Status quo

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This article is about the latin term "status quo". For the English rock band, see Status Quo.

Status quo is a Latin term meaning the present, current, existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep things the way they presently are. Compare it with status quo ante, meaning "the state of things as it was before."

The concept of status quo comes from the diplomatic term status quo ante bellum, meaning "as it was before war," referring to the withdrawal of enemy troops and restoration of power to prewar leadership.

Arguing to preserve the status quo is usually done in the context of opposing a large, often radical change. The term frequently refers to the status of a large issue, such as the current culture or social climate of an entire society or nation.

Politicians sometimes refer to a status quo. Sometimes there is a policy of deliberate ambiguity, referring to the status quo rather than formalizing the status. An example of political ambiguity is the political status of Taiwan. Clark Kerr is reported to have said, "The status quo is the only solution that cannot be vetoed," meaning that the status quo cannot simply be decided against; action must be taken if it is to change.

In non-episodic entertainment, particularly United States TV sitcoms, the "status quo" is nearly always restored at the end of an episode, so that the following episode may begin from the same starting point, eliminating the need for the viewer to experience particular episodes in the correct order. This has been an essential rule of nearly all non-episodic TV shows since their inception, with all drastic changes usually happening in the premiere or finale of a given season, allowing the creative team to set up a "new " status quo. In recent years, however, this rule has softened, as even many sitcoms have started to develop stories and deepen character relationships over the course of a season.

For an application in voting systems see the Borda count.

Sometimes specific institutions are founded to actively maintain the status quo. The United Nations, for example, was intended to help solidify the peaceful international status quo that immediately followed World War II.

In Israel, the term refers to an informal agreement conducted in 1947 between the secular leadership of the Zionist movement in Palestine and leaders of the religious Jews, which created a framework for the establishment of the country. This agreement lays out ground rules for the relationship between state and religion in four major issues: Shabbat, education, Kashrut, and matrimonial law. It has been more or less maintained throughout the country's existence. It might also refer to the arrangement formalized in 1852 for the division of custodianship among a number of Christian communities for various important Christian holy sites of the Holy Land.

The status quo can also refer to the social status in the workplace or in high school, more the latter than the former however. Within a high school it means to stick to the stuff you are meant to know, and don't go admitting to liking things which do not fit in with your group/image. Like if you were a Jock you don't go admitting that you like English or singing and if you're book smart you don't go admitting that you like dancing or football . Etc.

Laurence J. Peter is reported to have said, "Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status."

Peter Senge (1999) "...collaboration is vital to sustain what we call profound or really deep change, because without it, organizations are just overwhelmed by the forces of the status quo."