● When the mediocracy book came out seven years ago, the thesis that the BBC is non-neutral was the preserve of fringy bloggers. Now, most people would probably not quibble with it. But it does not follow from this that anyone exactly cares more.
Mediocrats are largely indifferent to the possibility of bias (in their favour) because they consider their own world view naturally correct and morally superior, and see no need to give a platform to rival perspectives.
Non-mediocrats are mostly indifferent as well. Some because they themselves half believe in the moral superiority of mediocrats; others (who don’t) because they nevertheless find it vaguely reasonable for people to be biased against them.
These are excellent indicators of which side has won the culture war. Cultural hegemony in the West – in many ways more important than economic hegemony – would seem to belong to the mediocrats.
A similar effect may explain why it is difficult for genuinely independent research organisations such as ours to get support, including from people who are ostensibly sympathetic. However much a person may agree privately with criticism of the cultural establishment, she or he knows that doing something to help would be regarded as suspect by the mediocrats. And, on some level, she or he may believe that such a judgment would be justified, or at least ‘understandable’.