The Cultural Value of Work in America
In present day society, work is necessary for survival. Work provides income, which in turn allows people to become self-sufficient and to provide for themselves and their families. It also gives people a purpose, provides an environment for social interaction, and creates mental stability. Work is important all over the world, but more specifically, it is a colossal aspect of American culture. Despite the arguments that work distracts from the true culture of America, work has always been a value in America, and will continue to be because the character of hard work has been instilled in Americans since the beginning.
One of the essential characteristics of American culture is the high esteem of work. …show more content…
Besides the financial benefits, there are also many psychological advantages to work. Derek Thompson’s article, A World Without Work, describes Youngstown, Ohio, a town that was prosperous, a “model of the American dream.” However, when manufacturing evolved, their productive steel mills were shut down, and unemployment rates skyrocketed. Thompson describes the effect that this loss of work had on the town, declaring, “Depression, spousal abuse, and suicide all became much more prevalent; the caseload of the area’s mental-health center tripled within a decade” (Thompson 51). In Youngstown, the decline of work directly correlated with a decline in mental health, and it can be logically concluded that the loss of work was a significant part of the reason that so many people began to deal with various psychological issues. Additionally, a university study entitled “Homelessness and Unemployment: Understanding the Connections and Breaking the Cycle” analyzes some of the positive, psychological impacts that work can have. For instance, work fosters relationships because it provides a social setting where various people have the opportunity to interact with each other. Additionally, it prevents people from living in isolation (Steen). Having the responsibility of a job gives people a purpose in life and forces them to interact with others. When individuals are missing that, it can cause mental as well as …show more content…
On Labor Day in 1971, President Richard Nixon addressed the nation, declaring, “The work ethic holds that labor is good in itself; that man or woman at work not only makes a contribution to his fellow man but becomes a better person by virtue of the act of working. [..] That is why most of us consider it immoral to be lazy or slothful—even if a person is well off enough not to have to work or deliberately avoids work by going on welfare. The work ethic is why Americans are considered an industrious, purposeful people, and why a poor nation of 3 million people, over a course of two centuries, lifted itself into the position of the most powerful and respected leader of the free world today” (Nixon). In summary, Americans believe in a strong work ethic; labor is a beneficial thing, and deliberately avoiding work is idle and condemned. The nation was only able to rise out of the great depression because of the phenomenal dedication and hard work of the American people. An ABC News article also illustrates the fundamental principle of hard work in America. Reporter Dean Schabner explains that Americans take less vacation days, retire later, and work longer hours than most countries throughout the globe. After all this, only twenty-six percent of Americans feel that they work too hard (Schabner). To put it simply, Americans spend more time working than just about any other race, yet they still feel like they are not
In present day society, work is necessary for survival. Work provides income, which in turn allows people to become self-sufficient and to provide for themselves and their families. It also gives people a purpose, provides an environment for social interaction, and creates mental stability. Work is important all over the world, but more specifically, it is a colossal aspect of American culture. Despite the arguments that work distracts from the true culture of America, work has always been a value in America, and will continue to be because the character of hard work has been instilled in Americans since the beginning.
One of the essential characteristics of American culture is the high esteem of work. …show more content…
Besides the financial benefits, there are also many psychological advantages to work. Derek Thompson’s article, A World Without Work, describes Youngstown, Ohio, a town that was prosperous, a “model of the American dream.” However, when manufacturing evolved, their productive steel mills were shut down, and unemployment rates skyrocketed. Thompson describes the effect that this loss of work had on the town, declaring, “Depression, spousal abuse, and suicide all became much more prevalent; the caseload of the area’s mental-health center tripled within a decade” (Thompson 51). In Youngstown, the decline of work directly correlated with a decline in mental health, and it can be logically concluded that the loss of work was a significant part of the reason that so many people began to deal with various psychological issues. Additionally, a university study entitled “Homelessness and Unemployment: Understanding the Connections and Breaking the Cycle” analyzes some of the positive, psychological impacts that work can have. For instance, work fosters relationships because it provides a social setting where various people have the opportunity to interact with each other. Additionally, it prevents people from living in isolation (Steen). Having the responsibility of a job gives people a purpose in life and forces them to interact with others. When individuals are missing that, it can cause mental as well as …show more content…
On Labor Day in 1971, President Richard Nixon addressed the nation, declaring, “The work ethic holds that labor is good in itself; that man or woman at work not only makes a contribution to his fellow man but becomes a better person by virtue of the act of working. [..] That is why most of us consider it immoral to be lazy or slothful—even if a person is well off enough not to have to work or deliberately avoids work by going on welfare. The work ethic is why Americans are considered an industrious, purposeful people, and why a poor nation of 3 million people, over a course of two centuries, lifted itself into the position of the most powerful and respected leader of the free world today” (Nixon). In summary, Americans believe in a strong work ethic; labor is a beneficial thing, and deliberately avoiding work is idle and condemned. The nation was only able to rise out of the great depression because of the phenomenal dedication and hard work of the American people. An ABC News article also illustrates the fundamental principle of hard work in America. Reporter Dean Schabner explains that Americans take less vacation days, retire later, and work longer hours than most countries throughout the globe. After all this, only twenty-six percent of Americans feel that they work too hard (Schabner). To put it simply, Americans spend more time working than just about any other race, yet they still feel like they are not