Don't normalise this
š Thoughts on navigating a new era.
FROM THE EDITORāS DESK
WorldWise readersā
This post is a brief commentary that will be followed by the usual news and analysis update next week*. Even though we donāt venture into politics in this space, sometimes politics just canāt be avoided. The last three weeks or so have been momentous in terms of the scale and speed of geopolitical change brought on by the leadership of one country. Iāve been working daily to track the avalanche of developments and make sense of it for all of us. But until thatās ready to reach you, today is simply about a few thoughts on the status quo and how we might meet the moment. I hope thereās something there that resonates with you. Do reach out with any comments or thoughts to share.
Anita
*Update: this is now available, here.
INSIGHT | views & analysis
Holding the line.
Like everyone whose work touches on global affairs, Iāve been trying to wrap my head around the seismic shifts in global governance that followed since the new US presidentās inauguration in January.
A snappy headline popped up in my feed at some pointāmy eye caught it but didnāt stop. It wasnāt until a journalist friend brought it into our conversation that I took time to listen.
Don't Believe Him is an episode of The Ezra Klein Show which aired on the 2nd of February. The New York Times columnist makes a level-headed argument about why itās worth looking behind the very intentional executive-order chaos created in the first two weeks of Donald Trumpās second term.
The flood is a point. The overwhelm is a point. The message wasn't in any one executive order or announcement. It was in the cumulative effect of all of them. The speed with which things were happening and changing. The sense that this is Trump's country now. It is his government now. It follows his will.
ā¦
What he's always wanted to be is king. And his plan this time is to first play King on TV. If we believe he is already King, if we believe he already has all that power, it becomes likelier that we'll let him govern as a King. We will then give him that power. Don't believe him.
Itās insightful, and on some level, itās reassuring. Perhaps too reassuring.
I think itās possible to analyse the destructive side of what the new US administration is doing until it sounds almost benign. And this isnāt new: itās an approach running through much reputable media analysis.
Often, this is how it goes: Donald Trump says something unprecedented or outlandish ā said reputable media outlet takes up the statement immediately as a subject of serious analysis, carried out by undoubtedly bright minds operating pragmatically.
Sometimes, youāll even see aggressive soundbites borrowed for editorial purposes. āAfter feeding Americaās foreign aid into the woodchipper, Mr Trump has set Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency on Americaās armed forcesā, reads a newsletter I received today.
Granted, itās a smarter strategy than some others. A tendency to dismiss views we find objectionable might be comforting, but ignoring reality never really works in the long run. On the other hand, Iāve also seen signs of media reluctant to acknowledge the gravity of what the new administration is doing, even in the face of actions that assault their core values.
Back to the pragmatists: the benefit of the approach for said media? Looking firmly rooted in knowing realism and in touch with the corridors of power.
The risk for all of us? Normalisation.
Iāve observed this kind of normalisation for some time. It only takes saying something that grabs headlines: just giving a voice and credence to a narrative, however extreme, seems to create space and movement in that direction.
It doesnāt matter if the immediate impact doesnāt go all the way to the desired end. Small, regular movements are enough. The rest is taken care of by time.
So, here we are. Maybe not all the executive orders against aid or climate action or social justice that have been put in motion by the new US administration will pass in the end. But that's not the point. The point is in carving out a new reality. Once people see its outline, once the space for it is created and discussed pragmatically by reputable media, once it's normalised, then making a version of it a reality is much, much easier.
Ezra Kleinās argument touches on something similar:
Because Trump knows the power of marketing, the power of belief. If you make people believe something is true, you make it likelier that it becomes true.
But here is where we all come in. Iām writing about this because what the worldās most powerful country does reverberates globally. So do the stories we tell about it.
Perhaps our job, in this new era, is simply to do what we can to hold firm on a reality where humanity remains at the centre. To register facts but beware normalising by analysis. In our everyday and in our media narratives, to notice when the ground is being movedāwhen the reality being created is far removed from notions of equality and justiceāand refuse to get carried towards the new norms it creates.
The stand taken by the editors of The Lancet is a good (and uncommon) example of a publisher stating an intent to hold the line:
This moment is a test. How should our community react? The immediate result has been confusion, disruption, and disorientation, but the response cannot be dictated by fear or resignation. There is a need for focus, strategy, andāindeedāhope. Not all executive orders will survive legal challenges. Some orders have been tempered or adjusted thanks to civil society, journalists, government whistleblowers, and some members of Congress who have been vocal about the immediate harms. The health, medical, and scientific communities have a vital role in advocating for their patients, defending programmes, and lobbying for policies and institutions that are good for health and wellbeing.
What holding the line looks like will be different for each of us. We do what we can, and weāll certainly do what we can in these pages to reflect the times with humanity still a core value.
Thank you.
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Created and edited by Anita Makriājournalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedInĀ | Instagram | Email