The Protestant Work Ethic

I discuss the Protestant work ethic, its long-standing effects on society and those in power, and how we need a better attitude towards, and a healthier relationship with work.

Sources:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P40sJOkxnac

https://www.thegazelle.org/issue/246/romanticization-hustle-culture

https://partably.com/protestant-work-ethic/

https://morganpaulett.substack.com/p/get-your-fing-ass-up-and-work-hustle?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

The words I use in the recording may not match the words in the transcript.

Transcript

The Protestant Work Ethic

Recent events--especially given how poor people are still being shamed for being poor and governments' seeming eagerness to make things more difficult for us--have got me to thinking about the idea of the Protestant work ethic, and its effects on the attitudes of those in power, and society at large.

For starters, the Protestant work ethic posits that work in and of itself is moral--this line of thinking is used to justify compelling anyone who isn't wealthy to labour. It's the work ethic, as introduced by the Protestants and made famous by John Calvin, that paved the way for capitalism, a system which--besides getting people to think only in terms of 'me, me, me'--sustains itself and its momentum by conditioning us to pursue productivity, and convincing us it's a form of success, while punishing us for daring to be human and merely patting us on the head when we're as close to machines as possible. 

The Protestant-inspired work ethic--and the attitudes it inspires--are behind northwestern and other industrialized nations' welfare and other such laws and programs: One such attitude is that any financial aid given to those on the bottom rungs of the socioeconomic ladder must be given in the most humiliating and onerous way(s) possible, and in the shortest possible amount of time, to incentivize the people receiving the aid to seek paid employment; this line of thinking also helps form the basis for any and all opposition to any sort of basic-income program. The Protestant work ethic was no doubt behind Britain's 'poor laws' and workhouse system, and is definitely behind industrialized nations' welfare systems now--especially those in West.

The Protestant work ethic still exists, but it has merely evolved; the only difference between when the Protestant work ethic was instituted and now is that consumption--especially that of the conspicuous kind--has replaced religious salvation. It has undoubtedly led to what we now call 'hustle culture,' which, like the original incarnation of the Protestant work ethic, rewards people for the work they do and its output, and makes us feel guilty for taking time for much-needed rest and relaxation and other human needs (think Kim Kardashian's tone-deaf advice to "Get your fucking ass up and work"). The Protestant work ethic is also undoubtedly behind the 'girlboss' ethos.

The idea of the Protestant work ethic has got me to thinking about the Greek myth of Sisyphus, in which the eponymous (or title) character is condemned to Tartarus to roll a rock to the top of a hill only to have it roll back down just as he's about to get it to the top and him having to roll it back up for all eternity. I'm thinking of this myth because the Protestant work ethic and capitalism have created a Sisyphean society, in which we never seem to get the metaphorical rock to the top of the metaphorical hill. 

I know it's been said before, but we as a society need a better attitude towards, and a better relationship with, work--which, in and of itself isn't bad, but, like so much else, too much of it is detrimental.

Sources:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P40sJOkxnac

https://www.thegazelle.org/issue/246/romanticization-hustle-culture

https://partably.com/protestant-work-ethic/

https://morganpaulett.substack.com/p/get-your-fing-ass-up-and-work-hustle?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web