Everyone understands—at least academically—the value of hard work. Even at our most slothful, human beings intrinsically know that they should at least be trying to better themselves. Whether they choose to act on that impulse or not varies from person to person. However, one of the byproducts of capitalism is the fetishization of hard work for the sake of hard work. If you frequent Instagram or YouTube, you've seen an onslaught of videos from influencers demanding that you spend your entire life hustling. "Do you have a job? Get another one. Do you have two jobs? Turn your downtime into a side hustle and earn some extra cash. Do you have a side hustle? Start pestering other people about starting a side hustle as your side, side hustle."
In the video linked above, the YouTube channel Wisecrack explores the toxic underbelly of the internet, where hustle culture stems from.
