Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America

As someone who loves reading arcs, this was one book I decided not to request an advance copy of. I guess I knew even then that this would require some patient reading and preferably no deadlines. And it truly hits different in the current circumstances.

I think the impact of any political book that we read this year will be colored by our feelings about the violent insurrection of Jan 6th. And considering that this book is about white male mediocrity and it's power over every sphere of influence in this country, it feels doubly relevant after the second failed impeachment trial of 45 in the senate. The author links specific events from history to contemporaneous happenings and her own personal experiences, to show us how every structure and system in this country is built to prop up white male supremacy by oppressing everyone else. And if you follow this thread from the days of slavery to today, you realize that the failure of the second impeachment trial was inevitable - these systems are working exactly the way they were designed to - powerful mediocre white men will come to the rescue of other powerful mediocre white men so that they can consolidate all the power within their own small group and marginalize everyone else.

Discussing topics ranging from various fields like higher education, feminism, politics, sports, employment, housing etc , the author shows how in every field, the white men who have historically been in power have spent considerable amount of effort and resources to maintain the racist, sexist status quo. The author's writing is very engaging and accessible, piercing in the way it forces us all to acknowledge our own complicity in propping up the existing white supremacist systems, while also reminding us that concentrated power in the hands of a few mediocre white men doesn't only cause harm to women and people of color and other marginalized groups - it also causes equal harm to a majority of white men who are poor or disadvantaged in other ways, but whose feeling of entitlement prevents them from seeing the truth and instead blame everyone except white men for their problems.

I am sure there are many who will have a knee jerk reaction to even the title of this book. But going into this with an open mind will let any reader understand what the author is talking about. Despite the very difficult read this was, especially the parts where she talks about the various ways she has been harassed and threatened by white men due to her writings, I was really struck by her ending it on an emotional and hopeful note; and a call for action - because the author believes that everyone in this country can find the strength and conviction within themselves to help create a healthier version of white male identity; one that doesn't depend on oppressing others - all we lack is the imagination. This is a very impactful and thought provoking read and I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to understand why we are where we are in our country.

This was a good read, it was written in an impactful way and it was easy to stick with it.
I don't agree with some of Oluo's conclusions on what messages white men receive, or rather I don't agree that it is the message that most white men receive (some do absolutely but not all or most) but otherwise I found this book to be spot on. I also enjoyed Oluo's general approach which was very humane and her vulnerability in sharing her own experience.

This was a very informative book.

I enjoyed listening to interesting details about some structures in America (I'm not American, so there's that), not only politic-wise but also educational (the history of SATs, for example).
It ended on a hopeful note, and I appreciated it.
We have so much to do.(...) We have to start now.
Overall, it was a great read.

Edit: After 01/06/2021. Everyone needs to read this.

Loved this one! A great book written by an amazing author I will be following for a while.

This book takes us through White (male) supremacy through different topics. From Westerns, to sports, to politics of course. I'd really recommend this one to anyone interested in the topic or who just wants to learn more. As with the first book, the author has a very compassionate voice (at least to me, I'm sure others may disagree) and I really like how honest she is.

It did take me a bit longer to read just because it didn't feel as cohesive as her first book but overall there is a common big picture that relates every chapter.

I was provided an advanced copy by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I continue to believe she is my soul sister. I recommend that if you go with the audio book that you read the physical book as well. She lists sources for absolutely everything she includes in the book. She backs up all of her own observations/conclusions with factual information.

For those who feel she is attacking ALL white men, she is not. She is simply stating that even the best white man still has privilege whether they want it or not. That one that recognizes these things and stays quiet because they don't think they can do anything about it are just as guilty as those who put things in place to work as they have for thousands of years.

In short, she is just stating that even now there is much more work to do.

“Lord, give me the confidence of a mediocre white man.”

White male mediocrity is the baseline of Western culture and everything in our society is centred around preserving white male power regardless of relative skill or talent. This isn't about neo-Nazis or Klan members but the systemic prioritization of whiteness in classrooms, politics, popular culture, boardrooms and more. And beyond the marginalization of cultures of color, this harms white men all the same.

White men see themselves as the fiercely independent conqueror, absolutely certain that they are the hero of a continuing violent American mythology and are deserving of all the greatness that comes with that. And when that doesn't pan out it creates anger, desperation, disappointment and despair. Suddenly women, people of colour or someone “other” become the scapegoats for all the ways they have been cheated out of what they believe they are due. The born leaders, the muscular crusaders, the innately talented white men are at the same time the fragile, petulant crybabies when things don't go their way and they lash out with terrifying frequency.

“Works according to design.” That's the realization Ijeoma Oluo comes to early in the book and the subsequent 300 pages are how we inevitably got here and how we continue to uphold these damaging structures. From Buffalo Bill to Bernie bros. white men continue to fashion themselves the hero of the ongoing American narrative.

Sure this is SJW catnip and a rousing articulation of what many of us intrinsically understand, but I doubt it gets in the hands of the many it needs to convince. Enjoyed it immensely nonetheless.

A paradox of an argument! In order to make the case for de-centering white men and rethinking benchmarks of success, oluo must center white masculinity, examining white mens experiences and emotions in one breath, while making the case for a broader view in the next. Is this the book equivalent of ludonarrative dissonance? You tell me.

I'm not sure it landed with me, but I was already convinced of her end conclusions before I picked up the book so maybe I'm not best judge.

I wrote a long review of this book, and goodreads threw it away. I'm not typing it all up again. TL;DR - This book outlines many, many terrible things white dudes have done to not white dudes. It offers no way for people, especially white dudes, to not participate or work to correct the crappiness of society to not white dudes. If you are looking for a way to engage in a non-white dude way this book isn't for you. If you think that white dudes really aren't doing anything to terrible past or present, this book will provide a way for you to enlighten yourself.