Idle rich baffled by poor people's distaste for dangerous, low-paying jobs

People who don't have to work have complained for centuries that other people don't like doing poorly paid, dangerous, dull work, the kind that makes the lives of the affluent comfortable and convenient. This collection of quotes, dating back to 1894, all say the same thing — "Nobody wants to work anymore" — as if there was a time when people relished shoveling shit for the upper class.

Members of the affluent class, who don't have to work in the traditional sense, have unlimited choices about their activities and careers. Their wealth allows them to pursue interests, hobbies, and jobs that are personally fulfilling, enjoyable, and safe. When they criticize those who avoid bad jobs, they ignore their privilege and the role it plays in their own choices and opportunities.

As always, those insulated by wealth and comfort are willfully blind to the hardships they demand others cheerfully endure in service of their luxury.

From Snopes, which rates the image as "True":

On July 20, 2022, the Great Socialist Cat Memes Facebook page shared a meme that was titled, "Nobody Wants to Work Anymore." The meme was described as "a brief history of capitalists complaining that nobody wants to work for starvation wages."

2022

The most recent article that was labeled in the meme and thread as being published in 2022 came from Forbes. The piece began, "According to a new survey released by TinyPulse, 1 in 5 executive leaders agree with this statement: 'No one wants to work.' These same leaders cite a 'lack of response to job postings' and 'poor quality candidates' when describing why it's hard to hire right now."

2014

In 2014, the Germantown News near Memphis, Tennessee, printed an article that was written by a pastor. Part of the article read as follows: "What has happened to the work ethic in America? Nobody wants to work anymore. It has not always been that way." The pastor then talked about, "When I first started to work as a teenager," which kind of read as a variation of, "When I was your age…"

2006

The clipping from 2006 came from a question that was sent by a reader to the Ventura County Star in California. It read, "I can't believe the bad luck I have had in trying to find someone to do some needed home improvements. It almost seems like nobody wants to work anymore and when they do work, they take no pride in what they do. How does one find a dependable worker?"