Mediocre

Adult nonfiction 

     "When I say 'we,' I don't mean me.  I am a Black woman.  True, I have been told time and time again that my best chance of success is to emulate the preferred traits of white maleness as much  as possible.  Still, mine is not the image of the great leaders in our history books, nor that of the heroes in our stories."

     Awhile back I was mesmerized by Ijeoma Oluo's 2018 So You Want to Talk About Race.  Olou gave honest, thought provoking advice on tackling controversial topics such as privilege and cultural appropriation.  Her voice was that of a tough love friend talking over the proverbial cup of coffee.  In my mind it struck the balance of being out of the white comfort zone but not far enough out to totally discourage white readers.

     Recently while researching books to review (as in clicking on book recommendation lists and hoping to get lucky) I discovered a more recent offering by Olou, Mediocre:  The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America.  She had me hooked at page three of her introduction when she introduced the concept of works according to design: the idea that when the things that shock us happen it's because they were meant to.

     "Although the phrase may seem alarmingly coldhearted, it is our way of reminding ourselves that the greatest evil we face is not ignorant individuals but our oppressive systems.  It is a reminder that the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Sandra Bland are not isolated cases.  It is a reminder to refuse to let our shock and outrage distract us into thinking that these incidents do not all stem from the same root source, which must be dismantled.  That source is white male supremacy."

     Oluo claims that in placing the white man over basically everyone else as his birthright we have set the stage for the celebration of mediocrity.  And this not only makes any drive for achievement on his part unnecessary, but limits and erases the contributions of anyone else.

     "When I talk about mediocrity, I am talking about the ways in which we can't imagine an America where women aren't sexually harassed at work, where our young people of color aren't funneled into underresourced schools--all because it would challenge the idea of the white male as the center of our country."

     Oluo describes a nation in which the white males not at the top of the hope are pacified with the idea that their white maleness makes them superior to everyone else so they don't unite with marginalized groups and form a threat to the rich and powerful.  When their day doesn't come they're told to blame people of color and women for robbing them of what is rightfully theirs rather than examine the stinginess and greed of the white alpha males.  But it isn't just the Charlottesville torch bearers we have to fear.  Many self claimed progressive white males, as exemplified by the Bernie Bros, also inflict serious harm.

     Despite all the manifestations of our cult of harmful mediocrity Oluo holds out hope for a brighter future.  White male identity is a matter of nurture, not nature, and, as such, has the potential to be changed.  But we'd better start pushing for this now.

     This is the American history you did not learn in your school days.  It's the history that mediocre white men like Ron Desantis want kept out of school curriculums because the prospect of mass enlightenment scares them witless.

     So go out and read it.  Recommend it to your friends.  Discuss it in your book clubs.

     But you don't have to take my word for Mediocre's excellence.  It's been endorsed by a stellar group of Black authors including Kimberle Crenshaw, developer of the concept of intersectionality, and Patrisse Khan Cullors, cofounder of Black Lives Matter.

On a purrrsonal note, the brutal storm we were warned about Wednesday night never happened.  On and off we've been getting mild flurries.  We have been getting nasty cold temperatures though.  Yesterday I asked my best friend, Lisa Morin, for a ride to school rather than bus in.  And today I'm going in late in the hope that the temp with wind chill factored in will get above zero...wait a minute...my knight in a white pick up truck just pulled up.  I'll get to school on time without standing out in the cold waiting for the bus.  This is my lucky day.  (Jules)

And tomorrow starts the weekend.  She can stay in with me for two days.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out Lisa and Eugene 

     

     

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