Note from My Desk: Is there any issue in America where the government actively fought simple, practical solutions because of vibes?

As I sweat through this heatwave, I’ve been thinking about one of my favorite policy communications questions:

Is there any issue in America where the government actively fought simple, practical solutions because of vibes?

For decades, the French public has been told that air conditioning is unhealthy, immoral, and way too American. Much of this comes from the Green/Socialist policy imagination, where A/C is like both a character flaw and the leading cause of global warming.

I am not exactly a fan of big government. But governments play an important role in public messaging and shaping what people think is normal and responsible.

America had its own version of this with the food pyramid: bread, bread, more bread, and a side of diabetes. For years, official messaging told people to homph gomph refined carbohydrates, and only much later did the government turn the pyramid upside down.

France has had decades to say something sane and practical:

• Buy one A/C unit for €600 and cool down at least one room.

• Ceiling fans exist, and no, they do not make you sick.

• Heat pumps are an environmentally friendly and practical way to cool and heat your home.

  
  

Instead, the message has often been: suffer, open a window, and trust the vibes.

That is a policy and communications failure.

Good public messaging helps people make better decisions in the real world rather than shaming them out of obvious solutions.

Photo by aboodi vesakaran on Unsplash