Author Ijeoma Oluo on the Dangers of White Male Mediocrity | Amanpour and Company
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- 2020 brought a new focus to the structural racism that persists in America, with books such as "So You Want to Talk About Race" hitting the bestseller list in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. Now, author Ijeoma Oluo has a new book for the moment. In "Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America" she explores how society reinforces racial hierarchy regardless of merit, as she explains to Hari Sreenivasan.
Originally aired on January 5, 2021.
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Amanpour and Company features wide-ranging, in-depth conversations with global thought leaders and cultural influencers on the issues and trends impacting the world each day, from politics, business and technology to arts, science and sports. Christiane Amanpour leads the conversation on global and domestic news from London with contributions by prominent journalists Walter Isaacson, Michel Martin, Alicia Menendez and Hari Sreenivasan from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City.
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As a Hispanic executive recruiter working with major financial firms, I came across a few of these. Even guys making $350K a year, needed to rub their pay check on my face to mark their territory and feel worthy. Such is the level of insecurity and mediocrity.
Like she says, that’s all they have and honestly, in this country, that’s a lot.
And when he loses that, he loses it all.
He paid a price to get that, as we all do.
its because culturally we celebrate an anxiety spectrum disorder (hoarding) as "success." When it involves cats or newspapers we call it what it is: a psychopathology. But as soon as it involves money or power we call it "success." So a mind prone to reductionism and pursuit of a single goal may sacrifice many other important things in pursuit of that goal, leaving them lonely, alienated, unfulfilled...and socioeconomically powerful.
Happened to me twice with Harvard University graduates.......within 10 minutes of meeting them I knew they had graduated from Harvard.
@@joedellaselva1251 Funny. I know one white woman who got a certification from Harvard and telling everyone she went to Harvard, implying she is a graduate. She got her master's from U of Pheonix, an online school.
That's probably a trait of more people than you think, regardless of race.
Donald Trump does not even reach the level of mediocrity!
@@beverleyreid7572 If you're rich, you don't have to be smart, look at Betsy DeVos ! Dumb as a post !
He (Trump) always knew he was mediocre, that's why he have done all that mess
Trump is definitely not mediocre. How many presidents can say they got impeached twice? Such a high achiever!
@@alfdriss all what mess?
Trump reaches the level of absolutely nothing.
Anyone notice the date of this interview was Jan 5. The day before the insurrection in Washington D.C. on the capitol this lady is spot on in her observations.
God is good. Oh! And the fact that you noticed Ijeioma's observations speaks to YOUR keen spidey senses as well. 👍🤗
Holy shit! I didn't notice the date, I just assumed it was after. I had just finished "Mediocre" on Jan 6th. I immediately thought of her while watching it unfold
I noticed that too.
@@GoldandAppel that's their m.o. holding to "power" man, but while they're all caught up in snatching and gobbling up everything, I'm willing to bet every dollar in my pocket that they haven't even considered their moment of truth's coming. So go on ahead Mr. Charlie Bo-Bo and "sweetpollypurebred". I bet they even think it's never gonna happen either, you see how twisted they are now don't you. Don't get too close they just like covid19 and every other filthy disease they've created. Be advised
There was no ' insurrection' by Trump supporters.
Repeat - NO insurrection.
It took me a minute to put 2 and 2 together, gather info , looks at videos, etc.
What you had was BLM and Antifa and other loons doing their best to MAKE it an insurrection.
Riddle me this...
The reduced police force? The refusal by Pelosi to use the National Guard as a precaution.
'Insurrectionists" who were USHERED into the Capitol and mostly stayed behind the velvet ropes? Interesting.
Antifa and BLM on video, One actually bragging that he got Trump supporters to follow him into the Capitol. Yet corrupt officials and the media covered that up and they were not charged. (to my knowledge.)
No guns and the only one killed - by a policeman - was a Trump supporter.
To this day they will not investigate or release info to the public on this lady's death.
Verrrry fishy.
The only deaths were from natural causes. Officer Sicnik's death was just ruled to have been from natural causes. In spite of lies that he was assaulted with a fire extinguisher.
Yes, a few got caught up in the moment and should be prosecuted.
But I assure you, if Trump supporters had wanted an insurrection, DC would be in ashes.
I always believed the measure of a man is how he used his power to help others.
Kind of says something that this comment didn't get more likes
I've always felt that true intelligence equalled kindness and that there is no true intelligence without kindness.
@Kodover215 SJW?
@Be Intelligent well put. I had never put it all together like that. We need to examine how we raise our boys or maybe it's just a result of how testosterone affects the brain?
Or woman.
Never ignore that ALL of these men keep power through abuse, rage, murder, thievery, grievances and separation, oh and support by other women!!!
@John Holloway
Exactly. Many, many Non-white immigrants manage open businesses and gain power in short order. They don’t buy into these racist narratives, and they do better with each generation. How many negative racist ideas are we gonna be subjected to each week?
@John Holloway ....Both you and Dave Jones must have forgotten about, or never heard of Black Wall Street in the Greenwood neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma 100 years ago.
Black CEOs did have that power, and they didn't abuse it. They did things on the up-and-up so well, that the jealous whites of Tulsa rioted and burned it to the ground!
So don't try and gather ethnic accomplices to support white male shortcomings. If today's black CEOs emulate the corrupt mindset of their oppressors, the resulting consequences are on them....1921 Black Wall Street proved that we needn't.
@John Holloway .....I agree that skin color doesn't negate greed, nor does it influence righteousness. I thought the point of your post was the copycat corruption of blacks in an effort to get or stay ahead...my response was that it needn't be, and the Tulsa Massacre was an example of that, if left to our own devices.
Malcolm said it best when stating the strength of our own independence from our oppressors...."Only a fool would allow the enemy to educate his children..."
@John Holloway ....Agreed, and thanks for the insight. Peace and grace to you....
@Christian Adams but racism and sexism is the worst it has ever been
This also happens in Law and Law enforcement..when white males in front of a white judges get leaner sentences.
That is why the FBI has warned us that white supremacists have infiltrated the police & military.
www.huffpost.com/entry/men-women-prison-sentence-length-gender-gap_n_1874742
Men Sentenced To Longer Prison Terms Than Women For Same Crimes, Study Says
White women are the most privileged in this regard. Do your research
Well, “law enforcement” needs and overhaul itself.
As it stands right now it is set up mostly to protect certain people and it seems poor neighborhoods often become a victim of “law enforcement” or lack there of.
I have a friend (White) with a House in a poor, diverse, drug infested neighborhood where the cops literally tell them they can’t do anything because the drug dealers have to good of lawyers.
In the end, it’s those with money who win.
@β1acκ mαjiκ for most things yes. In the criminal justice system, white women get the shortest sentences and are the least likely to be be victims of police brutality.
Stay strong ljeomo Oluo. When you're black beautiful and talented. White jealously and racism is sure to follow.
Hear hear!
@@AuntieFa So true. Hang in there Sista.
Whites will always be jealous of blacks. Black is beautiful.
Could not have said it better
As a white man I agree 100% this woman is beautiful and talented.
I'm reminded of Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing.
Or Donald Trump's election
@@lisasellers8814 Too true
You mean, the gangster tactics of the Senate Democrats?
Mr."I like beer"...smdh😑
Funny that only Republican candidates for supreme court seem to carry this sex baggage...ie; Clearance Thomas, who basically just decorates the bench.
Great example. Brian Kemp getting the job instead of Stacey.
That included voters thrown off the rolls exposed by Greg Palast investigative reporter.
More so, Brian Kemp working TOO hard to make Stacey lose 🤬🤬🤬
That was a REAL fraudulent election. He could never beat her in GA in a fair race and he knew it. Instead of letting it break her down, she helped save not only GA but all of America with the work she did to counter voter suppression and help Dems take the Senate. God bless Stacey Abrams, she and Katie Porter are my heroes!
kemp giving himself the job...greg palast reports, stacy rectifys
Things the GOP and its white males aren't mediocre at is voter suppression and intimidation, election fraud, gerrymandering, and fearmongering.
Thank you Sista for intelligence and kindness! Stay prayfull against all enemies.
“Enemies” huh? I guess it’s ok to be racist, so long as it’s against the right “enemy”, right... 😒
She is multiethnic , anglosaxon nigerian and not black
medium.com/the-establishment/how-my-white-mother-helped-me-find-my-blackness-f46150d6c2cc
Her mother indocrtinated her with racism, unbelievable
@@lashlarue7924 Not to be taken literally. The enemies are lies and ignorance, not race.
@@giovanna722 Sure! And Donald Trump’s epithets against the press, calling them “enemies of the people” are also not intended as a call to action, because rhetoric doesn’t matter at all. Just ask the German Jews in 1930 how they felt about this. It won’t be long before it’s OK to just persecute white people for the sins of their ancestors. Words matter.
They live in a mindset of constant severe insecurity and paranoia. It's how they are socialized. At this point it's irreversible.
It's reversible, I have faith in the next generations. They are a beautiful generation
@Björn Pedersen are they right?
Agreed. White women too. This is most easily observed when it comes to films. They cannot tolerate not being the objection of affection/admiration. These are the consequences of white supremacy/domination for hundreds of years.
@Björn Pedersen och vilken faction är det då Björn för du behöver ju knappast oroa dig för det i Sverige Norge eller Danmark eller hur. Så vad klagar du egentligen på.
I know what you mean and I've observed it in person and addressed it and never have received answer. The answer is either is, I don't know or it's just the way I feel.
12:14 -- I remember getting completely ignored and talked over in a work meeting once by the CEO who was simply not listening to me AT ALL. How could a "girl" know why the laptop wasn't finding the wifi? The guy who shook his head and laughed in disbelief and sympathy and who said, "SHE JUST SAID THAT!" was the only black guy in the room. Of course. Sometimes I think the only thing a white man needs to say to be an ally to women and POC is the simple statement: "She just said that." "He just said that." Everyone who's ever been ignored and he-peated in a meeting knows exactly what I'm talking about.
Yes! I get ignored too. It's exhausting. Or they ignore and then take credit for your suggestions.
100%
After they dismiss you; take credit for your ideas; they try to discredit you. It definitely is exhausting.
@@eclecticrhapsody8693 100%
Lol HE-peated lol ... the wickedness of me-ism
“White men that have fell upward.” I have seen my fair share of that, there have been times that I have wondered why and how does this person deserve the position and the salary that comes with it? Just astonishing to watch.
"Fell upward"...funny expression
Usually nepotism
This has been changing drastically over the last decade plus
Unfortunately we've done a terrible job of ensuring people who deserve the jobs and opportunities actually get them
I completely agree. Being middle aged, I've experienced that throughout my corporate career. I couldn't compete in a completely unfair arena, so I finally quit that life and went out on my own. Definitely the best decision I ever made.
@TH-cam Moderator how blind are you?
Sure, it's less of an issue currently but definitely still happens a lot
@TH-cam Moderator don't strawman me.
You have to be bubbled to not be aware of nepotism/cronyism.
Just bought her book. Every word of this is spot on. I have witnessed it over and over in the workplace, in politics, in friends and family. I look forward to reading her book. I am devasted to hear about the terrorism that was and is being done to her family. I am glad her son is okay. The police need to have a system to arrest those who call in with false or silly 911 calls. Thank you for having her on the show.
One thing I will also mention is that I think people of power elevate those they see themselves in. For example, if a white man has an employee who was a white man 10 years younger, he is more likely to see a little of himself in that employee than in a young woman or a young person of color and thus want to mentor him or elevate his career. It is wrong, but not overtly intentional. At a place I worked the white male boss hired a white male who had other similar qualities (brown hair, similar build), and the Indian male boss hired an Indian male (also had similar educational background and were similar height).
Indians are the same
Yea and poc will do the same thing. Its inherent to being human.
@Fenns
In terms of subconsciously choosing in-group and out-group members per our tribal ancestry? Yea. That much is definitely human. Anyone in position of power will accidentally do this to some degree. Dont even try bullshitting me that because they have suffered racism and oppression that once in a position of power that suffering will make poc more likely to be just. They will accidentally fall into the same trap of promoting someone they view as a brother over a similarly qualified white guy. Im just saying what the OP is talking about is true. And it can happen for reasons besides race too. Ive gotten lucky and had a boss view me like a kid *shrug*. It can happen cause 2 people get sidetracked in an interview and talk about alma matters and sports teams. People have a choice how they act out racism. I think the best we can do is limit its brutality. And we can mandate all we want to judge people based on merit but people will always be biased accidentally or otherwose and sadly I think a little bit always subconsciously due to race. I dont see us ever becoming some utopian star-trek type society. Sorry. Just my stupid opinion.
@Fenns
I think you are mischaracterizing what I am saying. I said that you will not get a utopian level of colorless meritocracy. I did not say to shrug our shoulders. I was answering your first question. You asked if I thought racism was inherent to human nature. In short, sadly and despite our best efforts I think deep down it is. And yes, we can always work on it, but I would just like it recognized that it is a danger in all of us and not implicitly act like because white people are guilty of it precludes poc from doing it or makes them any less likely to do it if and when they are in a position of power. When we attack that weakness as a human problem and not as a race based problem I think we would collectively have a better chance of curtailing it. But again. I said we can work towards making the consequences of racism less brutal. Additionally we need to make the legal system more fair in various ways and yes ideally the workplace needs to tilt towards a meritocracy as much as it reasonably can. Im just saying be prepared for it to never be there or the pendulum will swing back the other way and white people will be left out or every group will just promote their own group. We can't sit and look at every white guy that beats you for a promotion as some privileged mediocre racist asshole. Just my opinion.
Frankly, I dont need a lecture on all this stuff you said, Im not racist and don't need to list a bunch of things to prove it to you so whatever. Think of me what you want. Just make sure you dont become hypocritical if you enjoy a position of power yourself is all Im trying to say. Just make sure you don't "try to help a brother get ahead" someday and not also include white people as your potential brother and dont hire a less qualified poc that you vibe with better or identify with better over a more qualified white man. And don't judge someone else from a distance as a mediocre white man unless you truly know that and also know yourself not to be. All this judging on all sides in this day and age is nauseating. Goddamn man. Everyone is mostly a grain of mediocre sand regardless of gender or color.
I'm a white male and definitely seen and benefited from this. I've been that mediocre white male surrounded by more intelligent, hard working and competent women and POC.
You are refreshingly honest! Kudos to you!
@@Matira269 Unfortunately this is something I've only fairly recently admitted to. I've spent most of my life ignorantly thinking that white men are the most oppressed group and everyone else had all the privileges. The saying "when you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression" has definitely applied to me.
I speak this with as much ingenuosity as this subject demands, but now that you know better, have been enlightened and, more importantly, have confessed this to the world...what are you going to do about it going forward?
Kneel, repenT, admit your sins! SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!
@@Jack-ns9sz how did you get out of that thinking?
As an Asian American male, I have been able to overcome the glass ceiling most of the time, but sadly I do see this with a few Caucasian friends, coworkers, and clients. Their disengagement is unintentional usually, but I do notice what she says too. It's kind of strange, but they view me as an honorary white person that they can confide with honestly, since I am nonjudgmental. I have not experienced sabotage or obstructionism (at least not knowingly), but can see how that can happen to other women and minorities. Thanks for putting together a good interview with an interesting speaker.
I was concerned at first, that two people of colour - and one a woman - were about to point fingers at white men, declaring them mediocre. And, as a woman of colour myself, I didn't want to put a target on me by Liking and Commenting. But this interview was the exact opposite of what I'd feared.
No one should put so much energy in to maintaining a space of mediocrity. The moment they discussed self-worth was very powerful xxx
@Michael Lynn It sounds to me like those those white people confide in you because you call yourself "non-judgmental", which I interpret you to mean that you just let give their racist/bigoted views on people of color without any pushback and that might be a main reason why you have been able to overcome the glass ceiling.
@@lani7148 I generally work in a politically correct environment, so I have not encountered any radical views. Almost everybody is right or left of center, so I tend to steer discussions on people's underlying needs for health, jobs, and justice. I don't get too deep into finger pointing, shaming, or bad mouthing specific politicians or groups. It's just not the right environment for it. In my line of work, people often say or want the wrong things, and it is my job to give them what they want to some small degree, while in reframing the discussion in a healthier way to do the right thing. It's more like verbal judo - to collaborate to get the job done, without anybody feeling like they lost. In the worst case scenario, if I encounter a radical, then I just won't work with that person. Or, they might sense my subtle disagreement and self-select themselves out by not working with me, but I still try to keep things amicable. Knowing where people stand is important to navigate interactions without causing undue friction and static. I would rather be a positive agent of change than get combative and argumentative with people.
@@michaellynn7745 so basically you play into the model minority trope and you allow your coworkers to be racist and comfortable, got it 👌🏿
@@way2kool89 Only until recently had I come to realize that the "model minority" trope was really a backhanded compliment and used as racist suppression. I am well aware of historical examples of whites turning on Asian Americans, so this honorary status can be a false reassurance.
I think today's social discourse on systemic racism is really healthy, and increasingly I am more open about it. Almost everybody I associate with is open-minded, so again I think the process is self-selecting.
I'd rather show people the beauty of multiracial friendships and be a unifier through conversation and introductions to open people's minds up. The investing world (my bubble) has become more socially responsible over the past 5-10 years, so Wall Street has been reforming its ways gradually, even for issues like the environment.
At the same time, being a minority too has been unmistakeable. If I have been subject to discrimination with prospects and clients, then people generally have been subtle about it - not returning my calls or emails, and generally not engaging. Thankfully, I have been blessed to work with a core group of open-minded people who value character and hard work and competence, so race relations is rarely ever a topic. People who work with me inherently aren't racist. There are a lot of other choices/competitiors out there, so they didn't have to pick me. I had already faced reverse age/racial discrimination, because I "didn't have the right look" for a VP position. It was only 2-3 years later did the firm realize their mistake and eventually promoted me and tomahawked my 2 predecessors. In the end, I had to be more capable than the average white person, just to get a fair chance - and it was not immediately acknowledged. While I had the full support of management at 3 different levels and most of my peers, unfortunately 1 friendly co-worker (caucasian male) who lost out to me was not happy and actively worked to undermine me. (I was the only minority among 3 branch offices in the city, and the industry is white male-dominated.)
I only have one right wing friend (a disgruntled white male), and we get into heated debates about his denialism, grievances, and nativist tendencies. So, he is probably the only example I have on addressing white fragility/mediocrity. He's an interesting case: on the surface he seems totally normal and has a lot of advantages going for him, but the perversion of his thoughts actually hurt him in so many ways - without him realizing it. It's tricky talking with MAGA supporters, so my friendship at times is more an exercise on how to navigate a conversation and correcting people without offending them. Since he is a friend, we speak more openly, but I probably offend him all the time, so I am trying to figure out how to tone down my rhetoric, since I can't be so inflammatory with strangers. While we get along with common interests (such as guns, knives, and martial arts), we are on total opposite ends of the political spectrum to the point where we have to back off a little to avoid getting too badly into each other's faces.
So, to sum it up, I think people know that I stand for political correctness and social justice, so people gravitate towards me for that reason, and maybe unbelievable knownst to me, I may also repel others who don't like my professional success. In either case, I have never had to confront racism at work or personally in an overt manner.
Among police and military types at the shooting ranges, I think most of them are able to see past skin color and find common ground, respecting me for dedication, skills, and friendliness, over the average joe who just plinks recreationally and not very good at it. Same thing in the martial arts - I'm not the biggest or strongest, but still well-rounded.
People who see me regularly generally like me. I've only had one dangerous encounter at the shooting range, but I'm not sure it was racially motivated - they could have just sucked at shooting and were being spiteful to me and the RSO (who was African American) who told them to be careful not to shoot my target. We reported this to other RSO's to keep an eye on these 2 rednecks and petitioned management to have them banned from coming back. I flagged them on the security video cameras and pointed them out at the checkout lines. Bad attitudes and guns don't go together.
The Range Safety Officers have noticed that other guys (typically white) get competitive with me - moving their targets further downrange to match me when I come in - just to show off to their girlfriends or whatever. Or jealous over my gucci gear. Really petty stuff - I'm just doing my own thing. If they can't handle the fact that minorities can be better than them, that's not my problem, until they make it my problem. In the meantime, I move about our society with kindness, hoping it would be reciprocated, but very deadly, if attacked.
I’ve said to myself before « I don’t understand why I’m supposed to be inferior to mediocre people. » I’m not talking about exceptional people here. I mean the regular, everyday average Joe’s that want superiority. Then I hear about this book.
@TH-cam Moderator of course curiosity and inquiry eludes you. No one expects anything more from you. Thanks for not disappointing. Feels good to keep yourself ignorant to others experience doesn’t it.
@TH-cam Moderator You haven't done anything other than reap political, social, and economic benefits in greater amounts for being white than do people of color. You CHOOSE not to see nor believe your white privilege for the very reasons Ms. Oluo stated: you know, deep down, that you're threatened by true racial equality and that you'd be one of those men THREATENED emotionally by people of color if you acknowledged that you and people of color earned the same amount of money. I assume you're 50+ and that you grew up in an all-white community in which your family and neighbors communicated expectations and fears about economic mobility, that if blacks and others not like you were to compete for work and housing, they'd be taking away something of yours that you were communicated to as being yours without question. As Ms. Oluo said, for many white men, their being white is not on their radar until a person of color enters their work or community sphere. That's when the white men fear the others and become conscious of their whiteness: as a defense of the white man's perceived threat to their livelihoods and political-economic status in the US. Hence, the whites that, overwhelmingly, support Trump and the insurrectionists that tried to overthrow the government so that you could rest at night and feel safe that the racial/political/economic pecking order was restored.
@TH-cam Moderator You must've felt greatly intimidated, fearful, and ashamed of your non-white neighbors for you to be racist.
@TH-cam Moderator You're not racist. You're misogynistic, homophobic, juvenile AND racist. You re far too fixated on Ijeoma Oluo's words to have elicited the comments you've made all along and dent the issues she's raised.
@TH-cam Moderator I think your point is worth considering.
At the end of a day, what's needed, is a happy median.
Toni Morrison (Rip) articulated this particular issue( decades before her death) in an interview....
yes: Toni Morrison on the Charlie Rose show - check it out
She was an evil spinster.
Sadly it bears repeating, especially for the millennials etc.
I am Self Made Female Entrepreneur who had to resign to prove myself because my fake white boss with no talent refused to give me any respect for my work.
Wishing u great success, I quit 'corporate America' and did the same!🥳
Never have truer words been spoken! She lays out white grievance and supremacy perfectly.
I work at a place where white men have been promoted to positions with more responsibility and visibility when they were failing as leaders in their previous positions. White men "fail up" often in corporate environments.
These mediocre men were accustomed to having people who were really good at their job "supporting" them. Now these more competent people are asking for recognition for the job they do.
Our social system supported this for a long time.
Go look at the suicide statistics, come back, and make the argument that "entitlement" is the explanatory variable. Please.
@@lancewalker2595 no the loosing of perceived power.
@@tuntejaable Elaborate.
@Jackson J.m. What?
False
Thank you so much Ijeoma. Keep fighting. This topic needs sooooo much more attention right now more than ever
sorry for being vulgar but the constant and provable saying in my work place is "you fuck up, you move up". I've been there 25 yrs. It hasn't changed
Please don’t worry about the occasional vulgarity. Sometimes those words are the only ones that truly match the emotions felt.
My God! Swatted?! One can order murder over the phone like a pizza delivery - except with State security forces! Hearing that part of the interview broke my heart.
I hadn’t gotten to that part when I read your comment. My thought when I heard it was exactly yours, My God! Smh What is wrong with people?!
Omg, yes ! Me too! It was heart wrenching to hear her tell this 💔 . Something must be done.
While I found the discussion interesting, I'm not holding my breath on white men taking her advice. I hope she and her family stays safe.
While many white men might not, there are some who might,like she said it will help them in many ways to liberate ,from old forms of seeing the world. If America ever wants to really see & be what it has said about it self..than change is the only way.Growth always take hard work,with over coming the resistance that prevents it ...
@@roberth2627 : I agree with all that you mentioned, but it still remains to be seen.
@@ddrebrne3336 I'm sure if one lives just long enough, it will take place, some where , some how.I learned a long time ago Life is full of surprises ...
@TH-cam Moderator : Stop being so sensitive, Keyboard Kyle.
No, you're right, why should I internalize the prejudice of others?
I have seen this over and over again. In both military and civilian life.
@James Quinlan I wouldn't call Ms.Oluo's work banal at all. She just named and described something long experienced by anyone of talent who's NOT White and NOT Male.
Yes. Gangs, white supremacists exist in the #ActiveDuty military.
I'm not surprised that the military connection is being exposed. I'm grateful for the exposure.
@@HoneyBadger80886 Yes they do, the Army and to some degree Marine Corps are rife with it, the good ol' boy is very much in place.
@TH-cam Moderator Don't get so butt hurt about facts.
The white mediocre male privilege is very much a fact, invisible to you maybe because you're unwilling and/or unable to see it.
@TH-cam Moderator Do you REPENT about your opinion and prejudices of American women of color?
Looks to me you don't have much respect at all.
I saw that in a multicultural church. When the pastor changed from white to Black, there was an immediate white flight in the church
I have seen this myself in many different workplaces....all that she said
Definitely!
Yes, I have too!
Me too
Same
are you the A.S. from RPHS? if so, get at me! would love to catch up! if you have no clue what i'm talking about ignore this message! :)
Such a shame. People would rather use violence against this beautiful woman rather then do the work they need to do to become a fully developed human being. Cowards.
Beautiful? Are you nuts? She's nothing more than a race grifting woke trash blue checkmark LMAO
The definition of Donald Trump and also why Hillary wasn't going to win. Men didn't want to have a woman in the highest position in government. So they gave it to a clown
A lot of woman don’t either! Sad, but true.
definitely a factor, but not the only one. Trump branded himself on a lie (eg from his "reality" TV days). The Clintons are seen as a dynasty of political insiders (and unfortunately Trump's incompetence has been spun as evidence of him being an "outsider"). I'm personally as tired of the neoliberal establishment as i am of christian fundamentalists and neocons. But the sad truth is none of this is going to change until the US culture itself changes and shifts away from its racist, sexist and classist tendencies. eg what we consider "success" is really am anxiety spectrum disorder. we call it hoarding when it involves cats or newspapers, but for some reason when it involves money and power we celebrate it. I would honestly rather elect a newspaper hoarder!
I voted for a woman with my policy stands, not hillary. I voted jill stein. now joining peoples party. In Primary I was twice a Bernie Broad and feminist since 1970.
Men, including myself, were wise, to prevent that witch, from gaining the power she CRAVED.
To this day, it's seen as a sin, for a man to have not voted for Hillary.
What I recommend is that people do a better job of knowing one another. Befriend folks of other races with whom you get along with from work, from the gym, from church. Otherness goes out of the window. Being friends with people helps one far better understand human beings have far more similarities of experience in life regardless of race. Once one shares in on the differences related to race of friends the issues are far better understood. My diverse friend group has taught me far more in less time about the joys and challenges of folks of other races. AND! My goodness, I have had some of the absolute best food in the homes of folks who valued my presence. Plain, simple, nobody me has been greatly valued because I dared to be friends with folks outside of my race.
She’s asking uneducated white men, in the sense of others, to be aware. Hum...not sure that can happen especially during times of great financial insecurity, which usually results in more harsh treatment to POC and women.
It's not "people" making threats. It's men. The word "people" is the great coverup of bad male behavior.
Yes!! Very true.
Its not just white men.
@@Meaghful A sizeable majority
@TH-cam Moderator You mean a trans woman? Then they are a woman, trans doesn't mean they cant be mediocre too.
Betsy Devos.
🕊
MAY GOD BLESS and PROTECT this BEAUTIFUL & ingeniously brave woman!💜💜💜🕊🕊🕊
Thank You, for speaking TRUTH so clearly, lovingly, graciously & powerfully !!! With Love & Gratitude, Thank You 💜🕊!!!
Hat-off to you for your courage to speak truthfully of your findings and research. Your image is displaying the power of truths. 🧐
I cannot really comment on current work environment in US, not having worked there since 2004, what I do see from the outside is a toxic environment of prejudice and entitlement; hallmarks of the end of empire.
Exceptional and enlightening interview. Thanks!
Insightful analysis, interview. All Black adults have been/felt marginalized, whether they're ready to admit it, or not.
You don't speak for all black people
Thank you PBS, let the truth be told!
All of this is bullshit. Asians do better than any group in America. You don't see whites complaining. You don't see whites complaining about anything, really, except being targeted for no reason. No, you mostly hear blacks and their extreme jealousy that many haven't figured out how to work hard to achieve like white folks do, and Asians even more so.
"Truth"
The PROPAGANDA
I'm a mediocre white male age 50 and I am firmly opposed to everything the right wing stands for. I was raised mediocre in a poor L.A. neighborhood where I never had any reason to believe in the superiority of white boys or white men.
It is men, like you, who can do great good by letting other white men know they have nothing to fear, economically, socially, nor politically, by racial equality.
Amazing to see how indoctrination works. Nunya kneeled, asked for forgiveess. The inquisitor, Mr. LA Tours, comes and finishes the job, commanding the new slave to work for him.
You are honest! Therefore, you are more than average, bro! 👍🏽
Are you happy?
Quit pandering and selling yourself short
Such a bright young strong woman. Good luck.
Thank you this was important for me to hear and I will read the book. Humbled by the courage it takes for journalists to keep speaking and writing the truth.
What I find appalling as a black woman is when I'm told to train a white person to be my manager or train a white person who makes more money than me. When I ask for a raise, then I'm given a lecture about increased responsibility as if I don't already have increased responsibility or never had a promotion or raise before. Like responsibility is something I'm afraid of even though I've shown no signs of fear. So insulting. Oh, the person I trained: If I ask them a question about something they know and I don't, they will act dumb just so they don't tell me. They'll say stuff like, "well, you have to look for it, that's what I did". It's a lie because I know I taught them their job.
That's obviously a problem, but my question is, "how prevelant is this REALLY"?
Its extremely Prevalent. There's a similar story for practically EVERYONE I know. That fact that it seems minor or inconceivable goes to show just how differently life is lived.
While watching the Trump Riot unfold, I immediately thought of Ijeoma Oluo. I had just finished reading her latest book "Mediocre" and it was crazy to see such a perfect example in real life.
Riiiiiiight, like this woman could predict anything but her obsession with being a mixed race victim
Yea, they are a basket case.
So beautifully articulated. Maybe we as a culture need to find a way to help them understand their own psychology, and the fact that they are “being played”, as Ijeoma puts it. What a bright, brilliant explanation.
Caring to know is the first step...
@@chelabuford7106 💯
There are studies that exist on this. Toxic male masculinity survives on willful ignorance and no amount of spoon-feeding will persuade men to change behaviour if they don't have an inherent desire to do so. Examples of studies: 1) Hacker, H. (1957). The New Burdens of Masculinity. Marriage and Family Living, 19(3), 227-233. doi:10.2307/348873 2) Cohen, A., & Hodges, H. (1963). Characteristics of the Lower-Blue-Collar-Class. Social Problems, 10(4), 303-334. doi:10.2307/799204 3) Boys Don't Cry?: Rethinking Narratives of Masculinity and Emotion in the U.S. p.23. Milette Shamir, Jennifer Travis. Columbia University Press, Apr 10, 2002
@@moringaottawa The false term, "toxic masculinity", hinges on its desire to make men and boys believe that being staid, upright and STRONG MEN, is somehow, "toxic".
It's also a ruse to promote effeminacy and homosexuality among males.
I KNEW at the onset, that in reality, "white male", is the new code word for "straight, conservative male", who must be destroyed and marginalized, at all costs.
Yet note today, how feminists have successful in having girls participate in contact sports and other male activities, like the Boy Scouts, the very bastions of the development of "toxic masculinity".
Why don't we just print 20 trillions to other's nations and the problem will disappear like we do every 4 years
As an African American professional man I can't tell you how many white men with a decade less experience and very little talent I have been asked to train so they could later become my manager. Thank you sister for making it plain for everyone to comprehend.
One of the most endearing qualities of "Being Like Christ"
is humbleness. Why does the
Conservative Christian fail at this?
@@curtbrockhaus6131 . I do not see in. such Biblical terms, but I do agree. It's a battle between oil oligarchies and the race to save the planet. The oil oligarchies have
created a death cult. A nihilistic mind set, for sure.
We all have a responsibility to make things better.
No just white men.
@@begoode2385 everyone except you. you can go sit in a corner and quietly play with your toys alone.
@@ayoungethan hahahaha
Amen to that.
As a 66 yr old white woman, I have lived this for 50 years... so grateful to find this video...can't wait to read her book ... how do we re-educate generations of white men that have been coddled for no valid reason??
So appreciate of this content, absolutely my 40+ corporate experience. It was amazing to me that a degree was required, yet most of the non white colleagues had not attended university.
Most non-white people had no degrees? That's a dam lie.
That's a huge lie. Most, non white people barely make it with advanced degrees talkless of trying to make it without any formal education. Except if they're entertainers, you're totally lying and deceptive to say most non-whites in workplaces have no degrees
@@co7513 Exactly !
How insane that a beautiful person writes a book and are treated this way!! What is wrong with these people? Well, besides being addicted to their beliefs, and I do mean addicted, and they get a dopamine rush Everytime they have a racist thought. Oh hell, when I heard that, I knew the shift was going to go down hard. Just ask your local drug addict how easy to get off smoking or, worst of all, sugar. Destroys hypothalamus where reason happens. So sugar addicts, one and all, work on your addiction. I am going to do some thing when I hear shit. Be the change you want!!
@James Quinlan your life, as a white male, has always been the only one that mattered. My dude. That's the whole point of the whole thing.
Is that a scientific fact? Racists get a dopamine rush when they have a racist thought? Not a racist but I do like science. Got any data on that?
@@obcl8569 Exactly. People see James as a "white male", and that in of itself brings biased privilege.
@@AnnAndNala yuuuuuuup. What's nuts is that he's making the point himself in his own comment lol
@@solarwind907 the results from googling 'racism dopamine' .are. interesting..
It's called the "peter principle". Failing up has been around for many years for people acknowleging incompetance and by passing more qualified persons.
Telling that it’s your “Peter” that gets you there and that it has to be a white “Peter” at that.
What she's really talking about is 'The Peter Principle' : you are elevated to your level of incompetence. You are great at your job so your boss gives you a promotion as a reward. This continues until you find yourself stuck in a job that you are useless at, and your advancement stops. This breeds mediocrity and career despair. It's better to put people into jobs they are really good at and reward them in other ways, like higher wages, greater influence on departmental policy, or more vacation time.
No, she’s talking about what she’s talking about. Try listening again without assuming you already know what that is.
Donald Trump is the definition of what she's talking about.
@@naimamorgan6209 Also the OP, who presumably just watched Ijeoma Oluo talk about how racism, white supremacy and patriarchy function in this country and specifically her personal experiences and what white men could do to make space and then OP decided to dismiss and reduce what she was talking about to a business management theory then ‘reexplain’ it for us because apparently he felt she did it wrong and ‘that’s what she really meant’.
We are blind to our own biases and how we use them to interact in the world.
That would take to much work on the company side.
A “promotion” usually means management and few people are actually good at managing people.
@@Mockduck2020 It also completely disregards the racial aspect of what Ijeoma Oluo was talking about which was the whole point.
She hits the nail right on the head. It feels so good to hear someone say this out loud, Jesus. 👏👏👏🎯🏆💯
I loved "so you want to talk about race"! After reading stamped, this book helped me put that information into a social context in present day.
As a white woman, I’m so sorry you and others have had to live through those threatening experiences, and danger. I didn’t even know what doxing, or swatted meant.
I’m grateful that you and your son are okay and I wish you and your family well.
Edit
Swatting sounds like attempted murder too me, and should be treated as such.
She is a treasure. Protect this woman, dear Lord.
I think it is extremely significant that VP Kamala Harris is the woman who has broken the norm you have portrayed in your book!!!! She is an inspiration for women no matter your skin color!!!
so it will be necessary for mediocre (and that is being generous) white men to try to tear her down with ridiculous complaints and comparisons
@@michaelprozonic
Michael, No she is beyond mediocre men!!
Hang on to your seat and watch Kamala roar!!!!! Fulfilling the thing most women want to do....
@@marceechristensen2533 I recall something about her making grown privileged white men cry (I think that it was that candidate for the US Supreme Court in 2018 who was accused of sexually assaulted the young woman at the party while in college; sorry I can' t recall his name he's so mediocre), so she is very strong, Bless her.
@@thegoddessdiana9185
Thanks for reply. Was it Thomas picked for Supreme Court? I think he did not make it.
Oh boy howdy any man who thinks he can take on Kamala in court has another thing coming....
Yes, regardless of color or ethnicity, she is a woman that inspires women and girls to reach out.
James Baldwin touched on this very concept
Most open, creative and empathetic perception of white male quandary I’ve heard to date. Delivery beyond excellent.
@TH-cam Moderator I thought you were talking of your own racism.
Are you fucking kidding me?
When there's a long-standing "good ol' boys" network in place, the mediocrity will go on unabated.
The one thing Americans seem to overlook is that with the waves of immigration it has experienced, the newest group were almost always looked down on by the previous group. The big leveller, was that every group, was universally able to look down upon and revile Black Americans. That same situation still seems to exist.
When you’re born on top, you feel that you’re entitled to stay on top, no matter what.
They take that nonsense all over the world where other people were born on top
You honestly cannot just view this video once. There are too many nuggets that you have to view it multiple times. This is wonderful. It offers additional context to Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility. I'm purchasing Ms. Ijeoma Oluo's book. Thank you.
Wow! I was going to write about my experiences working with white mediocre men (I'm 74) and say that I identified with what she was saying. But then I heard the story of getting swatted because she was a smart, successful beautiful BLACK WOMAN while her 17 year old son was at home alone with six cops on the way their way with guns and she was all the way across the country.in an airport wondering if her son was going to be shot like Breanna Taylor
So..... I'm gonna skip those stories.
same
Okay white guilt LOL
This can happen even inside a marriage, regardless of ethnic identification. Wives work twice as hard just to be regarded as equal in many partnerships. Even today. And much of this is a failure by parents, schools, society failing to teach equity and self worth during childhood. So a woman enters a union unsure about her worth, and therefore does not hold her male partner to the same standards she expects of herself. And more relevant, males enter a union feeling entitled to intrinsic worth without necessarily recognizing inequity.
Amen
I want her to speak in my class. She is incredible!
yes, she is.
oh, it goes deeper than capitalism...oligarchy long predates capitalism.
But Capitalism makes it much, much easier to manipulate the masses that suffer from the manipulation. When we begin once more to respect everyone regardless of their job instead of whipping out and measuring paychecks, we will all be better off. I'm a White male and suffering tremendous pain because I know nobody stole from me AND I'm not as successful as I should be, therefore I must be broken. It's seriously damaging, even to another White guy, that some guys are favored based on ridiculous notions of entitlement. Makes me question the value of everything, including my degrees and whether I actually deserve them based on merit or got them because I looked, acted, spoke correctly.
our society would look very different if it were actually a meritocracy...
Wow what a courageous woman. Stay strong and stay safe. I'm sorry your son had to go through that kind of violence. I hope they catch those people and throw them in jail for 20 years.
Loved this conversation. Evolution of balance and equality is a slow process.
Very insightful and REAL.
This was insightful. I loved it!
This was a great interview.
thsi video was a prophecy fr .
Ms Oluo, you are a brave woman... a true and devoted freedom fighter. Your (God) Allah is covering you and your family.
ASA,
While she has some points, her arguments are largely fallacious.
Also, can't you see, this ultimately is a protracted attack on men?
Do you believe for one minute, that white, blonde dude with the long hair, recently in the Biden cabinet, is what she has in mind?
God’s not doing much if she and her family have been dealing with all she claimed. He could do a better job.
What a graceful person she is, living with this terrible situation.
The day after this post, you had Treason Day, & this book foreshadowed that.
You're the third person that noticed that.
I'm a white female business owner in a male dominated trade. I have a white male supremacist bully who has harassed me and my family for many years. I better understand what is happening, including doxing and swatting thanks to these strong women and POC speaking up all over the country. The bully is seeming more and more ridiculous and the police are on to his behavior and are seeing how the bully has used the police and any authority he can think of to harass me for so many years The gig is about up for these bulllies but I have a lot of trauma to work through from so much harassment. Interviews like this help with healing. Thank you!
15:40- I can not even wrap my head around the enormity horrifying helplessness this mother endured. Thank you is not enough to express our gratitude for what you (& your children) give of yourself to educate, and thus, PROTECT US & OUR children. May Yahweh continue to guide & protect guide you, your family & loved ones Miss Ijeoma.
I am pleasantly surprised-stunned, actually-at the level of civility of the people who have posted comments about this video. I started not to read any of them but reluctantly did so. Bravo!
It's important to point out that when a woman rises to the top of a company, men, even men of color, become disengaged. This isn't exclusive to white men when women, especially, women of color rise to the top. This was my experience 5 years ago and it continues even now, even after I've proven myself
If people won't follow you, then the only person you've proved anything to is yourself. Congratulations!!! 🎉
@@JeffCaplan313 I didn't say people won't follow me, mediocre white man.
@@mariagarza1269 Oh, so you're only able to get people who already look and think like you to follow you?
EVEN BETTER!!! 👏 👏 👏 🤣
@@mariagarza1269 Be careful, they're not only mediocre, they're also fragile and need to have their ego stroked on a regular basis or they become violent ex: Washington.
@@JeffCaplan313 that was the whole point of this interview, genius.
Speaking as a middle aged white guy who came to grips with his own privilege years ago and sees it in others so acutely, she has so eloquently put this phenomena into context as to make easy for anyone to digest. But how do we use this to inform and change others so we can start correcting this and make this country right?
Acknowledging privilege is half the battle! Speak up for others when you witness injustice or micro-aggressions. I'm going to read her book. Sometimes it's hard to articulate to others concepts you know are true so think about examples in your own life that led you to the realization of privilege and then think how and when you can appropriately communicate that to others when it comes up.
You just did, sir...and well done. Now, continue to do what you just did by sharing it with you family, collegues, friends, the person in line at your neighborhood grocer, or that next someone who engages you with small-talk anywhere, anytime...
Be creative, be proactive...you can make a difference more than you know or give yourself credit for.
God bless you, my brother..peace and grace.
@@garyaugustus1009 I always do. It only spreads so fast and I'm surrounded in my community but these people. Its extremely hard evangelicalize against white privilege when it seen as a myth. And rhe problem with that belief is that they are half right. There aren't many POCs here so they don't think that they benefitted from their skin color. And for the most part they haven't against the their white neighbors. And they get the most angry when it gets brought up. Their racism is mostly from afar. And the few black folks that do work along side are definitely treated differently and not often overtly. Voicing it often gets denied out of hand.
Oh. My. God. 😳 I had never heard of Swating before. I’m so so sorry that happened to you. Thank you for continuing your work.
Thank you for your work.
All of this germinates from the illusion of the assumption of superiority...all of it.
I’ve professionally seen this in Medicine, for sure.
Me too
I am appalled by the harassment she has endured. I hope those responsible will be found and prosecuted.
The fact that this woman has and is being threatened for telling the truth, goes to show where we are in this country in regards to race. It's modern day racist intimidation and tactics that were used to keep black people quiet many years ago. I don't understand why alot of white people think we should just move on. We can't, because it's still happening. Kudos to you sister for your bravery and for revealing the ugly truth.
What are law enforcement agencies doing about swatting, and what’s being done about those who cause it?
Sad is it that white males dummy down as they do. Am a white male of age 67 and have lived in mental torment most of my life because my association with White males. Finally, in 2015 an a lightening bolt of insight struck my mind and heart. A thought occurred to me: The Male Culture Is A Failure. That was the thought. Nothing profound in its wording. But the meaning pierced my soul. Now is Sunday 01-10-2021, days after Mr. Trump inciting white males to storm the National Capital. To my understanding that event manifests a resulting reality of white male mediocrity. Rock on!
GREAT interview and a deeply appreciated feature, ...from a privileged White male. I just acquired her book and will read it with humble pleasure and appreciation. The same I engaged Caste and White Identity. MS Oluo, know many of us out here are with you and wish you all the best!
It's racism...just a strong as ever. Doesn't matter which direction it's aimed. It's racism
I'm70 no, a white woman.watching all this with sorrow. Thirty years ago I was dismissed from my job of 25 years by a little 21 year old twit and told to leave that day --pack up and I was done. I spilled out of control and nearly died of alcohol poisoning because I had lost everything, including my husband
Ageism, perhaps?
Wow. A precise description of what I saw -- with amazement -- in 1964, my first job after high school -- in the DC Health Department (part of the Federal government. All of the men except the director spend almost all their time around the water cooler gabbing. All the women were working hard and efficiently all day, including the one black woman. I didn't get it. How could this be? Why did they accept the situation quietly? Our work was important--lives depended on it--but these men were utterly lazy and had no sense of responsibility--no shame. 1964! Obviously, things haven't changed.
White male mediocrity?
BUSH, TRUMP.
I worked in the military for over 8 years. I promise you, white male mediocrity is absolutely real.
I watched as other white men promoted the other white males around me although I was more knowledgeable and worked harder than them.
When I got promoted all hell broke lose. Suddenly people stopped talking to me, people started to obstruct the work in an effort to hurt me, I was
really hurt by the behavior because I honestly thought the mission came first.
I noticed another black dude who came to the shop, he was higher rank than me and he told me that I had to "smile more, be friends, go out drinking with my coworkers,
let them into my life, talk about my parents with them, have lunch with them everyday, laugh at their jokes..."
I did none of those things, why should I coddle my subordinates and Chief just to have them do the work they are contractually obligated to do.
It's sad being a poc and trying to get ahead.
As a light sculptor from the Show Me state, who has endured censorship by a local printing facility, blatant discrimination at my last place of employment, vandalism of our vehicles in our driveway, followed by the non-renewal of the rental space for my gallery this climate of caustic and corrosive mistrust leads me to believe we have not seen the worst of things yet. Never in my life have I felt unsafe in my hometown of Jefferson City until Jan 6, and all that is starting to emerge about Josh Hawley. Thank you for giving definition to what I have seen of him and in his supporters. Mediocrity does seem to square with the white males I have seen who are 25-50, and it does give a path to their "logic."
ROMA ERB ♥️👍🏽💯👍🏽💯👍🏽♥️
People like her should be running the country and making decisions. Very intelligent lady!!! smh
that requires a highly enlightened electorate...
She'd burn it down, faster than Biden will.
I'm moving to outer space. Good luck earthlings.
Hahahaha if you need a flight partner ...count me in.
Too bad for outer space. 😆
Tour de force analysis on race relation-economic social disposition and social effect-US future direction as an abstract outcome of historical norms-current Social Media tactics used to silence and marginalize empirical and anecdotal social analysis-cultural based conditioning relative to expectation of status--and so much more
Excellent dialogue and questioning from PBS to “show your work” without leading to logical responses based on obvious “research of topic”-allowing author to expand on topic and not justify a “supposed predisposition” or bias
Not bad and rather refreshing regardless of topic
This seemed to be a very difficult subject for Hari Sreenivasan. His face says it all as it devolved into a perpetual stressed frown. I don’t think he is aware of it.
Sadly, I have to agree with this eloquent author. As a black woman whose identity and allegiance has often been called into question by other black men and women, the daily burden is made more challenging by dealing with the mediocrity of some white males I’ve worked with and even been affianced with.
The revelations of my ex’s mediocrity (on his part) threatened the relationship and so he took off with a nanny that made him feel superior. I hadn’t quite recognized this until this interview!
I’d revised his resume and coached him (career) and elevated him for a better position after he was fired by a new manager at the NFL. He’d been so depressed. Things fell apart when I was promoted as a director and when I’d signed up and trained for a marathon. He told me later that I always had higher standards and expectations for him than he had of himself.
It’s been 10 years now since we split. He doesn’t know that I’ve graduated from an Ivy league college with my doctorate.
I’ve experienced many of what Ms. Oluo describes here. And not just only from white males but females as well. It’s horrifying to hear about the threats on her life and that of family members because she tells the truth. She is exposing the myth of white supremacy.
I wish her to be ever safe and continued success. 🙏🏽✨🌹❤️