Rubio and the Font

By Cecilia Sepp, CAE, ACNP, LPEC

The world is always in a precarious position. In addition to all the mischief we make for ourselves here on Planet Earth, there is always the cosmic threat of some space item crashing into us and causing an Extinction Level Event. When it comes to external items that may hurt us, we also need to contend with all the space garbage we have created over the years falling through the atmosphere and smashing into something important – like us. 

The mischief we make here on the ground includes all types of crimes from murder to mayhem to con artistry of extreme imagination. We need to keep an eye on all the political thugs struggling to impose their will on everyone else, which leads to global tensions affecting our safety, our economies, and our mental health. 

Our environment, both planetary and universal, is fraught with many environmental factors impacting our lives. We need to pay attention to the bigger picture using strategic thinking and future-forward scenario planning. 

We could solve a lot of our own problems if we had leaders who cared about the wellbeing of others instead of politicians with a lust for power and delusions of grandeur. Things haven’t changed much here on Planet Earth when it comes to our social and political systems. We have made progress but our model is still too closely tied to the era of feudalism, when the elite few imposed their whims and fancies on everyone else. 

This brings me to our topic: Rubio and the Font. 

If you don’t know what this refers to, I saw an article on several news outlets, including the Associated Press, reporting that the Secretary of State of one of the most powerful countries on the planet has decided to focus on what font is used for official correspondence. He decided that switching to Calibri font – which is a sans serif font that makes reading easier and was specifically designed for how we read today on screens – was a “failed DEI initiative that cost over $145,000.” Rubio decided that the US State Department will switch back to Times New Roman font; there is no estimate as to how much it will cost to use the drop-down menu in Microsoft Word to switch fonts. 

Times New Roman font, in my opinion, is the ugliest font in existence and is definitely harder to read. Times New Roman font is dated and makes everything look like it was printed sometime before 1980. How fonts have been dragged into the DEI maelstrom created by the current Administration is beyond explanation. What is harder to explain is this: 

Why is the Secretary of State of the United State of America even involved in font usage? 

If this were a CAE scenario, the answer would be “delegate this to the communication department.” Why? Because the Chief Staff Executive should not be involved in miniscule tactical decisions. That’s why you have a team – so as the leader, you can focus on strategic thinking and working with your Board of Directors on preferred futures scenarios. 

As the Secretary of State, I think Rubio would have more important things to deal with like all the border skirmishes in Southeast Asia, or negotiating with our Allies on common economic goals, or negotiating hostage exchanges. 

But instead, he is telling his department what font to use to write memos, letters, and other official communications. He claims it makes the documents look more “official and professional” which would be true if this was an episode of “Mad Men.” 

Not only is this ridiculously myopic focus petty and vindictive, it demonstrates that the current Administration is careening farther and farther away from any cohesive, meaningful policy agenda. This outdated and ugly font is a symbol of their attitude: undo it simply because we didn’t do it. That is not leadership. As John Dean said, that is “Blind Ambition” and it has nothing to do with leadership and everything to do with ego. 

We need to live in the world we are in, and that world  does not still use carbon paper. The world is full of challenges and opportunities, from A.I. to shifting demographics to the possibility of 3D printing food. We, as a planetary community, have bigger questions to focus on than font usage. 

Finding solutions in a rapidly changing environment is the priority for Planet Earth. The nonprofit community can set an example for leadership, future thinking, and building on what works. Let us continue to champion DEI (because it works) and to be the change we want to see in the world. That makes sense in any font.