The America Work Ethic

Being a BA geek, and spending a few semesters in the grips of Sociology, a lot of discussion at one point was devoted to the phenomenon of the Protestant Work Ethic, which apparently drives people of cold climates and miserable religion to work their asses for a heaven that they can't get into due to predestination (Luther was a loony). Today, this has morphed into the American Work Ethic, which is nothing so much as utterly fucking ludicrous. As a long time inhabitant of the south Pacific and inveterate slacker, I never pegged myself as one to have a job where I would work till 10pm about once a month, and the occasional weekend. I never imagined I would be the first person in the office every morning in order to get through everything that needed doing. And I certainly didn't expect to land in a place with a broken system of holidays.

Let me elaborate. At my job, we get 7 days of holiday scattered throughout the year. Just the big ones. Christmas, New Years, July 4, etc. No Easter Friday/Monday. No Boxing Day. We're expected to work at least 50 hour weeks. The pay is mediocre considering where I live.

Yet this is normal for America. Apparently this is standard corporate culture, even for a small company. You're meant to give over your whole life to the company it seems, and heaven help you if you want a personal life.

Perhaps this is how people get by in lands of shitty weather. Or maybe America is just that much more focussed on the corporation over the individual. I don't know. Apparently the only way to get a job that actually has a 40 hour work week and decent holidays is to work for the Government. How about that?

A German girl I work with and I occasionally take time to bitch about the lack of socialised health care, crappy employment law, and useless holidays offered. It seems the better pay offered by American corporations (as compared to NZ/AUS) is mostly due to them expecting you to work fucking ludicrous hours.

This ties into the school system to, in behaviour that is almost Japanese in its level of ludicrousness. Through primary and high school, kids time is strictly regimented between study, sports and extra-curricular activities. All in the attempt to get to a good college. At the Universities drug abuse is rampant. Prescription drugs, especially amphetamines and nootropics, seem to be required to get anywhere at university. Good lord, they're breeding soulless automatons. Yet those that rebel against the system inevitably end up as shiftless stoners and slackers it seems. Hell, even the postgraduate system is geared towards overwork, demanding that you attend classes while working on your PhD.

Work life balance, folks. It appears to be a myth here.