The Truth About Hustle Culture That No One Is Talking About

The Truth About Hustle Culture That No One Is Talking About

Have you ever looked at your bank account just a day or two after payday and thought, "Where the hell did all my money go?" It's no secret that simply maintaining a pulse is an expensive hobby nowadays, let alone trying to seek some sort of comfort or God forbid, enjoyment. You spend all week stuck in the soul-sucking cycle of waking up, eating, commuting, working, commuting, eating, sleeping, and repeating it 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year, for 40 to 50 years of your life. And for all this, what do you have to show? A never-ending stream of bills waiting to be paid, a list of goals that seem unachievable, and the increasingly obvious realization that everyone around you is doing better than you.

They're making more money, traveling more, eating at nicer restaurants, driving fancier cars, and even their spouses seem way hotter than yours. It just doesn't seem fair. But it turns out that all of this is entirely your fault, at least according to hustle culture. You could have what everyone else has and more, but you’re just lazy. You don’t want it bad enough. You already work 8 hours a day? Congratulations, are you a baby? Hustle culture insists you should be working 18 hours a day, 6 days a week. You can sleep when you're dead. This toxic mentality has been force-fed to us for years by the internet, and honestly, I’m sick of it.

Hustle culture revolves around the idea that if you’re not constantly working yourself to the point of burnout, dedicating every moment of your life to making money at the expense of everything else, then you’re a lazy sack of crap. Every inadequacy you feel in your life is entirely your fault. But all of this is a conspiracy, carefully constructed to keep the rich wealthy and the rest of us scraping by.

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When you were a kid in school, you were probably taught about three socioeconomic classes: lower class, upper class, and middle class. But in reality, there are just two classes: the working class and the ruling class. Whether you’re making minimum wage or earning a high salary as a dentist, if you need to work to earn money, you’re part of the working class. You trade your time and labor for financial compensation.

Then there’s the ruling class: the Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Warren Buffett types. They own assets like giant companies or real estate empires and earn obscene amounts of money off the labor of others. The entire premise of hustle culture was invented by the ruling class to keep you from realizing how much you’re being exploited. If you blame yourself for your financial struggles, you’re less likely to revolt against the incredibly unfair system.

Hustle culture insists that increasing wages leads to higher prices, but this is a fallacy. Companies like Costco prove that it's possible to pay employees a living wage while keeping prices low. Jeff Bezos could give every Amazon employee a significant raise by making slightly less himself, but he chooses not to.

Something I’ve realized over time is that people’s incomes are often completely detached from how hard they’re actually working. Nurses, paramedics, and teachers work tirelessly for little pay, while executives and finance bros sit in air-conditioned offices earning far more. Hustling doesn’t make you rich; playing the game does. Those who make the most money work the least, thanks to the daily grind of the rest of us.

While personal accountability is important, the hustle culture myth doesn’t mean you have to be a helpless victim of your circumstances. You can choose a career based on projected income, manage your money wisely, and live within your means. You owe it to yourself to be financially responsible and not fall into the hustle culture trap. Working 80 hours a week and never seeing your kids isn’t part of a smart financial plan; it's a scam benefiting those already wealthy.

Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts on hustle culture. Do you believe in it, or do you think it’s a scam as well? Let's start a conversation.

Keywords

• Hustle Culture
• Working Class
• Ruling Class
• Financial Responsibility
• Working Hours
• Wealth Disparity
• Personal Accountability
• Socioeconomic Classes
• Financial Exploitation
• UPDF

FAQs

What is hustle culture?

Hustle culture is the idea that you need to work constantly, often to the point of burnout, to be successful and financially comfortable. It promotes the notion that if you’re not dedicating every possible moment to making money, you’re lazy and inadequate.

How is income often detached from hard work?

People like nurses, teachers, and paramedics work tirelessly but earn little compared to executives who might work less intensely. Essentially, the income disparity shows that hard work doesn’t necessarily correlate with higher pay.

What are the two actual socioeconomic classes?

The two actual classes are the working class and the ruling class. The working class comprises people who need to work for a salary, while the ruling class consists of those who earn money from their assets and the labor of others.

How does hustle culture benefit the ruling class?

Hustle culture benefits the ruling class by keeping the working class focused on self-blame and constant work rather than realizing they’re being exploited. This prevents potential backlash against the inequality created by the exploitative system.

Can financial stability be achieved without subscribing to hustle culture?

Yes, financial stability can be achieved without falling into the hustle culture trap. It involves making informed career choices, managing money wisely, living within means, and understanding the broader context of financial exploitation.

How does UPDF help counter hustle culture?

UPDF is a PDF editing and annotation app that allows you to work smarter, not harder. By streamlining your workflow and saving time on tedious tasks, UPDF helps you maintain productivity without succumbing to the pressures of hustle culture.