What you said sounds like the worldview of someone who's been through years of psycho-therapy and has internalized the fatalistic psycho-therapy mantra that "You can't change other people -- but you CAN change yourself." A really depressing idea that basically tells you to adapt and accommodate yourself to others' idiosyncrasies or dysfunctions, to cope with them, because you ain't ever gonna change anyone else's ways.
American history has shown the US public can and has been persuaded by things, has changed its mind on some things (or at least significant portions of it have) --sometimes fundamentally important things (like child labor) -- and have even been obnoxiously fickle in the frequency with which they can change their minds.
-B.
Carrol Cox wrote:
"Opinions are only in the rarest instances of a few scattered individuals changed by arguments. Arguments are only fruitful among those who share the same basic convicions. "