Remember back in 2022 when Kim Kardashian told, working-class folks to “Get your f--king a$$ up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.”? Yeah, the internet went wild. Everyone had something to say. Me? I didn’t really care at the time. Just felt like another out of touch rich person handing out advice nobody asked for. But now, sitting here at my 10AM to 9PM job, working, while scrolling job boards, and praying for the day I don’t have to do this anymore, I ask myself: was she actually right? Or is it deeper than that? Are we lazy… or just tired?
I grew up in the '90s. I watched both of my grandmothers work their asses off, just in different ways. My dad’s mom was a housewife and nurse who put in long hours. My mom’s mom was the backbone of the family, waking up early every morning, cleaning the whole house, doing laundry, sewing buttons, keeping everything together. She was on go-mode every single day until her body gave out around the time I turned 17.
But me? I knew early on that being a housewife wasn’t in me. And school? Hated it. So I skipped college and jumped into the workforce.
I’ve been hired by at least 60 companies and worked at about 40 of them. That’s not an exaggeration. I’ve never been the type to stay somewhere that drained me. If the job sucked, I left. If the manager was power-tripping, I dipped. If the office felt like high school all over again with cliques and favoritism, I was out. Even if it was just a random Tuesday and I didn’t feel like clocking in, I’d be like, “yeah… I’m good.”
But now? That mindset doesn’t work like it used to. The job market is tighter, bills are higher, and finding a decent paycheck is starting to feel like playing the lottery. I still wanna leave when I’m fed up, but now I stay until I have something else lined up. Because, hearing “you’re hired” isn’t as easy as it once was.
And I know I’m not alone. Social media is filled with folks saying the same thing: “I’m tired.” Tired of working, tired of feeling stuck, tired of giving everything for a check that barely covers the basics.
Let’s be real… Hard work is all we’ve ever known.
For generations, we were taught that if you had two hands, you used them. Our grandparents worked, parents worked and their children started young, too. Contributing wasn’t optional, it was expected. Hard work was the backbone of survival.
But here’s the kicker: back then, hard work actually got you somewhere. You could afford a home, feed your family, pay bills and still have a little breathing room. Now? A hundred dollars barely stretches through the week, unless you’re surviving off sandwiches and instant noodles. Rent is outrageous, bills don’t stop. And if you’re making under $25 an hour, ownership feels like a dream, not a goal.
I don’t think the new generation hates hard work, they hate working hard and still having nothing. They hate getting disrespected at work, then having to smile through it just to keep their spot. Some jobs don’t even want to let you be human. You can’t take a break unless it's on their time. You can't use your phone like a grown adult. You gotta ask permission to be sick. And if you try to leave early because of an emergency? “We’re short-staffed.” Like that’s your problem.
Let’s be real. Companies don’t care. They’ll fire you with no notice, but if you leave without notice, now you’re unprofessional. When they suddenly need to “downsize” or provide justification, it’s always “due to business needs.”
And don’t get me started on the customers. We’ve all heard that “the customer is always right” BS. Truth is, some customers are rude, entitled, and flat-out wrong. And somehow, we’re supposed to take that on the chin, keep it professional, and not even demand basic respect?
On top of that, we gotta deal with coworkers acting like it’s still high school, and managers who treat leadership like a popularity contest. The vibe in some offices is less “team” and more “who’s sucking up to who.”
Then there’s the work-life “balance,” or lack thereof. Two days off? That’s not balance, that’s survival mode. Five days on, two off? And those two days usually fly by before you even get a chance to live. No time for doctor’s appointments, dates, peace of mind, or even to just sit still and breathe.
Back to my original question: Are we lazy? Maybe a little. Compared to our grandparents, we’re definitely not built the same. Some people do want everything handed to them. And yeah, social media made it real easy to get rich off doing the bare minimum.
That can mess with your perspective.
But we’re also just tired. Tired of doing everything right and still falling short. Tired of giving more than we get. Tired of watching people who do the least get the most.
What’s the solution? Honestly, I don’t know.
I wish single parents had more options for support. I wish our elders didn’t have to break their backs just to stay afloat. I wish unemployment was automatic when you get let go. I wish there were more good jobs with fair pay, better leadership, and policies that actually make sense.
I love to work. But only when I’m working on something I actually care about. That’s the real key. When people say, “if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” that’s real. So maybe the solution, or at least part of it, is figuring out what lights your fire. Find your passion. Even if you gotta work a 9–5 in the meantime, use whatever time you have to build toward something that feels more like living, than surviving.