Embracing a life of mediocrity | Crispin Thurlow | TEDxBasel
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2024
- It’s hard to accept life in the middle when the relentless language of superiority and comparison tells us we should always be the best or just better. Might the answer lie partly in rethinking mediocrity and perhaps even learning to embrace it?
Crispin grew up in South Africa and England where he trained as a psychologist and then an actor. Long story short, he is now Professor of Language and Communication at the University of Bern. He previously held professorships at the University of Washington in the USA and completed his PhD at Cardiff University in Wales. As a sociolinguist, Crispin’s core research interest lies in the way people make sense of social difference and inequality in their everyday communication. He is currently finishing off a new book titled The Language of Elitism. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx
Being OK with being average is a far less stressful mindset than perfectionism! Bravo!
It also means more focus on the people in your immediate surroundings as opposed to constantly having to find the next big thing.
"It takes courage to be ordinary". Wow that's profound.
It’s actually important to embrace mediocrity. Constant striving to be better, or the best, or to ‘qualify’ in some indefinable social race is very bad for your health in the long term.
At the same time, we can also adopt meritocracy in qualifying a leader.
This is such a meaningful message. Words are as slippery as they are powerful. “Mediocre,” “elite,” and “premium” are just some examples of words that encourage comparison and make us feel like we need to strive for more. Generally I think mediocre means “not good enough,” but on hearing this talk, I realized that it also means that there actually is “good” just “not enough” when compared with something else.
I don’t think this talk is saying that we shouldn’t strive for more if we truly want more than we have, but instead I think it is encouraging us to appreciate what we have and who we are even if what we have and who we are is not the best. So much of language influences how we think about ourselves and our lives, particularly words that encourage comparison. We can legitimately choose contentment by mindfully considering what we find satisfactory without comparison to something more or less.
but we need to strive for more always. Therein only lies fulfillment
It's also a nice way to discuss about that topic with a linguistic approach. If we start to accept the words "mediocrity, ordinary,..." and understand them, we can feel a little lighter about being someone "normal". In reality it's never about who deserves to be called "elite member" or best in something... In my opinion it's more about accepting who we are and what makes sense for us in life. Be benevolent with yourself, accept your weaknesses and use your strenghts to move on and build your life :)
It’s more important to be a good person than a “successful” one.
Being mediocre or as I call it “irrelevant” or “of no consequence” is a fact of life. It is a hard pill to swallow as we want to be the best but most of us are failures. I’m now 40 but have come to realize as hard as I work and the hardest I try I will mean nothing in the end.
That's definitely not true. Be a joy to be around, and you will able to help others live peaceful, joyful lives.
@@masonduarte8001 easier said then done.
The key is all in how one chooses to perceive it, mediocre is a benignly negative term. Saying, 'satisfied' or a 'relaxed and easy' lifestyle with moderate goals is much better. "Mediocrity" is only used to incite viewers, when it should be in quotation marks. C- at best.
Actually, I kind of agree with you in part. As a Social Linguist, he knew that using the word mediocrity wasn't a great word to use to have a genuine discussion about the topic and that using that particular word would get people all stirred up and miss what he was really talking about. With so many people having topics on TH-cam I guess even people who are serious about what they really trying to put out there have to get those clicks.
hello friends
You know, if the speaker believes his own speech, then a grade of C- might not be such a bad thing 😅
It’s perhaps a little strange to hear someone who has already achieved a lot praising “mediocrity” but I think he truly does mean “mediocre” as in “not the best, but not the worst” rather than “relaxed and easy.” The problem with comparison is perhaps the key point to take away from the talk. “Mediocrity” is an inherently comparative word, but it does have a much more negative connotation than it perhaps should, since it technically means “somewhere between high and low.”
As an average guy, I know my worth. Being an average guy might just make you the savior of humanity, as evidenced by the classic American film Idiocracy.
I'm okay with people having more than me. But I still like the better things life has to offer. Ordinary isn't very creative. It's sort of sad. 😔
Of course it's good that you want the " better things in life"and if you want to work towards that particular goal, you go girl. If I may ask you a question? Someone in their partner have a child. They go to work every morning at a job that they sort of kind of like. They have a hobby or they may go to the gym everyday, they take the kid to the park and watch the kid play around with a smile on their face. They go home to their partner talk about their day eat dinner talk some more put the kids to sleep and spend some time with their partner before they go to bed. Just an average day for them I mean it's not like they do this every single day. Some days they may meet up with friends and family. They save their money so that a couple of times a year they go on vacation to somewhere they've always wanted to go. Now I'm m guessing most people would say that's a pretty ordinary life, but is that life sad to you?
@Theresa Ivy Yes, there is so much more... but I don't knock anyone for choosing it, although, it's sort of the easy default. Somebody has to choose it. It would be sad for ME.
There is even a television show here in the USA call The Middle. As you tell by the title the show is about a average middle class family. It tells about the average day in an average family the ups and downs that they go through the bad times the good times and just about being a family. Now now in the midst of all these shows about glamor, zombies, the paranormal, and sci-fi you have this definitely unglamorous show doing really well in the ratings. Why? My theory is that most people can probably relate and not only that it's wicked funny in a very low key way. Here's the other thing the characters aren't portrayed as for buffoons and they don't usually go for the cheap easy laugh. We need to rethink our definition of success. If you have a life where you and the people you love are relatively happy and a lot of the days are good and not bad then I think of that as success. If you and the people you care about are relatively healthy I think of that success. If you are a help in your community I think that's success. I think that's my definition of success.
Because of Malcolm 😉
Good stories are good stories, regardless of genre. Genre doesn’t matter. Substance matters. Characters matter. Story matters. I’d much rather have an epic space opera or sword and sorcery (and dragon) fantasy tale with real character arcs and epic stories than 30 minutes of canned laughter over mundane stories about static characters making jokes that were funnier when Roseanne made them 30 years ago. The problem isn’t “glamour,” as you said, it’s that too often genre films reach for glamour and nothing else. They pick style over substance. You can have both. You need both usually to sell your story. But it’s the latter that truly makes a movie or TV show great. Sitcoms like The Middle (which, btw, I liked for the most part) have basically the same problem, though it mostly presents in a different way. They aim for the lowest, easiest, comfiest part of the middle (pun sorta intended 🤷🏻♂️), because they think the that’s where the largest audience resides, sitting on their big comfy couch in front of the TV. It’s insulting, but it’s also mostly right. That’s where the ad money is. In a way, you can’t blame them for not being more bold or creative, for not taking chances. They can’t afford to. Cancel culture is real! (at least at the TV networks, when it comes to ratings). Network TV is probably dying (which is sad, but only because we would be losing an outlet for stories and other artistic expression, not because anything it’s done in the past decade is in anyway good), but it still has a lot control left, even as it sinks.
I love TV, I think it might be the greatest canvas available for an artist who paints with characters arcs and sculpts with storylines. But the system set up to give us the works of the artists is too flawed, too money-focused, too quick to hit the cancel button. So very little actually makes it to an audience, and the few that do are pasteurized, whitewashed, coated in plain white non-spiced flour and deep-fried in PC oil and the original artist’s heart and soul are thrown in bleach water and used to clean up the mess.
Network TV has not given anything a chance to grow, adapt, find an audience, and fully tell out its story, since LOST premiered in 2004. Almost two decades. Ugh. It makes me so mad.
Anyway. Sorry. That was a lot. Ok cool bye. ✌🏻
It's the same reason Roseanne did so well. To this day, I think it's still the most realistic show about a working-class family.
I gag every time businesses use the term world-class.
Rewarding, simple and intelligent like few other speaches, congratulations ☯️☮️
Re upload willne's Ted talk
Who knew Jerry Smith had a real life counterpart.
I like the message in general, but my problem with this is that if weak-minded were to accept this way of thinking, their minds would use it as a catalyst to keep them away from any sort of discomfort (which is needed to achieve many goals), even though those people actually might be able to push through and achieve great hights if they went for it hard.
I guess my problem is whose idea of "great heights' are we talking about?
that's why I hate ted talks
hello friends
@@theresaivy7045 relativism leads to nihilism. Simple answer to your question: The greatest heights you could possibly imagine. Will you fall short? 100%
How do you define "weak-minded"? It seems a rather simplistic yet reductive broad categorization. How is your idea "weak-minded" generalized from a specific behavior set that is culturally, socially, situationally, and often even biologically and environmentally influenced to stereotype an individual? When you start they, them, and those people-ing you lose the plot and the point.
Advanced is another one. Advanced (insert business name). Advanced formula. Which essentially means nothing at all, except we like to make ourselves sound better than the competition in the hope of getting work/you to buy our product. We also get to go first in the phone book! This co-opting devalues words to such an extent that, for example, the hideously overused word passion elicits more eye-rolling than wonderment. All imho as always.
Este canal incrível mudou e está mudando a minha vida, saber que eu era vendedor de picolé, servente de pedreiro e hoje tenho LIBERDADE FINANCEIRA, graças ao conhecimento que tirei daqui e de outros canais incríveis do TH-cam, as vezes nem eu acredito no que estou vivendo, acabei até criando um canal no TH-cam para estar ajudando como fui ajudado, Muito muito obrigado novamente
Reject mediocrity, embrace David Goggins
Interesting reflections.
What a meaningful lesson!
I feel so validated! ✌️😂
How
Have real friends instead of things, it will cost less for you and the environment and it will be the main part of a fulfilling life.
Tedx sizden ricam Türkçe altyazı ekleyebilirmisiniz
I can't
Chauvinism is a surprisingly common ego crutch people fall back on or completely embrace. So many have to place themselves above others or groups of people, even to the point of criminalizing those people for their differences.
A lot of you need to see this
This video gives me anxiety
I need a TED talk for those at the bottom lol
Artisanal is another of those words lmao
You study and consult on language and sell the image of mediocrity. Very interesting indeed.
Humanity has achieved everything because individuals want to be extraordinary. I find nothing more loathsome than accepting mediocrity. We all must strive for exceptionalism, whether we achieve it or not. The pursuit yields its own rewards.
You do you, but trying to force your ideal on everyone else is meh.
The fact is that only few people would be at the top at any given place and time, and I believe it goes to whom who seeks it most.
Too early
Mediocrity, ordinary, elite and premium in a social context of a profoundly decadent society... It's funny, disorienting, and less valuable consideration.
This was a mediocre theory presented. I hope Crispin and the good people at Ted feel at peace with that 👌🏾
no
Which way western man?
Think of your ancestors
Spanis, no ingles
Jesus can change your life ❤️✝️
ultimate boomer take
You will be poor, eat bugs and own nothing. And like it. Someone flip the dystopia switch off please.
WTF is wrong with this world ,
@@TheBeav30 idiots like bull Gates believe the select will be kept while the rest are made to serve and due to fewer duties, fewer people.
Wow, imagine coming to THAT conclusion from this talk 😂 grow up kid
Big "eat zee boogz" energy
so stop using words that hurt ur feelings bc you wanna be less than u could