Mediocre White Men

 Mediocre people are drawn to money, power, status, luxury and authoritarianism, while the best of us seek excellence, meaning, purpose, virtue, lifelong learning, and humility.

by Dan Marshall

About a week ago I was watching “The Morning Show”, a TV program about a morning show on a fictional national network. One of the more interesting characters was “Chip”, played by Jay Duplass. He’s a producer who is in way over his head- constantly befuddled and overwhelmed and frustrating everyone around him. One of his female coworkers yells at him- ”what is it with mediocre white men?”

A perfect description; I was instantly reminded of Trump supporters and every mediocre boss I ever had. I wondered if “Mediocre White Men” was a thing- so I went to Google and found a book, magazine articles, and “Lord, Give Me The Confidence of a Mediocre White Man” t-shirts and coffee mugs. They were often from a female and Black perspective, about how they had to struggle in a world that even (especially?) mediocre white men expect to rule over. As a white man I have my own perspective.

Mediocre is defined as “of only moderate quality, not very good”; average or just below. One thing that smart people realize is that the more you know, the more you realize how much you don’t know, and that has certainly been true in my own life. I play chess, and when I was young and upcoming I thought I could beat anyone. That confidence led to some upsets and other good results, but as I got older and better I realized just how much I had to learn, and how much I suck compared to some of the really strong players I have run into.

Related is the Dunning-Kruger Effect, which I define as people who are not smart enough to realize how stupid they are. I, on the other hand, AM smart enough to realize how stupid I am. The Trump supporters I debate online clearly know next to nothing of how the world works, and have no clue how to back up with evidence any of their contentions, or even the need to do so. Unaware of the nearly infinite sum of all human knowledge, and how little of that one person can know, they think they know it all. After all, their cult leader is the prime example!

When I worked at the Post Office for 15 years, I had a series of mediocre white male bosses, and it was a cliché that only the most mediocre employees go into management, while so many of my fellow employees were of outstanding character, intellect, and work ethic. Perhaps you have had the same work experiences, and I think we can all agree that most of our elected officials are not our best and brightest. Mediocre people are drawn to money, power, status, luxury and authoritarianism, while the best of us seek excellence, meaning, purpose, virtue, lifelong learning, and humility. I talk about this in my book “The Captain Of My Own Ship”.

I write about this because it reflects my own experience as a man with above average intelligence and a somewhat privileged upbringing, but without much ambition or sense of purpose. I am also very much an introvert, and gaining power through business and politics is a very extroverted pursuit. Problems with depression and feeling like I did not fit in anywhere also played their part, and I do not believe being white and male gave me any special sense of entitlement, although I recognize it is an advantage in our culture.

My work accomplishments and career choices are where I demonstrate mediocrity. But the problem is not mediocrity itself- it is mediocrity plus a sense of entitlement that creates problems. Mediocre talent plus mediocre character plus great ambition is a deadly combination!

Our boy Chip from “The Morning Show” eventually got fired, and found himself working at a local TV station, where he seemed much happier, with a beautiful fiancé and more manageable work environment. However, he eventually got lured back to The Morning Show, where chaos returned to his life. His future has yet to be determined- but it doesn’t look good.

I eventually found happiness with my own beautiful wife and modest lifestyle, learning to accept myself for who I am and losing any sense that I would be a failure if I did not make my mark on the world in a big way. I am working on small ways. One wonders how the former President’s life would be different if he had a better father, who cared more for his son’s character than his killer instinct- he would likely be much less famous, but at least as successful and certainly happier. As would the rest of us!

Of course the ongoing problem are his followers, the most virulent of whom are those whose talents and accomplishments do not match what they believe they are entitled to. Who are not wise enough to realize how ignorant they are, and who would be much better off if their primary goals were to become become the best husbands and fathers or whatever they chose to be. Who would be happy with a modest lifestyle without being overly concerned with what people thought of them, or concerned at all with Other People’s Behavior that did not affect them directly. Men who value virtue, compassion, and service to others, and who are not the least bit impressed with blowhards and conmen. How much better would the world be if we all valued virtue over power, money and status?

My fellow men, mediocre or otherwise, that is our challenge! Are we up to it? 

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