by John Ellis
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered the State Department to revert to the Times New Roman font in all official documents. His order reverses one his predecessor, Secretary Antony Blinken, made in 2023 requiring all official State Department documents be typed using the Calibri font. Secretary Rubio’s reason, as explained in his cable to diplomats, is, “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 two listed reasons fall under professionalism and the war on wokeism. The first reason provided – “restore decorum and professionalism” – is purely a subjective claim. Why is the Times New Roman font more professional than Calibri? I challenge anyone to provide an objective reason. It’s as objective a statement as saying that it’s wrong to wear white after Labor Day. Both are purely subjective, and while it’s not wrong to hold either opinion, it’s either (or both) arrogant or totalitarian to demand that either opinion be accepted as a fact (it’s also profoundly nonsensical).[1] But if Secretary Rubio truly believes that Times New Roman is more professional than Calibri, fine. In fact, I agree with him.[2] And if that was where his reasoning stopped, I wouldn’t care; I’d probably take his side. The problem is his second reason: “abolish yet another wasteful DEIA program.”
Until today, I was unaware that Calibri can be easier to read than Times New Roman, specifically easier to read by people with dyslexia. And it’s the main reason why Secretary Blinken made the switch. It was a simple and unobtrusive change that made it a little easier for State Department officials with dyslexia to read internal documents. Why would anyone be opposed to that? For his part, expressing his opposition, Secretary Rubio labels that change as a “DEIA program.”[3]
Prior to this article, I used Times New Roman. I like it better. I can’t really explain why. Frankly, I’ve never thought about why I like that specific font over other fonts. And I haven’t thought about it because it doesn’t matter; it’s not important. It’s purely a personal opinion with no epistemic weight or ethical authority. What is important, though, is to love and serve others. King Jesus teaches us this. Love of others and service towards others are irremovably central to Christian ethics. Because of that, combined with the new information I’ve received about the Calibri font being easier to read for many with dyslexia, I’m typing this article in Calibri.[4] The cost/benefit analysis is so overwhelmingly weighted towards love/service, it would be (should be) baffling for anyone to criticize me for my switch. Likewise, the change doesn’t qualify for any praise. My totally subjective preference for Times New Roman is so unimportant as to not even qualify as a “sacrifice” for the sake of others. In other words, there is really no cost/benefit analysis to be had because there’s no true cost on my part.
Now, to be clear, I’m not saying that all Christians should immediately switch to Calibri, or any other font, in service to others. That’s between other Christians and King Jesus. However, if *your* immediate response is one of “I’m not going to do that!”, ask yourself why. Why are you immediately unwilling to make a switch in fonts if doing so helps others? Do you believe that your autonomous (individualistic) right to use whatever font you prefer is more important than helping others? Seriously, I’m asking. Maybe you do have reasons. I don’t know. I suspect, though, that for most of us, our autonomy and “rights” are idols for us. What makes us angry/upset is often an indicator of what we worship. I mean, even if you push back, “John, the evidence that Calibri is easier for those with dyslexia to read is all anecdotal,” okay, but so what? If my neighbor (anybody who reads what I write, in this case) tells me, “I’m dyslexic and I can’t explain it, but I find Calibri easier to read than Times New Roman,” I’m not sure the loving, Christ-like response in that instance would be to demand to see the peer-reviewed studies demonstrating their claim. Maybe the loving, Christ-like response is for the individual with dyslexia to suck it up and serve me by being happy with my ability to exercise my right to use Times New Roman. Obviously, I don’t believe that, but if that’s what *you* believe, I’d love to hear your argument for it in the comment section. But again, to be clear, my point in this paragraph isn’t so much about what font Christians’ use, it’s to call us to investigate our heart’s attitude about it. And it’s crystal clear what Secretary Rubio’s heart attitude is.
Setting aside the amorphous use of words like woke and diversity among MAGA/Republicans/White Evangelicals, Secretary Rubio’s accusation that the switch to Calibri was a “DEIA program” is a level of petty meanness that provides a look into the Trump administration’s (MAGA/Republican/White Evangelical’s) sinister worldview and anthropology.
While the use of fonts are a minor thing on one hand, to be clear, the felt-need to go after Calibri as a “DEIA program” is not minor nor is it without serious consequences. It’s the product of an outlook built on the foundation of the myth of meritocracy that centers specific types of people. It’s a worldview that declares that if you find yourself outside the desired structure for society, that’s your problem. In fact, in many cases, “we” – MAGA/Republicans/White Evangelicals – don’t want you anywhere near “our” structure (footnote 1 is applicable here). And if you do come near, or even inside, “our” structure, don’t expect any help from “us.” You’re required to conform to all “our” opinions and preferences, no matter how much it may cost you. You’re required to heal yourself from life’s hurts and misfortunes. Ultimately, “we” decide who our neighbors are, what they’re supposed to look like, and how they’re supposed to function.
Donald Trump and his followers want an America that only really works for specific people and is only open/inviting to those specific types of people. This is echoed in things like Trump calling certain countries “shit holes” or the renewed use of the “R-word” by conservatives, even among Christians. Petty meanness is rife throughout MAGA-land. This is a much bigger topic than fonts and the use of the “R-word,” but the embrace of cruel words, the unwillingness to help others even when the personal cost is minimal, and an ostracizing unkindness by those who profess to follow Jesus is heartbreaking. And it’s evidence that MAGA/Republicans/White Evangelicals prefer a Babel of their own construction than the Kingdom.
If being willing to listen to the concerns and feelings of others, especially those who look and sound different from us, and seeking ways to love and serve marginalize people by finding ways – like switching to Calibri – to help them be a little less marginalized is anathema in your worldview, then I contend that your worldview is decidedly un-Christlike.
[1] It’s like restaurants that require a coat and tie. Fine. It’s your restaurant. But I wish people would be honest about these types of cultural gatekeeping. There is nothing objectively superior about a coat and tie over a tee-shirt and shorts (unless it’s hot out, then I would argue that there might be an objective reason to wear a tee-shirt and shorts). It’s a social construct. And many of our social constructs about dress go back to the Victorian era when the affluent and powerful became dismayed at how the growing middle-class was encroaching on their aesthetic domains. To counter this, the affluent/powerful developed almost non-sensical standards to help ensure the continued exclusion of the “lesser thans” from their circles. This is exactly why the Olympics were only open to amateurs (it’s true, look it up). Much of our cultural gatekeeping exists to exclude undesirables.
[2] Although I can’t defend why I feel that way.
[3] If someone wants to make the argument that the financial cost of switching from Times New Roman to Calibri was wasteful, fine. And I don’t know how much, if anything, the switch cost. But if it did, and I don’t understand how it would’ve cost anything, you can’t put toothpaste back into the tube. My point: switching back would also cost money then, adding to the wasteful spending.
[4] I just checked, and it appears that WordPress has published all my articles using Calibri even though I’ve typed them all – this current one excluded – in Word using Times New Roman.
Practically Known Theology 