Subjects that are commonly uncomfortably discussed in polite society:

Human rights issues come to mind right off the bat, which can be narrowed down to several categories, such as the isms: sexism, racism, alcoholism, and I ran out of isms right off the top of my head at this point.

My question is: Can society change the existence of the nastier aspects of itself without openly discussing them or can they be swept under a rug, ignored, and magically bred out of human existence?

Have a good evening y'all.

ignoring problems wont make them go away...

Can they be changed WITH open discussion? does the attention inadvertently validate them?

Could the attention possibly educate some?

Well, one of the first things they teach clinical psychologists is "you can't solve a problem until you admit there is one."

Like a flat tire, they rarely fix themselves....

action behind the words.....

definitely. Education is a two way street though. Through it people can strengthen their ability to reason and then use that ability to come to a different conclusion than the one you intended.

Not to say that this is a bad thing, just that the outcome of an effort often bears little resemblance to its intention.

sociologically speaking of course

If people can't talk about them then they become burdens, burdens lead to long term issues, which then lead to cancer...so if we talk about them then we don't get cancer.