Work Is Fun For Upper-Class Americans
Derek Thompson writes at The Atlantic:
It is not leisure that defines the lives of so many rich Americans. It is work.Elite men in the U.S. are the world's chief workaholics. They work longer hours than poorer men in the U.S. and rich men in other advanced countries. In the last generation, they have reduced their leisure time by more than any other demographic. As the economist Robert Frank wrote, "building wealth to them is a creative process, and the closest thing they have to fun."
Here is the conundrum: Writers and economists from half a century ago and longer anticipated that the future would buy more leisure time for wealthy workers in America. Instead, it just bought them more work. Meanwhile, overall leisure has increased, but it's the less-skilled poor who are soaking up all the free time, even though they would have the most to gain from working. Why?
Here are three theories.
1. The availability of attractive work for poor men (especially black men) is falling, as the availability of cheap entertainment is rising.
...2. Social forces cultivate a conspicuous industriousness (even workaholism) among affluent college graduates.
...Rich, ambitious Americans are already spending more time on what makes them fulfilled, but that thing turned out to be work. Work, in this construction, is a compound noun, composed of the job itself, the psychic benefits of accumulating money, the pursuit of status, and the ability to afford the many expensive enrichments of an upper-class lifestyle.
3. Leisure is getting "leaky."
Here is a third theory that applies equally to all income brackets: Thanks to smartphones and computers, leisure activity is leaking into work, and work, too, is leaking into leisure.
via @CathyReisenwitz
If you are rich, you don't have to work unless you want to. So the reason these people work so much must be because they like their jobs and find work fulfilling. Otherwise they could cash out and quit any time they wanted.
For most people, work is a necessary evil that must be tolerated in order to earn grocery money. This is why you almost never hear anyone say, 'Thank God it's Monday.'
But yes, there are a few of those unicorns out there who love their work. We should probably stop calling them names like 'workaholics' and just admit we are jealous.
Pirate Jo at September 14, 2016 9:33 AM
Damn straight, Jo. Leisure isn't all it's cracked up to be. Who wants to sit around all day? Writers and economists? It's much better to be able to engage your intellect and your character creatively. Even a boorish lout like Trump can find art in dealmaking.
Canvasback at September 14, 2016 12:19 PM
Well, Canvas, leisure doesn't necessarily mean sitting around all day. And while it might not be all it's cracked up to be, it still might be better than your job. I suspect that for most people this is indeed the case - it depends on the job. There isn't exactly a surplus of good jobs floating around these days.
As you say, it's better to be able to engage your intellect and character creatively, but most people are not able to engage their intellect and character through work. They only find those things outside of work, because they can't earn money doing things they enjoy.
A friend of mine was finally able to escape corporate day prison recently and retire. Her father-in-law said she would be "bored" if she retired. She was like, no, it's my JOB that bores me. She made $100K a year being bored out of her mind, right up until the day she had enough money saved she didn't have to do that anymore. I don't imagine she will be bored at all.
Pirate Jo at September 14, 2016 1:57 PM
3.b Work leaking into leisure.
MarkD at September 14, 2016 2:14 PM
Well, if you include the 3-4 hours a day I spend in commuting, and the roughly weekly "fire alarm" that comes in just as I'm normally about to call it a day. . . .
Keith Glass at September 14, 2016 2:52 PM
Not just for upper class Americans. I kmow a lot of people who are middle class, even lower middle class, who love their jobs, and will never retire.
Isab at September 14, 2016 5:46 PM
One of things I see is if you don't have a well paying job then you often times don't have the money to do what you want to for leisure.
You either have the time and not the money or the money and not the time...possible not either.
The Former Banker at September 14, 2016 7:21 PM
I told my wife the other night that I'm looking forward to when I can start cutting back my work hours. But it's not because I want to lay around and binge-watch television. It's because I have other interests I want to pursue before I die, interests that require time that I don't have now.
Cousin Dave at September 15, 2016 7:28 AM
"If you are rich, you don't have to work unless you want to."
This is a reversal of cause and effect, because the majority of "rich" people didn't start out that way.
The KEY is simple: do not select a job which requires hourly attendance.
One of the best things I've seen on late-night TV is an old rich guy saying, "Look at what the poor people do, and then, don't, do, that!"
When the goal is NOT merely to last until the end of the compulsory attendance period, then time invested turns to personal success. Positive and negative reinforcement shows the worker what works, and the game becomes the point. Income might be equal incentive, but it is a measure of success - and not the only one.
You don't play an online MMOLRPG by the hour. Why would you work like that?
Radwaste at September 16, 2016 9:33 AM
Leave a comment