The Society of Mediocrity And Your Role As a Blogger

You probably wouldn’t expect a title like that for a blog post on this site. But, for a moment, I’m going to step atop my soapbox and share opinion on our society. And what’s more, I want to share what I think we, as bloggers, have as a responsibility that goes way beyond traffic and money.

Dangers of Traditional News Media

One of the biggest pieces of advice I say a lot is to not watch the news. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll see I sometimes rave against the news media. I believe they are in the business of propagating fear. The more freaked out you are, the better it is for them because you stay glued to the TV screen. They get to sell ads.

It baffles me why people willingly allow that into their minds. If we knew a person in our lives that you knew was always trying to scare you or create conflicts, you would most certainly cut ties with that person. If you got around a particular person and you always left feeling bad, you wouldn’t want to be around them. Yet, with the news media, people are used to sitting there in a borderline hypnotic state letting bad stuff enter their minds.

Bad stuff goes in and it leads to bad stuff coming out. The fact that it goes into a semi-hypnotized mind is probably even more dangerous because the person isn’t thinking about and analyzing what goes in. I believe the modern news media is an absolute cancer on our society.

A Worsening Condition

But, let’s go even deeper. What about the people around us? Have you ever spent time on your blog, on Twitter, or trying to develop an online business only to have a friend or a family member make fun of you for doing it? They’ll say you’re chasing a dream. They’ll tell you to go get a “real job”. This doesn’t necessarily make them bad people. They are victims of societal conditioning.

Our society is trained to follow the mold. When you try to break that mold, the others around you will seek to bash you back into compliance. It is group mentality.

And that mold is getting worse. Our standards are worsening, and the number of excuses for mediocrity grow by the day. Kids who aren’t earning the good grades are diagnosed with ADHD. So, a child who is simply bored is now diagnosed with a completely bullshit “disease” and then placed on a drug. They’re told “It’s not your fault, little Jimmy. You have a problem with your brain.” The parents are told its not their fault. It is a disorder. All is well. Place the child on a mind-altering drug (all while billing insurance heavily) and sit there and be happy in a drug-induced mediocre world.

When people get fat because they eat like hell, they’re told they have a disorder and they go off acting like little victims. When people fail to stop smoking, they proceed to blame the cigarette companies. When some clumsy idiot spills hot coffee on themselves, they blame McDonald’s. When somebody overcharges their credit cards and gets into massive debt, they blame the credit companies for “predatory lending”.

I can’t watch TV for even an hour at night without having to watch some person sit there and advertise 1-800-ASK-GARY. A lawyer referral service. Their lawyers don’t get paid unless they get money for you! Get the money you deserve! “Ask and you shall receive!” It is sickening.

We live in a society of mediocrity. And you know what? I’m CONVINCED it is being done on purpose. There are too many vested interests in having a dumb-downed, drugged, scared population.

We’re Not Normal

As we individually try to succeed, to build a business and achieve our goals, we have to deal with this stuff constantly. Face it – we’re not normal! If you are driven by an ambition to succeed, you are not normal. Most of the world isn’t like that.

Most people work in the prison which is the 9-5 job. Most likely they hate their job. They get home and they watch TV for the remainder of the day, drinking beers and eating too much. Then they wonder why they don’t have enough money. And they react to people who have more than them with disdain.

People who try to stop excellence, whether on purpose or reactively, are not destined to succeed. They will not succeed. They will wallow in a world of mediocrity and then they will die. I’m not going to pull any punches and try to make it rosy when it isn’t. All they do is get in the way of the people who actually get up and make shit happen.

Our Role As Bloggers

If you are reading this blog, then chances are you are a blogger yourself. You have readers. You might not have many, but you have a level of influence to some degree.

I want to raise the bar. Bloggers are in a position to be opinion leaders. Obviously, not all bloggers are thought leaders, but bloggers who build up an audience are in a position of having influence.

I consider it our JOB not to propagate mediocrity and fear. Be a force for good in this world. Do what’s right. Encourage excellence. If you have an audience, do what’s right for them. It doesn’t matter if you blog about business or blog about underwater basket weaving. If you have people paying attention to you, then you should play your part in raising the bar, encouraging excellence and suppressing fear-mongering.

But, aside from our influence, practice what we preach. Don’t allow negativity from others to penetrate your mind. You should surround yourself with success-minded people if you want to yourself succeed. Don’t go into agreement with just being normal. “Normal” is getting worse. Today’s “normal” isn’t what it once was.

We all have a sphere of influence. We should all act as forces for good within our own spheres. That includes in our personal lives as well as the lives of those we influence. Take responsibility for your role in the world.

As I step off my soapbox, just stop and think. Blogging is about a lot more than sharing knowledge. It is certainly about more than making money. Blogging is a form of communication and one in which “Joe blow” can potentially have influence with thousands of people from the confines of a back bedroom.

Use it wisely. Use it to make the world a little better.