As I’ve written before, mediocrity is orthogonal to ability. The Mediocre Human is not necessarily incompetent or untalented. That stuff is all relative. They simply decided, at some point, consciously or unconsciously, to pursue getting luckier instead of better.
Conversation
The pursuit of productivity involves working harder (1900-1950)
The pursuit of excellence involves working smarter rather than harder (~1950-2000)
The pursuit of mediocrity involves working luckier rather than harder OR smarter (2000 - )
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Productivity and excellence both require installing a false consciousness around a doctrine of just rewards/merit.
Mediocrity can afford to be more honest. Trying to get luckier is sorta amoral. No idealized moral-reference universe necessary. Just Add Entitlement.
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Note that mediocrity does not mean giving up and buying lottery tickets. It simply means not working as hard or as smart as you could if you went all out.
You just hold back a bit and create space for luck.
Then you try inviting luck with Random Acts of Magical Thinking.
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Productivity orientation and excellence orientation both try to give 110% in *some* sense.
Mediocrity orientation is believing if you exceed 80% in *any* sense you’re doing it wrong. Slack off, futz around. Let attention wander outside laser focus zone to ADD periphery.
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How much slack do you need in a system to enable mediocrity? There has to be slack available to slack off.
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Except in life/death situations you can always create slack by lowering your standards
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If there is slack in the standards to be lowered, sure. I don't think life and death is the only limiting factor here.
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You’re thinking of things like air quality right? If one standard is at a limit you looosen a different standard like say location. If all standards are at limit you’re at point of collapse like one-horse shay fable
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The one-horse shay fable is neat. I hadn't heard of it before.
There are levels below mediocrity - lower standards enough and you get to piss poor, then to non-viable. A lot of people talk about tension between mediocrity and excellence, but there's tension other places too.

