When watching a news clip recently I was taken by a young woman’s attitude to the coronavirus restrictions. When asked how they had affected her, she said simply, ‘It is what it is’. The answer suggested an impressive acceptance far from the outrage, frustration and resentment that in the circumstances would not have been surprising. It seemed to suggest humility in the face of a situation that could not be changed.
That was the first time I had noticed the phrase, but once alerted I found it everywhere. It was even a killer line in the lead-up to the United States elections. President Trump used it when questioned about the high number of people who had died of coronavirus in the nation. Michelle Obama (pictured) used it to refer to what she considered Trump’s misgovernment. Some people who commented on the phrase criticised it for being fatalistic; others, like myself, were attracted to it because it was realistic. At all events, it merits passing reflection.
The phrase itself has a relatively short documented history, with different shades of meaning depending on the context. Those who seek a wider cultural reference will think of the Spanish proverb, Que será, será — whatever will be will be. The change of tense from present to future perhaps suggests more space for change. The theologically minded might be reminded of the similar variations of tense in translations of the answer given by God in the Book of Exodus when asked his name. They offer a choice between ‘I am who I am’ and ‘I will be who I will be’.
Whatever of that, the phrase remains with us. What are we to make of it in the time of coronavirus and its restrictions? At least, it must be said, it is better than its contraries. If we were to say, for example, that the coronavirus is what it isn’t, we would be drawn into the maelstrom of social media. It would open the way for such theories as that it portends an extraterrestrial invasion, that it is a plot by the CIA or the KGB to destroy freedom, or that it is a mass illusion.
Another variant of the phrase would be to say that it isn’t what it is. This usage is common among opinionated columnists and lobbyists who argue that that the virus is not a serious threat to health, that business can continue undisturbed by