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Why are some areas of culture being dumbed down while others seem increasingly pretentious and incomprehensible? Fabian Tassano suggests we are moving towards a model of society he calls —mediocracy—, in which content is abandoned in favour of appearance, and quality in favour of ideology. A —mediocracy— generates a bogus high culture in which technicians produce material comprehensible only to other technicians. It champions a mass culture that is crude and sadistic. It pontificates about compassion while treating aggression and humiliation as entertainment. In a mediocracy, sweeping state powers and oppression of the individual are masked by a fake —individualism—. Tassano explains how concepts, theories and even the meanings of words are changed to suit an ideology that seeks to subordinate the individual to egalitarian and collectivist goals. He dissects numerous areas of mediocratic culture, exposing its deceptions and hidden motivations. With entries ranging from —ability— to —welfare—, through —academia—, —cookery—, —genius—, —meritocracy—, —philosophy— and —stupid—, Tassano—s book is an irreverent dictionary for a dishonest age