When have zeitgeist moments like that ever led to thoughtful, sober, laser-focused and effective reforms? In my experience, reform takes years and decades to build a consensus. You can’t “catch lightning in a bottle” and call it a day.
The civil rights movement, #MeToo, the Berlin Wall, the world post-2008 crisis, there are probably more that I'm not thinking of, but each of these directly contributed to a better world for those the zeitgeist focussed on in a tangible way. I think the voice of reason did pretty well in these, though unreasonable voices from within movements that made movements look bad to reasonable people existed.
The Civil Rights movement lasted from 1954 to 1968. The Berlin Wall lasted from 1961 to 1989. The #MeToo movement is ongoing and still a long way from achieving its goals.
Not sure what reforms you're referring to with the 2008 crisis. Housing is as unaffordable as ever.
I think your list reinforces my point. You can't achieve meaningful reforms instantaneously. It takes years and decades. The zeitgeist moment might be a catalyst, but focusing on it exclusively ignores all of the work on the ground.
In any case where major reforms are needed, there will always be many people on the other side who need to be convinced (or move on). This takes a long time.
