Yes. And people just eat it up. I get it. I got caught up in the “hustle and grind” of life. I tried multiple income sources and I was proudly working 80 hours/week while missing my children grow up. But a life altering event caused me to pause and reassess my life. I started working less and spending more time with my family. I worked on myself from being low tempered to be more “go with the flow”

Capitalist propaganda. Capitalists pay to make that media, so it's their culture that gets represented.

It's a peculiar thing

Very American

I want to work as little as I possibly can. I have plenty to do with my life and making money for someone else isn't important to me

Not really anymore. I think it was definitely the dominant messaging in the 2010s when people were fighting to be rewarded for their hustle (e.g., lean-in feminism, LGBTQ consumerism, Asian Americans as tech entrepreneurs, rise of the [insert minority here] owned business labeling, etc.), but I find the pendulum has been swinging back the other way towards nihilist external-locus-of-control counterculture. I think we are slowly realizing as a society that we can't, in fact, work our asses out of systemic oppression by the elites.

I see the message that anyone who is not rich is a loser. That's what the problem is. All media characters are aspiring to be rich or they are totally miserable.

There is no respect for the middle class or working class people who are just happy.

yes, the billionaires own the "popular media" and want to continue the "Don't worry that your life sucks NOW, work hard, eek out an existence, MAYBE MAYBE you too could be wealthy, but if not, don't worry, AFTER DEATH you get to be wealthy for sure, trust me brah....."

That kind of media doesn't really appeal to me so I don't consume it. A lot of rap and country is about that (in different ways; hustling vs working hard at your job). The only recent show or movie I watched that I can think of that emphasizes overworking is The Pitt, but I'm not sure it glorifies it.

I do think working hard (or smart or whatever) is important and admirable, but only if the work is exceptionally important and beneficial to society (not most work), and not if you're being exploited by your employer (most work). The most important work is probably the labor people don't typically get paid to do (or get paid little).

I'm also of the opinion that trying to work too much is usually counterproductive and people get less work done. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of studies that confirm this.

There's an interesting video on this topic: "Hollywood's obsession with ambition"

https://youtu.be/BucSbzYXqKM

You might find it interesting, also gives examples of the opposite portrayed in media.

The media is owned by capitalists. Anything that threatens capital needs to be snuffed out.

https://youtu.be/eXvBjCO19QY?si=zVwE2qqCdoR4Htx9

This is Tupac who was murdered.

https://youtu.be/E58qLXBfLrs?si=ZTJPIk0TZvEYiTXO

This is Kanye West who is a professed Nazi and still alive.

These songs were within a decade of each other. I know that's not enough data, but I think the differences in tone can be accounted for which was was more acceptable to power.

The prevailing message in media I see is that the workers should unionise

“Popular media” shouldn’t determine how you want to live.

However, you should objectively look at what it would take to achieve your goals. And reassess at regular intervals.

Whats funny is I used to be more motivated to be that way but its because my motivation is more intrinsict and I worked in research and such. Its hard to feel excited to contribute if society is not moving net positive for people in general.

I think it just depends on what music you're listening to. I wasn't able to think of any songs I've been listening to in the last year or two that glorified the hustle, if anything they do the opposite. Here's an example that came to mind when I saw this post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1bW2MBdyLw

That's why I routinely listen to this to fight back against The Hustle.

Who the hell is writing songs glorifying working too much?

I think only in US which has tons of really weird propaganda (glorifying police violence, military, nationalism, capitalism and so on). In Europe I think this is mostly promoted in some corporate circles which are very "Americanized".

When you say media, do you mean Rap?

I work my ass off. More than anyone would think is reasonable. Thing is I'm not sure what else to do with myself anyway.

But also I'm sitting at a resort with the love of my life in the Dominican Republic soaking my balls in a pleasantly cool pool and smoking a cigar. Which I can do because I work my ass off. I wouldn't tell anyone they should follow my example because I'm probably going to work myself into an early heart attack and there are plenty of less expensive ways to enjoy yourself on a week off. And my back is so bad from sitting at a desk all day that I can barely walk most mornings.

But right at this moment I feel like I'm living my best life. And swimming in the ocean every day has improved my back so much in a week. I need to get a house on the ocean some day.

Idk if this sounds like humble bragging I don't mean it that way. I really have nothing to do with my time but work. I don't have any friends other than family and whomever happens to sit nearby for a few minutes. I really don't recommend it if you're not driven to be this way.

It seems to be a very common thing in the US, and some around here takes to it from social media, but most people are to busy prioritising life to jump into such a depressing mindset.

“Work as hard and amass as much money as you possibly can and nothing else matters?” Or do you see something different/better?

The hell with money obsession (I quit a great job many years ago, to get my life back).

But making stuff is not just about earning money. It's about making. Making something out of nothing or out of some raw material (be it a piece of wood before one starts sculpting it, or some vague idea before one starts making a book out of it). And that, that is indeed hard work. It requires efforts, humility (one needs to be ok with being bad at first), and patience (o learn to get better at doing it).

Imvho, that hard work is the very reason why we're alive, we just need to re-learn that we don't have to make a business out of it.

Edit: clarifications.

not at all, I'm 60, semi retired at 35 and fully retired at 40.

i say work your ass off

I’m am of course also aware that a solid work ethic is a generally positive trait.

I saw a columnist opine we need work or people will get up to no end of mischief.

More people need to do less, most of the destruction of the environment on which we all depend is people doing endless busy work.