We explain to you what the status quo and the origin of the term. In addition, its different meanings and what it refers to.
What is the status quo?
Status quo, commonly pronouncedandstatuswho (adding thes final), is a term from Latin used as synonymous of the "state of things" at a given moment.
It comes from a longer Latin address:status quo beforebellum, which literally means "the state of things before the war”And refers to the return of the troops in a conflict armed, returning to the starting point before the violence was unleashed without gaining or losing territory, which is equivalent to a kind of "tie" between the sides. It is a principle used in international treaties on the matter.
This term is used to refer to the current situation of a certain moment in a nation, a system or a historical moment, particularly in the political or sociological sphere.
When speaking of the status quo, then, allusion is made to the balance of powers in force at a time, or to the prevailing system in a society, or the way things are.
In this way, the agents, processes or arguments Those who favor the status quo are those considered conservative: they value the way things are and do not understand that there is a need for change, that is, they are the opposite of revolutionaries or avant-garde. The latter, on the other hand, advocate a new order, a different one, and if they do so, they would in turn become pro status quo.
Therefore, the term can be used for a wide variety of situations or contexts, but always referring to the “way things are” or, in the same way, to the tradition, to the values inherited and the way in which "things have always been done."
This specific term should not be confused with the name of the British rock band Status quo (with s at the end of the first word), formed in 1962 and initially called The Scorpions, The Specter and Traffic Jam.