The second novel from the author of So You Want To Talk about Race, the strap line of Mediocre is “The dangerous legacy of white male power”. I can hear the “not all menz” bristling already, readying their arguments and trying to rationalise, rebut, and reduce. But I would argue that if you are that person, or know someone who is (so, all of us), then we should be reading Mediocre.

Oluo says

“I am not arguing that every white man is mediocre. I do not believe that any race or gender is predisposed to mediocrity. What I’m saying is that white male mediocrity is a baseline ... and everything in our society is centred around preserving white male power regardless of skill or talent.”

And my word but do I feel this in my bones. I am pretty high up on the privilege totem pole, but oh, how often I’ve found myself talked down to, talked over, had my contributions relayed back to me as if they were the straight white man’s idea in the first place. I know I am not alone. And how much more frustrating and harmful, then, for those whose disability, gender, sexuality, and/or skin colour places them elsewhere on that totem pole?

“When that true commitment to equality isn't there, when white men waltz into social justice movements with their privilege unchecked and expect to feel rewarded and comfortable at all times, they slow us down. They also hurt people, and they compromise the integrity of our movements.”

Mediocre works systematically through historical, statistical, and scientific context for Oluo’s arguments, bringing them to life in anecdotal and lived experience. She takes us through periods such as the ‘wild’ west and the Great Depression, tracing the roots of many current societal and systemic issues.

Oluo argues also that this tendency to reward mediocrity is detrimental to everyone, including white men themselves - in that it hugely inhibits the potential and progress that they could be challenged and stretched towards. When mediocrity is accepted as a bar set, then what incentive is there to improve and progress? It’s the same mentality that grants plaudits to a father who “babysits” his own children for an evening while their mother is out. If he’s gaining recognition for that, then why bother to find out when their next dentist appointment will need scheduled, or know that their shoes are getting a bit tight? From the value placed on various demographics in the home, to the workplace, to the sports field, there is plenty to be challenged by.

There are several sections I found uncomfortable to read; concepts and narratives I need to sit with in order to explore my own past and ongoing lack of understanding, and the harm I may have contributed to for others. This is the work that we need to do - to avoid being reactionary and self-excusing, and opening ourselves to listening and learning.

I hope people will read it. I fear, however, that those who would gain most from reading it, are those least likely to do so.

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