Americans may not wear face masks, even with survival at stake. Here's why.

<p>Why is change so hard?</p> <p>In part, change is hard because our culture—our society, and our sense of our place in it—often prevents us from seriously considering options beyond the status quo.</p> <p>Every country and every culture on the planet is now confronting a common enemy. Why have some countries been more successful than others in bringing the coronavirus under control? One big factor: <a href='https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/not-wearing-masks-protect-against-coronavirus-big-mistake-top-chinese-scientist-says'>widespread use of masks</a>. And not only that, but the <a href='https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52015486'>cultural acceptance</a> of wearing masks in the first place.</p> <p>In this episode of the Strong Towns podcast, Strong Towns founder and president Chuck Marohn talks about how our culture shapes how we respond to a community emergency...or even whether we respond. Looking at examples from history—<a href='https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2010/8/2/debate-postmortem.html'>Easter Island</a>, and the Norwegians who settled in Greenland—Chuck reflects on why some societies fail when faced with an existential crisis, preferring to die than adapt. Then he considers whether Americans, even when confronted with data that wearing masks is one of the very best things we can do to slow coronavirus, will be able to adapt to a practice that seems so foreign.</p> <p>Similar questions can be applied to the way we build our towns and cities: Now that we’re confronted with how fragile our economy is, do we have what it takes to learn and adapt? Is the problem primarily one of will or imagination? And how can we use this time to nurture the kinds of conversations that make culture change possible?</p> <p>Here at Strong Towns, we’re trying to change the conversation in North America about how we build towns and cities that are truly prosperous and resilient. One way we’re doing that now is through <a href='https://www.strongtowns.org/events?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1Iv0BRDaARIsAGTWD1s2tw67XFi_FVcsB