In a move that highlights the extent of the 'wokeness' obsession within the Biden administration, the former Secretary of State had mandated a change in the department's typeface to promote diversity and inclusion.
However, the current Secretary of State under the Trump administration, Marco Rubio, has reversed this decision, prompting the media to focus on this rather than the initial change made under Biden's administration. This incident underscores the reasons behind Trump's election in 2024.
As reported by Western Journal, Secretary of State Rubio directed the State Department to revert from the Calibri font, a sans-serif typeface, to Times New Roman, a font often associated with serious communication. This decision was met with mockery from left-leaning media outlets, as evidenced by their headlines. The New York Times, for instance, reported, At State Dept., a Typeface Falls Victim in the War Against Woke, while Reuters headlined, Rubio stages font coup: Times New Roman ousts Calibri.
However, a closer look at the Times' report reveals the absurdity of the situation. Rubio's directive, titled Return to Tradition: Times New Roman 14-Point Font Required for All Department Paper, was an attempt by the Trump administration to eliminate traces of diversity initiatives across the federal government.
The 2023 typeface shift was initially ordered by then-Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, based on the recommendation of the State Departments office of diversity and inclusion, which Rubio has since disbanded. The change was intended to enhance accessibility for readers with disabilities, such as low vision and dyslexia, and those who use assistive technologies, like screen readers.
The Calibri font, often described as soft and modern, is generally considered more accessible for individuals with reading difficulties due to its simpler shapes and wider spacing. Blinken's decision was praised by accessibility advocates. However, Rubio argued that the switch to Calibri only served to degrade the departments official correspondence.
He acknowledged that while it wasnt the most illegal, immoral, radical, or wasteful instance of DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility), it didnt reduce the number of accessibility-based document remediation cases at the State Department, which was the intended goal of the switch.
Rubio also noted that serif typefaces like Times New Roman are typically associated with tradition, formality, and ceremony. Furthermore, the Times' report mentioned that the Biden administrations shift to Calibri was met with disapproval from traditionalists who favored Times New Roman.
Blinken also increased the standard font size from 14-point to 15-point, which required additional keystrokes that some diplomats found bothersome. This change was not only aesthetically displeasing, but it also proved to be wasteful in other ways.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the extent of the DEI obsession under the Biden administration, which went as far as changing the department's fonts in the name of wokeness, despite it not benefiting anyone. When Rubio attempted to revert to the department's original typeface, he was ridiculed by the same media outlets that previously dismissed clips of Biden freezing up as mere cheap fakes. This raises the question of why the media continues to be trusted by the public.
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