There are words, or phrases, which come into currency, and which may sound interesting or pleasing, for a time--but then become widely, conspicuously overused. As such, they lose whatever appealing qualities they might originally have had.
A number of such words have roots, interestingly, in science, or math.
One hears often today, for example, the use of the word "ecosystem"--but divorced from its biologic-related meaning, and used, rather, in political, entertainment, or social contexts.
I hear the word used with regularity on news and discussion shows on television, and see it often in print reporting--concerning, say, the Washington, D.C. ecosystem, the political ecosystem at-large, etc.
A January 28, 2024 piece in The Atlantic, online, referred to actress Dakota Johnson's "keen sense of her own place in the celebrity ecosystem..."
The November 2023 issue of Philadelphia magazine, in its annual list of the most influential Philadelphians, wrote of two figures from the city's Lenfest Institute for Journalism who have "been making waves within the city's media ecosystem..."
A November 2023 piece in The New Yorker said that "independent publishers and nonprofits such as W.W. Norton and Graywolf Press seek to carve out their own niche in this [publishing] ecosystem by [focusing] on books with small but ardent audiences..."
A December, 2023 Atlantic piece had this sub-headline: "The veil lifted on the remarkable ecosystem that fuels Republican activism."
A February, 2024 Boston Globe piece concerned the shutting down of an area alcohol delivery service. "The surprise announcement," the Globe reporter wrote, "was a hit to the Boston startup ecosystem..."
Other terms--once generally associated with math or science--are used regularly, in print and in broadcast media, in a political context: one hears, often, about the metrics of a political race; the optics of a candidate's event or speech; the ways a politician seeks to replicate that which occurred in a previous election; the political calculus made by someone seeking office, or seeking to remain in office.
There are additional terms which have in recent years been used to excess: the "unpacking" of the particulars of a story, a life, or an issue, or undertaking a "deep dive" into a certain subject.
One of the words which has been invoked endlessly--for many years--in broadcast news, interview, and panel programs, in newspapers and magazines, in TV advertisements, and in daily conversations, is a term from the nautical realm: navigating.
Today, the use of navigating has become ubiquitous.
Everyone, it seems, is constantly navigating.
We're all, evidently, Magellan.
I'm not saying a great many people are not routinely navigating--but I wish the near-reflexive usage of the word would recede.
Here are a few examples, from print stories.
"No question the royal family is navigating rough waters." (USA Today, May 6, 2023)
"In his new book 'Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America,' [Steve Inskeep] recounts how the 16th president navigated deep political discord." (Boston Globe, Sept. 27, 2023)
A sub-headline, in a New York Times story (Jan. 8, 2024): "With little time to spare before a shutdown deadline, Speaker Mike Johnson will have to navigate the same political currents that did in his predecessor."
The headline of a New York Times story (April 7, 2024) concerned Princess Reema Bandar al-Saud, the Saudi ambassador to the United States (and daughter of the former Saudi ambassador, Prince Bandar bin Sultan): "Princess Reema, Bandar's Daughter, Navigates Rough Waters in Washington."
"The Philadelphia-based radio company [Audacy], which owns hundreds of stations nationwide, is grappling with $1.9 billion in debt while navigating an advertising slump." (Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 4, 2024)
There is also this:
For years, reporters and analysts/commentators, when writing about or discussing politics, would note that certain political figures were engaged in a form of performance--a version of performance art, perhaps, or political theatre, political theatrics--as opposed to engaging substantively with issues.
Today, such terms have been replaced, quite often, by one
word: performative--as in, a
performative style of legislating, or,
rather, the absence of legislating;
the performative style predominating, in lieu of tangible accomplishment.
As far as I can tell, the usage of "performative" has been in particular vogue for the past couple of years.
It is actually a good word, and has, I must note, been used by many writers and commentators for whom I have admiration. The word, indeed, has an appealing, concise flavor to it--yet I think it is being relied upon far too often.
The journalist Mark Leibovich--one of today's best, most interesting political reporters and analysts--wrote about Governor Ron DeSantis, not long after DeSantis's 2023 announcement of his presidential candidacy. Mr. Leibovich wrote that "DeSantis is the ultimate performative politician when it comes to demonstrating outrage and 'kneecapping' various woke abuses--but not so much when it comes to the actual in-person performance of politics." (The Atlantic, June 3, 2023)
The prominent and talented columnist Maureen Dowd wrote of Donald Trump's 2023 arrival in Georgia, for his arraignment and booking, on charges that he and his co-defendants sought to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election: "Thursday night was performative for Trump: sweeping in with his private jet and giant motorcade that screamed two-tiered justice system, with law enforcement clearing the Atlanta streets, like centurions clearing the way for Caesar." (The New York Times, August 26, 2023)
The very fine columnist David Brooks wrote, of GOP presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy: "His statements are brisk, in-your-face provocations intended to produce temporary populist dopamine highs. It's all performative show." (The New York Times, August 23, 2023)
On Anderson Cooper's May 9, 2024 CNN broadcast, the conversation with his panel, that night, focused on the Trump criminal trial. The discussion included analysis of the defense's harsh cross-examination of prosecution witness Stormy Daniels.
Mr. Cooper (whose on-air reporting/hosting/interviewing I enjoy) said the following: " ...there was a lot of talk today that this was performative, perhaps for Donald Trump...or at least at the behest of Donald Trump."
On Laura Coates's May 21, 2024 evening broadcast, the CNN host (who is also the network's chief legal analyst; she is a former federal prosecutor, and former attorney in private practice) spoke with her panel of the upcoming closing arguments in the Trump trial. She said: "I mean, this is the time that a lot of lawyers become all the more performative, right? They are trying to shine..."
Though I hear the term used most often by journalists and commentators, at least two politicians I am aware of have made use of the word. "[Former Vice President Mike] Pence defined Republican populism as a trading away of time-honored principles for raw political power. He said populists trafficked in 'personal grievances and performative outrage.' " (The New York Times, Sept. 6, 2023) And The Washington Post, on May 31, 2024, reported this, regarding an appearance by Maryland Republican Senatorial candidate (and former Governor) Larry Hogan, at a Pikesville, Maryland retirement community:
"I don't come from the performative arts school of politics," Hogan told the crowd, reminding them of alliances he formed as governor with Democratic state lawmakers to reduce taxes.
"I come from the 'get to work, get things done' school, and I will work with anyone who wants to do the people's business."
Or this: when it was announced, early this year, that Jon Stewart was returning to Comedy Central, to host The Daily Show one night per week, Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, released this statement: "In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics, Jon is the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit." (Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 24, 2024)
In short, I think that the use of "performative" (as with many of the previously discussed words, above) has, lately, come to feel a bit tiresome. I think the term should be employed with greater restraint--or perhaps should be shelved altogether.
(The above post was slightly edited on June 12, 2024)
