We’ve Lowered the Bar So Far We’re Tripping Over It

Somewhere along the way, we stopped expecting better.

Not just from politicians. From companies. From media. From ourselves.

We’ve gone from “We can do better” to “Well, at least they’re not as bad as the last guy.” From raising standards to shrugging off basic competence as a win. From bold vision to barely managing not to crash the ship.

This isn’t just political fatigue. It’s cultural erosion.

The Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations, Rebranded

Remember that old line about “the soft bigotry of low expectations”? It wasn’t wrong — it just didn’t go far enough. Today, it’s not just about what we expect from marginalized groups. It’s about what we expect from leaders, from public figures, from institutions that shape our lives.

We’ve normalized dysfunction. Made cynicism our default setting. And handed out bonus points just for showing up.

We Celebrate Survival, Not Solutions

Think about the last time you heard someone say, “At least they’re not worse than...”

That’s not praise. That’s exhaustion.

We cheer when leaders don’t implode. We applaud CEOs for not actively being villains. We act like basic decency is groundbreaking because we’ve seen so much worse. And when someone dares to actually raise the bar, we call them “unrealistic” or “too idealistic.”

Why? Because we’ve spent so long staring at the floor, we’ve forgotten to look up.

The Lower the Bar, the Easier It Is to Lie Under It

Here’s the thing: when expectations drop, accountability follows. You can’t demand better from people you’ve stopped expecting anything from.

And the more we reward mediocrity, the more we attract people who are content to coast. Who treat power like a game. Who govern by vibes and slogans and vibes alone.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about effort.

It’s about holding the people in charge to the same standard we’d expect from a halfway decent coworker. Or friend. Or neighbor. If someone you know constantly made excuses and blamed everyone else, you’d stop trusting them. So why don’t we apply that same logic to the people with the most influence over our lives?

Raise the Bar, Even If They Trip Over It

We don’t get better outcomes by settling. We get better by expecting more. By modeling what accountability looks like. By rewarding the people who do the work — not just those who perform well on camera.

This doesn’t mean we can’t forgive mistakes. It means we stop mistaking incompetence for authenticity.

Let’s make it hard to coast. Let’s make the floor feel like the floor again — not the ceiling.

Let’s raise the bar — even if they trip over it.