Resistance to hard work - vent - question

[workburnout]

Is it just my perception - or has there been an increase the past few years in people not valuing hard work and building a career, saving and investing, not over-spending and basically doing what it takes to ensure a successful retirement later on?

I don't know if I tend to notice it more than I used to, and it's always been this way, or if it truly is getting worse.

It seems so many people nowadays make excuses and want handouts from family or the government.

I'm talking about people in general, of all ages, not kids just out of high school/college who are getting started on their own.

I could give so many examples I've seen. One of many - neighbor on disability, says he can not work due to back, yet he does yardwork. My tax money is paying for him to stay at home all day not working. He could get a job sitting, even part time, but those jobs he's qualified for are "beneath" him. How is it ok for the government to pay him to do nothing while I work to pay for that?

Many posts online of people wanting others to feel sorry for them - for various issues they have relating to money. We all have problems - and I do not understand why more people don't have pride as to not ask for handouts.
I'm not saying one never has a reason to ask for handouts, there are horrible situations of course.

When I'm able to do things with my hard earned money, that others can't, I sense jealousy and lack of understanding that I truly put in hard work over years, making sacrifices, to be able to afford a luxury (such as nice vacation) now and then.

I know it does not matter what others think, and I probably should not care, but I can't comprehend why people complain about not having money or the high cost of things (like a nice vacation or other luxury item/service) - then rather than work a second job or work more or learn about how to invest over the long term, they complain more.

Or, some make comments basically saying those with money don't deserve it.
As if everyone with money inherited it.

For some without money, there is a hate towards people with money, as if those people did something bad to get it - or don't deserve it.

I just do not comprehend the mentality, it seems like hard work was valued more but maybe it wasn't - maybe I just thought everyone thought like that and I was wrong. I was raised with a work ethic so I assumed most others were too.

I do not understand why more people don't pick themselves up by their bootstraps, dig in, and do what it takes to get themselves in better financial straits.

It's hard, but what better option is there ? Complaining asking for handouts instead?

I really don't get it, I am missing something here, obviously.

 

[Pilot2013]

Good luck!...

 

[zinger1457]

I really don't get it, I am missing something here, obviously.

Probably, but I did get a laugh reading your vent and noticing your user name.

 

[joeea]

Kids, you can talk and talk till your face is blue
Kids, but they still do just what they want to do
Why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way?
What's the matter with kids today?

 

[Pilot2013]

kids, you can talk and talk till your face is blue
kids, but they still do just what they want to do
why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way?
What's the matter with kids today?

+100!

 

[RobbieB]

I don't know many like you describe. All the jobs I've had people didn't miss much time and generally liked their work. But then I've worked for small companies not megas.

My neighbors go to work each day as well as work around their homes.

I'm still seeing a strong work ethic.

 

[ChiliPepr]

Kids, you can talk and talk till your face is blue
Kids, but they still do just what they want to do
Why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way?
What's the matter with kids today?

Here are a couple good videos on hiring and working with Millennials:

A Millennial Job Interview

Millennials in the Workforce

I got a good laugh from them...

 

[workburnout]

Probably, but I did get a laugh reading your vent and noticing your user name.

That's exactly it - where I'm coming from.
Here I bust my butt working, have many years, made huge sacrifices working to earn money and being frugal - yet all that goes over many peoples heads.

I don't mean kids so much as adults (though it goes over many kids heads too of course).
I'm talking grown adults in their 30-40's and all other adult ages.

When people post asking for advice on how to afford something(I'm not talking about on this site), and I make a simple, easy to understand, comment about hard work and investing, it's as if I'm talking a foreign language to them.

Why ask for advice, if you don't want advice. Maybe they really want someone to say poor you, and do not want advice if it means they'll have to face the truth of the matter - they need to work harder if they want to improve. Money will not fall from the sky (for most people anyway, of course there are exceptions).

If they don't want to work hard to improve their financial situation, then complain, they should at least be willing to look at what others have done, and take advice even if it is not what they want to hear.

Otherwise they should accept that they will always be poor (or maybe not poor, but not too well off anyhow).

I guess it just bothers me and I need to get over it I'm sure, most people will never change.

 

[Mdlerth]

Thank you for working hard

Whenever I contemplate whether I live in the worst, most foolish, incompetent, criminally irresponsible era in the history of mankind, I am reminded of the novel Huckleberry Finn, where the protagonist concludes that if someone "has all the fools in town on his side, that was a big enough majority in any town".

What do I conclude from that? Mark Twain made that observation over 150 years ago. People behaved like fools in the 19th century, and people are willing to behave like fools in the 21st. [-]They[/-] We haven't changed in eight generations. So no, it is NOT worse than it's ever been; it's the same.

Try to let go of your frustration over others' indolence. Even if it's justified doesn't mean it's required.

Reassure yourself that your work ethic will pay off, not just monetarily but in countless indirect ways as well.

P.S. Once I retire, I plan on being a lazy b*stard, too.

 

[joeea]

Here are a couple good videos on hiring and working with Millennials:

I got a good laugh from them...

It's always good fun to lump everyone in a particular age group into a single stereotypical bucket.

Why, I was just typing on my MyFace machine so that all my Boomer friends could read what I think. Maybe they can get their kids to show them how to use it?

We can't bust heads like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to tell 'em stories that don't go anywhere - like the time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so, I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. Give me five bees for a quarter, you'd say.

Now where were we? Oh yeah: the important thing was I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones...

Oh wait, since the Boomers ruined everything in the world, and there will be no Social Security left for anyone, the Boomers and Millennials aren't talking.

Oh well. I've go to go back to watching my MacGeyver show on the boob tube. Now, get off my lawn!



P.S. "Location: Just North of Boston, Soon on way to Maine" - me too!

 

[JoeWras]

Five bees for a quarter? I thought it was for two bits?

 

[workburnout]

Another example of where I'm coming from:

I could stand to lose 10 pounds and it's my own fault - I eat a little too much at times. According to weight charts 3 pounds "overweight".

When I'm careful and pay attention, eat less, I do lose weight - but it's easier of course to eat a cookie or ice cream when I know I shouldn't.

I have several obese people in my family - it may be genetic - but I don't use that as an excuse.

I don't go around criticizing people who are "normal" weight - saying they don't deserve to be and that it's not fair.

I don't say whoa as me my genes are not good, so it's not my fault. No, I accept the fact it is my fault. I don't expect the government to be in charge of my losing 10 pounds if I need to do that.

If I want to lose a few pounds I have to do better, I can't rely on others to do that for me. I chose not to do that so it's not anyone else's fault but mine.
I don't post how unfair it is that I am not one of these people who can eat whatever they want and be skinny. Instead, if I want to lose weight, I work to do something about it.

So I think it's similar with finance - or should be anyway - for a lot of people.

Yes there are many exceptions - not what I'm getting at here. Some people are fat due to true medical issues beyond their control. For finances, I am not talking about people in third world countries with more limited opportunity, or who are in the US but are severely disabled due to no fault of their own.

I know an able-bodied man I know of (do not know him extremely well) who works 40 hrs a week, plays video games all evening, then complains he can not afford a nice cruise for himself and his family. He and his wife both work in low paying jobs they chose. He is not disabled in any way. Nor is his wife (she has not complained - is happy with their situation).

Here I worked 2 jobs for a very long time, 70 hrs a week, and now still work two jobs -
one full time, one part time, only 45 or so hrs a week - I scaled back to that due to having saved and invested a lot.

And he thinks it's unfair he can't afford a nice cruise when others can.
How can he think it's unfair when he sits around playing video games only working 40 hrs per week?

So many people I know like that. Have the same mentality as he does.

My niece's father has been unemployed a year, he claims "mental issues". Yet he does plenty of hiking and other activities. He could work, but he won't accept a job "beneath him".

I know plenty of women the same way, it's not just men as given in the examples.

Oh well, I know I am uselessly frustrated about this, and nothing is going to change, I need to accept that most people won't change for the better even if they ask advice on improving.

 

[Major Tom]

I prefer to concern myself with the things that are within my control i.e. myself and my own actions, and not worry much about others. The main exception I make is my SO, who I am close to, and care about. When she does something goofy that's not in her best interests, it bothers me. As for everyone else - not so much.

I think society in general is fine, and see a lot of intelligent, hardworking millenials in the course of my daily life.

IMHO, you're giving all this stuff far too much space in your head, workburnout.

 

[Amethyst]

Many people just like to complain.

This article identifies three major types of complainers: Chronic complainers, who have simply developed a complaint habit they find hard to break (see the worst in everything);
Venters, who are looking for validation and are not really interested in solutions; and
Constructive complainers, who raise a stink about something in an effort to get somebody else to fix it.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/significant-results/201706/the-three-types-complaining

 

[Clone]

God, grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can And the wisdom to bury the bodies deep enough and with enough lime to cover my tracks.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I prefer to concern myself with the things that are within my control i.e. myself and my own actions, and not worry much about others. The main exception I make is my SO, who I am close to, and care about. When she does something goofy that's not in her best interests, it bothers me. As for everyone else - not so much.

I think society in general is fine, and see a lot of intelligent, hardworking millenials in the course of my daily life.

IMHO, you're giving all this stuff far too much space in your head, workburnout.

I was just thinking the same thing, except I just laugh at DH re goofy stuff. Life’s too short.

 

[razztazz]

Here I bust my butt working, have many years, made huge sacrifices working to earn money and being frugal - yet all that goes over many peoples heads.

Maybe you should worker "smarter" not "harder." Sorry, I know, management buzzword.

I know I got sick and tired of being one of the few who actually gave a g/d about getting something doe but it I noticed from childhood and all through every job I ever had, worker level and management: Almost all success and significant wealth was never connected to what we could call "hard work". Working, doing your job etc was almost always considered for saps who like their chains. If you want to be successful you have to do those other things.

Nowadays even The Rich have no sense of self consciousness in playing the violin about their victimhood. Why should otherwise would-be hard-working people waste their time and efforts trying to get whatever work is alleged to provide when those of great wealth, always, by definition derived not from simply working hard, and their Lesser-than sycophants, feel qualified to bitch about their lot in life? If people had a reasonable expectation that "hard work" (always a moving goal post anyway) had a reliable expectation of payoff they'd just go for it. But more and more the Emperor has been doing a strip tease

 

[timo2]

When I was in the W*ork Place, I noticed many (if not most) coworkers exhibiting the human trait of assuming no one else was working as hard as them, and also complaining about it. This is in the same thought family as supervisors assuming employees are not working if the employee does not look busy all the time.

The fact is, and surveys show, that most workers want to do a good job. (there are always a couple slackers..otherwise there would be nothing for Dilbert to publish). IMO, if workers lack whatever they are lacking, it is always the fault of management....that was the first thing I learned when I got into management. Unfortunately, There were plenty of managers ready to blame anything or anyone else for organizational failures.

 

[MRG]

I have learned the quality of my serenity is inversely proportional to the expectations I place upon others.

 

[jollystomper]

In my view there are 2 sides to the story. I do not see it as being the domain of any particular generation, it is across all ages these days. My main observations:

1) People do work hard/smart, but are much more selective on the things they want to work hard/smart on. They do not want to take much risk due to lack of job security, which goes to my next observation...

2) Companies do not offer the same level of security for working hard/smart anymore as they did in the past. I'm not just talking promotions/raises. I'm talking about basic job security. Companies decide "we are not in the business of X anymore", or "we are going to move function Y elsewhere", and it does not matter how hard/smart you worked - if you were associated with X or Y your job is gone, and there are no options for moving to another area.

 

[FUEGO]

OP, I'd just stop working as hard as you are and enjoy life more right now. Come on over to the life of leisure club. The water is warm. Jump in.

edit: occasionally I get the urge to post a rant on an internet forum. Then I remember how it's done literally zero in the past to change anyone's mind. The urge soon leaves and the world is a better place absent my rants.

 

[frayne]

I think it is just your perception. There will always be lazy people and those who try to game the system, nothing new there. From my vantage point, most people I know are good honest and hard working folks doing the best they can.

 

[candrew]

Isn't it a rite of passage for the elder generation to bag on the subsequent one? I know that my parents and grandparents did.

 

[Aerides]

What generation coined "why these kids today..."

Yeah that was a while back. Noticing the gripes and whining of the younger generation is not unique to now, to 20 years ago, or 100 years ago.

Beyond that... I seem to have misplaced my 10 foot pole....

 

[calmloki]

I like turtles.