how Malcolm X shifted his views on various races (presumably following his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964), and Robert E. Lee softening his stance and offering great support toward reconciliation after the Civil War.

I try to see today’s politicians (and my friends) through that lens; people may change their mind for political gain, but they also may change their mind as they have more time to dig into and learn about a topic.

If you see a politician change their stance on a topic, they might indeed be “flip-flopping” for political gain. However, they might also be gaining a more nuanced and educated view on the subject and it’s worth taking the time to figure out which it is.