Discussing the Detriments of Hustle Culture

By Alison MacFarland

In the age of the ‘grind’ and ‘girlbosses,’ society pumps out an overwhelm of messaging that, despite the circumstances, we must always go go go! We’re taught to work stronger, faster, and harder to reach the ‘top’; an intoxicating end where we will supposedly achieve self-love, success, and true happiness. But what even constitutes hard work in the first place? Who gets to define it? And can a lengthy path of extreme overexertion really lead to ultimate contentment?

Late stage capitalism builds on the foundational dream of class mobility for all, and the idea that anyone can achieve said dreams if they just work hard enough. In reality, class divisions are growing. The ultra-rich are becoming ultra-richer, and the American Dream has cozied up with Privilege; pushing other dreams and dreamers to the margins. Alana Semuels noted in her article in the Atlantic that “on average, national income per adult has increased 60 percent in the U.S. since 1980, but most of those gains have accrued to those at the top. People at the bottom half of the income distribution are making, on average, $16,000, while the average pre-tax income of the top 1 percent of adults is about $1.3 million, the researchers found. In the 1980s, the top 1 percent of adults earned 27 times more than the bottom 50 percent. Now, they earn 81 times more”. How is it even possible for marginalized folks to achieve better economic wellbeing when the odds are so blatantly stacked against them? Worse, ‘hustle’ culture attributes failure to individual shortcomings, when in reality systemic economic inequity is to blame for access to “success” being so incredibly skewed.

‘Hustle culture’ is not a sustainable method of living, and glorifying intense overexertion is just another avenue towards worker exploitation. So how did we get here? How did we arrive at current expectations, and how did the terminology of ‘hustling’ become such a centrepiece?

In fact, the word ‘hustle’ itself is worth unpacking. According to Isabella Rosarios’ article When The 'Hustle' Isn't Enough, ’hustle’ derives from the late 19th/early 20th century word for "gumption" or "hard work”. Many publications at the time created an association between Blackness and laziness. Publications such as the The Southwestern Christian Advocate noted that Black men received “exceptional opportunities,” including public libraries and free night schools, yet did not take advantage of them. With such a correlation, Black folks were subjected to the pressure of having to “hustle,” or to work twice as hard in order to achieve economic stability.

However, as Lester K. Spence noted in his book Knocking The Hustle: Against the Neoliberal Turn in Black Politics, such a challenge of potentially getting ahead was reframed to be more empowering for many Black communities. He wrote that “overcom[ing] challenging circumstances fits the common desires we all have for some degree of control over our circumstances.” While the word was used as a symbol of oppression, Black folks did work to reclaim it to centre integrity and determination. In fact, the hustle mentality was viewed as a method of survival, and as the only way for Black people to thrive in our society. Such mention of the word appeared in movies, hip-hop music, and written literature; cementing ‘hustle’ with Black culture. With such a vulnerable connection to Black liberation and financial autonomy, the ‘hustle’ was an intense, draining reality of everyday life. Still, regardless of a persistent and intense work ethic, societal anti-Blackness persists, and racialized work expectations are still far from equitable.

In contrast, today we typically use ‘hustle’ in the context of a ‘side hustle,’ referring to side projects, hobbies turned into professional endeavours, and entrepreneurship.  Especially working through the pandemic, the illusion of ‘additional time’ prompted many individuals to start selling items on Etsy and Depop to increase their wealth, while combating burnout and job anxiety due to the uncertainties of Covid-19. However, in this spin, the ‘hustle’ was praised and socially acceptable, as the ideals of taking back financial control of one’s life was empowering and admirable. While Black folks have been conditioned to never cease working, the positive attributions of a side hustle have only ever been applied to white folks, cementing the racist and capitalist power structures that hold our society together. The notion that white folks are ‘savvy entrepreneurs’ while the efforts of Black people go unnoticed (regardless of taking on a larger workload compared to their white counterparts) further exacerbates white privilege, and displays linguistic appropriation of a word that held such depth. 

Reflecting on the oppressive history of ‘hustle,’ we can see how the mainstream adoption of the word is not only culturally appropriative, but the casual, trending use of the term is far too culturally significant for non-Black folks to use at their leisure (or, perhaps, lack thereof since leisure time is looked down upon by those busy propping up the capitalist grind with their side-endeavours).  Marlize Duncan from Daily Trojan notes that “for years, Black language has been mocked, parodied and associated with stigmas like lack of education. Non-Black Gen Z members integrating AAVE into their everyday language, while Black people are stigmatized, conceals the prejudice people have toward the language and exemplifies their ignorance on the topic. Especially when its usage has gone so far as to label Black people as less ambitious and less qualified for jobs”. 

How can this change? For society to reconfigure its relationship to rest and slowness, companies and workplaces can adopt policies that centre these things more prominently and equitably. Paying living wages, prioritizing rest, creating 4 day work weeks, and more can help disrupt ‘hustle’ culture expectations in the workplace. Furthermore, having concrete policies on mental health leave and more abundant vacation periods ensure that rest is not an afterthought, but at the forefront of a business’ operations. Individuals themselves can work towards firmer boundaries between work life and personal life, and talk openly about their processes – advocating for the benefits and acknowledging that society does not yet respect everyone’s boundaries equally. Social media has been a fantastic outlet for discussing toxic workplace culture, and the openness and willingness to discuss unjust working conditions among mass populations pushes companies to either change, or lose their labour force. Finally, non-Black folks can make informed choices about the language they use; ensuring AAVE is reserved for its creators. With such a historically significant background to the word, the ownership is not to be allowed for everyone, but rather those who were originally attributed to it.

In a world where side hustles are applauded, burnout runs rampant, and culturally appropriative language has secured a vast internet reach, troubling our relationship to ‘hustle’ culture is an act of resistance. Slowness is a simple, yet powerful and necessary protest to the current exhausting societal ‘grind’.