Uninspiring, insipid people are the worst to be with.
I've worked with people who were not fluent in English or found it difficult to express themselves as intended and also with people who were not good at their work. But they were still better off because they TRIED to improve, which in itself was and is inspiring. Working with people who intentionally don't make an effort are by far the worst because they bottle up your capabilities and affect the overall team morale.
Sometimes, the obvious solution that pops up is to get another job. Is this really the solution? No, because uninspiring, insipid, maggotheaded idiots are everywhere. The solution is to figure out the modus operandi of these morons, then work with them.

Samuel L Jackson in 'Unbreakable' was right- these ARE mediocre times.