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A review by jess_xen
Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
“How often have you heard the argument that we have to slowly implement gender and racial equality in order to not “shock” society? Who is the “society” that people are talking about? I can guarantee that women would be able to handle equal pay or a harassment-free work environment right now, with no ramp-up. I’m certain that people of color would be able to deal with equal political representation and economic opportunity if they were made available today. So for whose benefit do we need to go so slowly? How can white men be our born leaders and at the same time so fragile that they cannot handle social progress?”
Mediocre is a thought-provoking and well-researched dive into the long history of white male interests prevailing throughout American history, to the detriment of women, people of color, and the country at large. The entire book is worth reading, and Oluo makes all her points clearly, if not concisely. Among each of the categorized chapters, two stuck out to me.
The first regarded white male supremacy as the historical foundation for prestigious university education and the cultural tension that begin in 1970/80s when universities, such as Columbia, were required to allow women and people of color to attend. The general thought was: if women and & POC can achieve these degrees, then they really aren’t worth all that much. The subsequent backlash against women & people of color who were admitted to these universities and moved into what was predominantly a white male workforce is still ripples into the current day. Examples include the gender/racial pay-gaps, the ‘glass ceiling’, harmful stereotypes, and gender/racial hiring discrimination, to name a few.
This chapter caused me to reflect on the contemporary rhetoric against higher education, the claims that universities are “woke” and brainwashing students into liberalism and how that is a rather tongue-in-cheek retort given the history of the institution: “When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression”. Such logical inconsistencies cause one to wonder if universities would be considered “woke” if only white, straight males were allowed to attend. Perhaps the attack on higher education never had to do with basket weaving at all.
The second chapter that struck me as particularly poignant was regarding contradicting propaganda concerning the working woman. In the 1920s, married women in the workforce during the Great Depression was viewed as obscene, and certain media outlets would state that the Depression was caused by women working and taking jobs from men (obviously false) and it was popular for magazines to publish articles stating that women who work were more likely to suffer miscarriages and ruin their family options, among other atrocious fabrications. It was a very clear attempt to keep women at home, in the household, and to do anything other than that would mean certain shame. This treatment contrasts with what occurred during WW2, when women’s contributions to the work force became vital to the war effort and the economy. Employers added childcare to munitions factories so that women could help the war effort, easing the strain on working mothers. Those very same magazines that once berated the working women now praised her and her employment status. Of course, if she worked for herself and not the war effort, then she was also liable to suffer miscarriage.
Think back to the 2010s and how prevalent it was that religious women, married with children, were encouraged to take up MLMs or other work-from-home scam opportunities, calling themselves “boss babes” or “entrepreneurs”. Or the current “trad wife” trend popular on social media. One would argue that we are headed towards another great depression. Since Roe v Wade was overturned, and birth control is threatened, I wonder if the general sentiment will follow the historical trends and push women out of the work force and encourage child rearing & other domestic duties. History doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes. Instead of threatening them for unruly women, miscarriages are now being persecuted in some states as murder so in some ways, we have moved beyond the denigration of the past.
The incredulity you will feel throughout reading this book is visceral. I think it’s important to understand why things are the way that they are if we are ever going to be able to face them and move forward. This was a bleak reminder that there is a lot of work left to be done.
“When I talk about mediocrity, I talk about how we somehow agreed that wealthy white men are the best group to bring the rest of us prosperity, when their wealth was stolen from our labor.”
P.S. What an ironic book to read be reading on July 13th, 2024 of all days, on all accounts.
Mediocre is a thought-provoking and well-researched dive into the long history of white male interests prevailing throughout American history, to the detriment of women, people of color, and the country at large. The entire book is worth reading, and Oluo makes all her points clearly, if not concisely. Among each of the categorized chapters, two stuck out to me.
The first regarded white male supremacy as the historical foundation for prestigious university education and the cultural tension that begin in 1970/80s when universities, such as Columbia, were required to allow women and people of color to attend. The general thought was: if women and & POC can achieve these degrees, then they really aren’t worth all that much. The subsequent backlash against women & people of color who were admitted to these universities and moved into what was predominantly a white male workforce is still ripples into the current day. Examples include the gender/racial pay-gaps, the ‘glass ceiling’, harmful stereotypes, and gender/racial hiring discrimination, to name a few.
This chapter caused me to reflect on the contemporary rhetoric against higher education, the claims that universities are “woke” and brainwashing students into liberalism and how that is a rather tongue-in-cheek retort given the history of the institution: “When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression”. Such logical inconsistencies cause one to wonder if universities would be considered “woke” if only white, straight males were allowed to attend. Perhaps the attack on higher education never had to do with basket weaving at all.
The second chapter that struck me as particularly poignant was regarding contradicting propaganda concerning the working woman. In the 1920s, married women in the workforce during the Great Depression was viewed as obscene, and certain media outlets would state that the Depression was caused by women working and taking jobs from men (obviously false) and it was popular for magazines to publish articles stating that women who work were more likely to suffer miscarriages and ruin their family options, among other atrocious fabrications. It was a very clear attempt to keep women at home, in the household, and to do anything other than that would mean certain shame. This treatment contrasts with what occurred during WW2, when women’s contributions to the work force became vital to the war effort and the economy. Employers added childcare to munitions factories so that women could help the war effort, easing the strain on working mothers. Those very same magazines that once berated the working women now praised her and her employment status. Of course, if she worked for herself and not the war effort, then she was also liable to suffer miscarriage.
Think back to the 2010s and how prevalent it was that religious women, married with children, were encouraged to take up MLMs or other work-from-home scam opportunities, calling themselves “boss babes” or “entrepreneurs”. Or the current “trad wife” trend popular on social media. One would argue that we are headed towards another great depression. Since Roe v Wade was overturned, and birth control is threatened, I wonder if the general sentiment will follow the historical trends and push women out of the work force and encourage child rearing & other domestic duties. History doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes. Instead of threatening them for unruly women, miscarriages are now being persecuted in some states as murder so in some ways, we have moved beyond the denigration of the past.
The incredulity you will feel throughout reading this book is visceral. I think it’s important to understand why things are the way that they are if we are ever going to be able to face them and move forward. This was a bleak reminder that there is a lot of work left to be done.
“When I talk about mediocrity, I talk about how we somehow agreed that wealthy white men are the best group to bring the rest of us prosperity, when their wealth was stolen from our labor.”
P.S. What an ironic book to read be reading on July 13th, 2024 of all days, on all accounts.