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 https://www.ted.com/tedx