Workism is Making Americans Miserable

Not me. I hate tradtional "work" and do as little as possible to earn income so I can enjoy my life and that's about it. Over the last several years, I have burnt out. I was a director in my mid 20's, working in marketing, PR, media relations. I did all of these big corporate career things, events, world travel, non stop (useless) meetings, but deep inside always hated it. I'm now turning 40 and working a few part time jobs. I want no part of corporate America or any desire to take on mountains of stress and asshole colleagues. I will do whatever I can do to work independently and survive.

In the US, it seems we're told we are what we do. Our job defines us, and then betrays us because so many work toward a retirement they can't afford only to realize that in retirement they have lost their identity. At work, we are all infinitely replaceable and servants to the man. What is not replaceable are the best years sacrificed to the stress of climbing the ladder and appeasing backstabbing co-workers.

"Workism Is Making Americans Miserable".

So what's Trump's excuse for his foul mood?

I don't know ANYONE who likes or is invested in 'workism' with the exception of deluded management types who think the corporate ladder has relevance. Maybe thats why there is a 1%. and 1% wannabes. 99% of us are simply trying ANY strategy to make it through the day. The result of course is depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, and debt.

I’m a bit older than you ,r1 (47) and ready to make that jump but being stuck in NYC has kept me in corporate. I have an aging mother nearby, and my partner is in the city school system and can’t retire for another 12 years.

Only in a city like this can you feel like a loser making 200k a year.

I left a great paying job that was sucking the life out of me. When I look for something it will be a fraction of what I made, but I will not be living to work and stressed 24/7. I am now traveling and living life while I’m still young and healthy enough to enjoy it.

I got out 2 years ago at 60 yrs old , just by my skinny skin , skin. I left money on the table and would just NOW be leaving the workplace if I had stuck it out, but my rationale is that I wouldn't have made it this far anyway.

miserable......and sick. and tired. and fed up.

I agree completely. But it’s really hard to make a decent living without being part of corporate America. Which sucks.

I did the work hard thing for 15 years - on call 24/7, travel 5 days a week - and was surrounded by mostly straight married guys who believed that the job and money was the core of their purpose in life. I always felt I was the weird one.

Now that I burnt out and had to quit for mental health reasons, Im struggling to make ends meet. Which is stressful in its own way. I constantly debate going back to the misery because I need money - and need to save a ton more for retirement. It’s not as easy as just rejecting “workism” - when a basic living standard in the coastal US requires it,

The most depressed set of people are those at the low levels. They work multiple jobs earning minimum wage. Their work becomes their live while they are extremely miserable. Most of you complaining about your well paying jobs don't impress the low skill workers. They have it worst. Suicide or keep working those shitty jobs.

You will work three weeks for every week you dare to take off, and I would trade you for a bottle of Dasani because you don't work enough for me!

We did this to ourselves by constantly voting for corporation's rights, for big money in politics, for capitalism without restrictions, and against unions and against worker's rights. This is what happens.

R6 I took a break like you described in my mid 40's: traveled extensively, learned a craft, relaxed and enjoyed myself, took jobs that fed me rather than stealing my energy/soul. Im now 62 with little or no savings and poverty as a senior my likely future. I debate in my head whether it was the right choice. Eventually I decided YES as I got to enjoy the world and grew myself into a well rounded human. Can't predict the future

My brother is 32 and for the past 10 years he's done menial work for half the year in bars and restaurants, saved plenty and travelled for the other half of the year in south east Asia, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, and other places where you can live cheaply. He is the happiest guy I know.

The capitalist economy depends on people believing work is identity, and the government produced propaganda during WWII and after to "promote hard work" as part of American values. What started as the idea that Americans at home needed to work hard to support the troops turned into a method by which the government, usually under the auspices of the pro-corporation GOP, encouraged people to work and "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" while condemning those who couldn't work as lazy, unproductive, useless.

Keep in mind that the country had already based much of its identity on the Puritan work ethic, which went so far as to say that if you were poor, it was because you were a bad person. The government has merely weaponized this again, much in the same way corporations did during westward expansion and at the turn of the Industrial Revolution.

THIS...right here

R13 - thanks for input . That’s exactly where I am at 48. I feel like I should go back to the soul sucking job just so I don’t end up broke and desperate at 62. What about doing another 5 years of misery, saving some money for retirement then scaling back? I fear I will die while I work - but alas don’t want to be broke at 62.

In an American movie you ALWAYS know what the main character does for a living, and you often see him in a work setting. The plot may even be about his work. In European movies, it may be that this is not incidental to what the movie is about.

What is ridiculous is that for decades, we were told that technological advances would result in shorter and shorter workweeks. Now we have had some of the most amazing technological advances ever known to man, yet we are working as long or longer than we were before. And, what is even worse is that many people are spending all these hours doing unnecessary busy work, that isn't benefiting them or society.

So many lazy people on this thread!

R13 here To your point R17 I'm back working in a relatively high paying field at 3/4 time. Every 4 day stretch feels like an emotional marathon that I barely make it through, then three days off to recover, then back at it again. I'm aware enough to know that even this compromise is toxic over time. This would be more tolerable if living a basic semi-middle class lifestyle was as easy as it was 20 years ago. So that's another debate: cut back all expenses and live even simpler than I am now when there is not much left to cut (give up internet/get a roommate?) or work more and be miserable. Also how much retirement money is enough? I've known a good number of people who pushed and pushed to get that nest egg then died within six months of retirement.

Totally agree R21. My father, my former boss, a good friend - all worked their ass off and were looking forward to retirement. And died before 62 never having lived the life they wanted.

I spend so much time worrying about the future post-65 that it makes current life miserable. I’m veering towards saying “screw it” and just taking a chance with the 401k money I have now and the SS income. Would get me to 5-7 years of retirement. Which given cancer trends on one side of my family is plenty. But if I live as long my mother side, I’ll be broke from 72-92. I may take that chance.

Living as simply as possible. But haven’t given up my smartphone and take a cheap domestic vacation 1x year. Need some pleasure - though mostly trying to get it from nature walks, reading, internet and meditation.

We are doomed with climate change, an overdue pandemic, and possible nuclear war. Live for today.

Thats the thing R22 Living the life you want.

I was rewatching Game of Thrones and realized that Prince Joffrey reminds me of my boss. Am at home working on job apps right now.

The article is exactly right. We are obsessed by our jobs and our societal status depends on our jobs.

I used to be like that. Achieve achieve achieve...and then, as I watched people get forgotten the second they retired, I totally calmed down. I have a good job that pays the bills but it no longer is the major thing in my life.

We are all just widgets for the man

Workism is not the same as jobism.

I'm from a welfare family and not working does a lot more harm than working.

The key, I suppose, is the get a good job and pretend to care but not care, to merely collect the paycheck, avoid taking responsibility and avoid taking on extra work, and just keep under the radar while saving as much money as possible and maxing out on benefits. Be stealth. I say this after being given high responsibilities, high rank, but no compensation for management roles and then pissing everyone off and getting nothing but gripes for my extra work. I could have done less for the same pay and no one would have been pissed at me.

R31, that's what I basically did but I was still on all every other week and worked too many weekends. The happiest day of my life was when I was able to retire.

What a waste of your time r31 r32. I've had a job for a third of my working life so far. I can't imagine not working. I'd be so bored.

Well, I happen to be a workOUTaholic!

I once heard an front-office guy tell a low-paid factory worker that her shit-for-pay job should be the most important thing in her life. I'm still astounded by that bullshit all these years later.

Really, r33, you don't know how to spend your time unless someone is telling you what to do? I've been retired for five years and haven't been bored for a minute, but then I wasn't bored at work either. Even if I were on a shoestring budget there is plenty of free or inexpensive things to do.

I have a good friend who's a managerial level nurse in a large hospital center, mid 50 ish. Gotta be making at least 125k. For some reason the second husband can't get his professional shit together ( He's in sales- I don't ask) so he's resigned to being a store manager at $19 bucks an hour.) All I ever hear my friend talk about is, " Not enough in the Retirement...still haven't saved enough" ( she and the ex DID put 2 kids through college) so to compensate she's been doing these Pharmaceutical Co lecture gigs on the side, where she helps market drugs she's very familiar with. She'll literally fly to the Best Western in Bum Fuck Iowa for 12 hours- then back- perhaps 24 hrs. Perhaps two a week. Been doing this for 2-3 years now. I mean it's GREAT $$$ ( a couple thou) but how the FUCK do you keep that shit up on top of a FT gig at a hospital? (She'll work 4/10s' or do weekend shifts to make do). I worry she's gonaa stroke out before retirement...

This is So common in nursing. Take charge smart women married to layabout men

I'm glad my parents were like this, so I didn't have to be.

I quit a miserable job 10 years ago and swore I'd never work for anyone else again. I get by selling vintage clothes online. It can be stressful and isolating, and I'll probably have to work til I'm 70 (I'm 53). But every time my friends and relatives complain about the even worse treatment they get, I know I did the right thing.

The sad part is, these same workers are drowning in excess consumer goods. Apartments, homes, garages, and storage units are filled to the rafters. No place to park in my neighborhood because everyone's garage is full of crap, so everyone parks on the street.

Buy less crap, save more money, retire earlier.

Some of us have to work to earn a living. I would love to not work, but I can't afford that luxury.

R34. Dear Yvonne, Stop using your pic from 30 years ago, what do you think this is, Grindr?

God forbid we do anything in balance with other things, or are moderate in things. That said, we're being squeezed by capital and that's largely why we're under pressure to work more and more.

I’m trying to find some way to work from home 20-30 hours a week. No luck. Any ideas? I quit a high stress, 24/7 job in finance which I did for years (and hated every second of) so I could save a lot for retirement. But eventually just burned out and had to quit after last year. I didn’t want to die in that job. Felt like my life was being taken from me - no joy, all work stress. Not a way to live.

I don’t understand people who say they can’t imagine not working - like most of the straight married guys I worked with. I assume it’s an absence of creativity. Seems women are less likely to say that for some reason.

Retail arbitrage on Amazon R45. I know a guy who makes about a 30% spread on Legos.

[quote] Really, [R33], you don't know how to spend your time unless someone is telling you what to do?

R36 Actually I do my own thing - sometimes a little bossy I'm told!