This is a report to show just how ludicrous things have become both in government and the media.
During the Biden administration, an order was given at the State Department requiring a change in official font from Times New Roman to Calibri, supposedly to make communications easier for people with disabilities to read.
Sec. of State Marco Rubio decided that the change was simply too woke in its effect, so he ordered the official font changed back to Times New Roman, and now the media is more or less calling him a Nazi.
Times New Roman was used for State Department communications since 2004, but the Biden administration changed this about halfway through Biden’s term.
The announcement at the time explained that Times New Roman has serifs, or the “wings” or “feet” that are on many of the letters.
This can sometimes create problems in reading a website when using “Optical Character Recognition” technology or for those who use screen readers, such as those with learning disabilities.
The Biden administration changed the official font to Calibri since it does not use serifs, as was recommended by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
This week, it was announced that all official State Department communications will go back to Times New Roman in order to "present a unified, professional voice in all communications.”
The statement continued, "Aligning the (state) department's practice with this standard ensures our communications reflect the same dignity, consistency, and formality expected in official government correspondence.”
Secretary Rubio also directly addressed the change in a memo, which stated, "To restore decorum and professionalism to the Department’s written work products and abolish yet another wasteful DEIA program, the Department is returning to Times New Roman as its standard typeface."
The whole thing is a bit silly to me, but it gets even worse.
The left's reaction to Rubio’s announcement was utterly ridiculous.
Former Voice of America White House bureau chief Steve Herman commented, "The Nazis, in 1941, banned the Fraktur font because it was ‘too Jewish.’"
To me, there was no need to change the font other than to take a dig at Biden. If Calibri makes it easier for people with reading disabilities, what is the real harm?
Having said that, the reaction from some that the move is reminiscent of the Nazis is just outrageous, and it's why we continue to have this nasty rhetoric thrown around over just about everything. Again, all I ask is that adults step up and stop the silliness. But I just don’t see that happening anytime soon.