I was watching a video on the recent achievements in the Tetris community, and my mom came up and watched over my shoulder for a bit. There was a moment in the video where the narrator was talking about the moment Blue Scuti reached the game's killscreen for the first time. Years of effort, countless hours of practice, chasing something that people thought was literally impossible for decades, and then he fucking does it. This is a seriously cool and inspiring story, right?

"Does he get paid for that? You can't spend that much time on something if you're not getting paid."

Are you telling me you literally can't imagine wanting to do something just to do it? That you can only imagine spending effort if it's to chase a cash prize or a wage? That you can't imagine the desire to just... be the best at something, or achieve something before anyone else? I love that woman but a lifetime of being in the system has burned out a critical part of her brain - she can't imagine having a job and not spending all of your free time sucking up to management for a promotion, she is exactly the person all of the "hustle grindset" bullshit influencers and motivational speakers try to turn you into, and i swear to god if she hadn't worked for the government her whole life she would have gotten in on the ground floor of an MLM and made a shitzillion dollars.

It's so fucking depressing.

  • axont [she/her, comrade/them]
    ·
    8 months ago

    I work around a bunch of hustle types and it's nonstop. I mentioned I used to run an HTML radio station back in the early 00s. I got asked why I didn't turn that into a career. I took a bunch of classes on folklore in college. I got asked why that's not my job. I mention I make music, I get asked how much money I make. Everything's a job.

    But it's not like these people even do anything neat with the money they get from grinding. If I had a bunch of money I'd first arm a few homeless and queer comrades. After that though, I'd at least try doing something interesting. I'd donate to artists I like, I'd do some cool interior design. I'd get into sculpting or something. I'd try to do fulfilling things.

    But everyone I know who makes money from grinding/hustling just wants a bigger house. Not even to live in, they want it to raise the property value and sell it. They'll go on trips to other countries, but that's to take instagram photos. The only leisurely thing they'll do is get a nice car. They're just wired differently. It's ideology so deep it's rewired the pleasure centers of their brains. They can't feel good unless they're doing a scheme to make more money.