What’s Wrong with the World Today? The Rise of Mediocracy
A Canadian political scientist and observer of the world, Alain Deneault, says the world is plagued by mediocrity. In his book, Mediocracy: The Politics of the Extreme Centre, Deneault argues that the world has experienced a “numbing revolution” and that the mediocre among us have power. He writes that mediocre leaders everywhere have entered the halls of power and have taken over the controls. Perhaps this is how the current American presidential election has come to pass. People have realized that something is wrong, but they could not identify the cause and give it a name. They rose to power on the tide of an economy where workers produce assembly-line meals, without knowing how to cook at home, give customers instructions over the phone, that they themselves don’t understand, or sell books and newspapers that they never read. How did the mediocre come to control the world, and why could we not stop them? Deneault calls a “numbing revolution” is actually an attitude. This has the effect of stifling debate. In political and economic terms, it avoids leaders doing anything that might call into question the economic and social order. Canadian intellectual juggernaut, Alain Deneault, has taken on all kinds of evildoers: mining companies, tax-dodgers, and corporate criminals. Now he takes on the most menacing threat of all: mediocrity. Come and explore the answers with this extraordinary thinker and bring your friends too. His talk will be followed by a discussion period and his books will be on sale on the premises.