New normal

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A new normal is a state to which an economy, society, etc. settles following a crisis, when this differs from the situation that prevailed prior to the start of the crisis. The term has been employed in relation to World War I, September 11 attacks, financial crisis of 2007–2008, the aftermath of the 2008–2012 global recession, the COVID-19 pandemic and other events.^[1]

Usage history[]

Post-Great War world[]

In 1918, Henry A. Wise Wood posted a dilemma,

To consider the problems before us we must divide our epoch into three periods, that of war, that of transition, that of the new normal, which undoubtedly will supersede the old. The questions before us, therefore, are, broadly, two: How shall we pass from war to the new normal with the least jar, in the shortest time? In that respect should the new normal be shaped to differ from the old?^[2]

1990s dot-com bubble[]

The phrase was extensively used by Roger McNamee in his 2003 interview to Fast Company while describing the new normal in technology development in regards to business and finance after the dot-com bubble bust,

Forget about the Next Big Thing, the next thing has started. It’s called the New Normal, and 2003 will be the first full year of it. The New Normal isn’t where you wait for the next boom. It’s about the rest of your life. ... There was so much urgency that every standard — for due diligence, leadership, recruiting, and investment — was relaxed. The New Normal is about real life — and real time. Getting things right the first time is more important than getting things done quickly.^[3]

2005 avian influenza[]

The phrase was used in 2005 by Peter M. Sandman and Jody Lanard in relation to methods of manipulation of attitudes of the public towards avian influenza. They explained that the initial, typically temporary, fearfulness of a novel risk such as a flu pandemic is something to be guided, that this initial period is a "teachable moment" and offers the opportunity of establishing a "new normal".^[4]

2008 financial crisis[]

The phrase was used in the context of cautioning the belief of economists and policy makers that industrial economies would revert to their most recent means post the 2007–2008 financial crisis.^[5]

The 29 January 2009, Philadelphia City Paper quoted Paul Glover referring to the need for "new normals" in community development, when introducing his cover story "Prepare for the Best".^[6]

The 2010 Per Jacobsson lecture delivered by Mohamed A. El-Erian at the International Monetary Fund, was titled "Navigating the New Normal in Industrial Countries". In the lecture El-Erian stated that "Our use of the term was an attempt to move the discussion beyond the notion that the crisis was a mere flesh wound...instead the crisis cut to the bone. It was the inevitable result of an extraordinary, multiyear period which was anything but normal".^[5][7] El-Erian's lecture cites a 18 May 2008 Bloomberg News article written by journalists Rich Miller and Matthew Benjamin for first using the term: "Post-Subprime Economy Means Subpar Growth as New Normal in U.S."^[8]

2012 U.S. presidential debate[]

The phrase has subsequently been used by ABC News,^[9] BBC News,^[10] the New York Times, and formed part of a question by Candy Crowley, the moderator of the Second U.S. presidential debate of 2012.^[11]

2012 China's economic slowdown[]

Since 2012, China's economy has shown a marked slowdown, with growth rates declining from double digit levels (before the 2007-2009 financial crisis) to around 7% in 2014. In 2014, a statement by Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, indicated that China was entering a 'new normal' (Chinese: 新常态).^[12] This term was subsequently popularised by the press and came to refer to expectations of 7% growth rates in China for the foreseeable future. It was indicative of the Chinese government's anticipation of moderate but perhaps more stable economic growth in the medium-to-long term.

2020 COVID-19 pandemic[]

The examples and perspective in this section may not include all significant viewpoints. Please or discuss the issue. (September 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the term new normal has been increasingly used to refer to the changes of human behavior during, or after the pandemic.^{[13][14][15][16][17][18][19]}

Physicians at the University of Kansas Health System anticipate that the pandemic will change daily life for most people. This includes limiting person-to-person contact, like handshakes and hugs. Additionally, maintaining distance from others, or social distancing, will likely stay.^[20]

Criticism[]

Some commentators objected overuse and misuse of the phrase by the media while describing atypical situations or behaviors, which turned it into a cliche.^[21][7][1]

In popular culture[]

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress[]

Author Robert A. Heinlein used the phrase in his 1966 novel, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, with a character telling lunar colonists:

Citizens, requests may reach you through your comrade neighbors. I hope you will comply willingly; it will speed the day when I can bow out and life can get back to normal — a new normal, free of the Authority, free of guards, free of troops stationed on us, free of passports and searches and arbitrary arrests.^[22]

TV series[]

The New Normal is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 10, 2012, to April 2, 2013.

Film[]

A dramedy produced by Nigerian filmmaker Teniola Olatoni Ojigbede in 2020.^[23][24]

References[]

Further reading[]

• Assessing the New Normal: Liberty and Security for the Post-September 11 United States. Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, 2003
• Briscoe, Jill. The New Normal: Living a Fear-Free Life in a Fear-Driven World, Muptnomah Publishers, 2005.
• Etzioni, Amitai. The New Normal: Finding a Balance between Individual Rights and the Common Good. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 2015.
• McNamee, Roger, and David Diamond. The New Normal: Great Opportunities in a Time of Great Risk. New York: Portfolio, 2004.
• Porter, Suzanne. After 911 in the 'New'-Normal: Who Are We? Why Are We Here? Where Are We Going?. Author House, 2003
• Taylor, Vickie. The New Normal: How FDNY Firefighters are Rising to the Challenge of Life After September 11. Counseling Service Unit of the FDNY, 2002

External links[]

Look up new normal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Our new normal, in pictures, CNN, November 23, 2020
• The New Normal?, 7-country report drawing from a survey of 14,000 people on the impacts of COVID-19 on trust, social cohesion, democracy and expectations for an uncertain future in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland.