Mediocrity Dismissal Term

“Mid” - mediocre, average, not good or bad, unremarkable - became Gen Z’s ultimate insult for anything disappointing (2021-2023), originally from hip-hop slang for mid-grade marijuana.

Origin: Hip-hop slang; “mid” = mid-grade weed (not good, not bad); TikTok generalized to everything

Usage: “That movie was mid,” “This album is so mid,” harsh mediocrity judgment

Insult power: Worse than “bad”; bad has passion, mid is indifferent dismissal; forgettable nothingness

Music discourse: Rappers calling rival albums mid; fan wars over mid accusations

Overuse: Everything became mid; restaurants, movies, people, experiences; exaggeration epidemic

“Not mid”: Defending things from mid accusations; “actually good” reclamation

Weed origins forgotten: Many users unaware marijuana origin; generational slang evolution

Similar: “Meh,” “whatever,” “it’s fine I guess” - lukewarm indifference

Drake discourse: Honestly, Nevermind (2022) called mid; fan divided; mid debates everywhere

Mid demonstrates Gen Z’s linguistic efficiency - one word conveying disappointment, mediocrity, dismissal simultaneously.

Sources:
https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/mid/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/mid-meaning-slang