A Rant: My Perspective on America’s Work Culture

“Work, work, work, work work” in the great words of Bad gyal RiRi. I don’t think she meant the relentless fast-paced work culture of America. This country has actually socialized us into reducing our role to that of a mere product. We are expected to produce for society first and exist as humans second. Who in the hell came up with this idea?! I won’t name him *inserts name of the inventor of Ford automotives*. Regardless, I will point out a couple of ideologies to blame if you will allow me, capitalism and white supremacy. I’m not coming for white folx, just stay with me. Capitalism is essentially an economic and social system so obsessed with production to generate profit. White supremacy is a social ideology that fosters a superiority complex in white people over other races. However, I’m more so referring specifically to characteristics white supremacy carries that serve as barriers to the collective mental well being such as: perfectionism,  a sense of urgency, quantity over quality, and the list goes on. You can indulge more in understanding white supremacy’s foolishness by clicking here. I’m calling out the ideology and not the people who may unconsciously adhere to it, however, all the shade goes to those who are conscious of it. *shots fired*

This sense of urgency from white supremacy doesn’t leave a lot of room for a human experience riddled with beautiful faults and potential growth. Faults and all, this is what makes this experience interesting, at the least. Urgency will have your nervous system jacked all the way up, otherwise commonly named as anxiety and depression. The idea of endless progression and expansion from a capitalistic structure is just plain greedy and annoying af. Like, let me LIVE! It can leave us feeling unsatisfied and constantly thinking what’s next, taking us away from the present moment and riddling us with a cycle of anxious thoughts. The idea that we have to perfect everything is what puts us into overdrive for internal judgment, terrorizing our mental health, and decreasing self esteem or any capacity to feel good about ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I’m forever tryna feel “good as hell,” as Lizzo puts it. All of this to say, we are stuck within a system that is harmful to our experience as humans. Feel free to read my next blog post Hustle for Balance: Practical Strategies for Achieving Work Life Balance by clicking the link below.