Hustle Culture relies on the toxic myth of rugged individualism. Four out of every ten Americans rely on “side-hustles” in the gig economy to make ends meet. For many these side hustles are the only source of income. For decades our political leaders have sold the myth of self-reliance rather than bolstering worker protections. The result is a population that lives in economic precarity and without the benefits and peace of mind associated with steady labor guarantees. There’s nothing inherently wrong with entrepreneurism but our political economy takes advantage of this mindset to strip away safety nets and blame those who cannot fend for themselves.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:39

Chapter One: The Bipartisan Consensus on Self-Reliance. 00:04:01

Chapter Two: The Psychology of Rugged Individualism. 00:10:27

Chapter Three: The AI Acceleration: Nothing New Here. 00:16:52

Chapter Four: Reimagining Work. 00:24:37

Resources

Economic Policy Institute: National survey of gig workers paints a picture of poor working conditions, low pay

Upwork: Freelance Forward 2023

MBO Partners: Authentic and Intentional: State of Independence in America 2024

ADP Research: Illuminating the Shadow Workforce: Insights into the Gig Workforce in Businesses

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Union Membership (Annual) News Release

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Union Members Summary

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Civilian labor force participation rate

Axios: Behind the Curtain: A white-collar bloodbath

St. Louis Federal Reserve (FRED): Labor Force Participation Rate

Economic Policy Institute: 16 million workers were unionized in 2024

Book Love

Giovanni Arrighi: The Long Twentieth Century: Money, Power and the Origins of Our Times

UNFTR Resources

Un-Cooperative: Why Worker Co-Ops Don’t Work in America.

Strike! Reality checking the labor movement.

Understanding Socialism: A History of Socialist Thought from Beccaria to Trotsky.

Video: What They Don’t Tell You About Hustle Culture

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Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

Hustle Culture relies on the toxic myth of rugged individualism. Four out of every ten Americans rely on &ldquo;side-hustles&rdquo; in the gig economy to make ends meet. For many these side hustles are the only source of income. For decades our political leaders have sold the myth of self-reliance rather than bolstering worker protections. The result is a population that lives in economic precarity and without the benefits and peace of mind associated with steady labor guarantees. There&rsquo;s nothing inherently wrong with entrepreneurism but our political economy takes advantage of this mindset to strip away safety nets and blame those who cannot fend for themselves.
Chapters
Intro: 00:00:39
Chapter One: The Bipartisan Consensus on Self-Reliance. 00:04:01
Chapter Two: The Psychology of Rugged Individualism. 00:10:27
Chapter Three: The AI Acceleration: Nothing New Here. 00:16:52
Chapter Four: Reimagining Work. 00:24:37
Resources
Economic Policy Institute: <a href="https://shift.hks.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/gig_brief.pdf">National survey of gig workers paints a picture of poor working conditions, low pay</a>
Upwork: <a href="https://www.upwork.com/research/freelance-forward-2023-research-report">Freelance Forward 2023</a>
MBO Partners: <a href="https://www.mbopartners.com/state-of-independence/">Authentic and Intentional: State of Independence in America 2024</a>
ADP Research: <a href="https://www.gigeconomydata.org/research/data-sources/illuminating-shadow-workforce-insights-gig-workforce-businesses">Illuminating the Shadow Workforce: Insights into the Gig Workforce in Businesses</a>
Bureau of Labor Statistics: <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.htm">Union Membership (Annual) News Release</a>
Bureau of Labor Statistics: <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm">Union Members Summary</a>
Bureau of Labor Statistics: <a href="https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/civilian-labor-force-participation-rate.htm">Civilian labor force participation rate</a>
Axios: <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/ai-jobs-white-collar-unemployment-anthropic">Behind the Curtain: A white-collar bloodbath</a>
St. Louis Federal Reserve (FRED): <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CIVPART">Labor Force Participation Rate</a>
Economic Policy Institute: <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/millions-of-workers-millions-of-workers-want-to-join-unions-but-couldnt/">16 million workers were unionized in 2024</a>
Book Love
Giovanni Arrighi: <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/23377/9781844673049">The Long Twentieth Century: Money, Power and the Origins of Our Times</a>
UNFTR Resources
<a href="https://www.unftr.com/blog/un-cooperative">Un-Cooperative: Why Worker Co-Ops Don&rsquo;t Work in America.</a>
<a href="https://www.unftr.com/blog/strike">Strike! Reality checking the labor movement.</a>
<a href="https://www.unftr.com/unftr-series/understanding-socialism#5">Understanding Socialism: A History of Socialist Thought from Beccaria to Trotsky.</a>
Video: <a href="https://youtu.be/mD6E0qzLjI8">What They Don&rsquo;t Tell You About Hustle Culture</a>
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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: <a href="https://unftr.com/rate">unftr.com/rate</a> and follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Unfucking-The-Republic-102319714930389">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/unftr.com">Bluesky</a>, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@unftrpod">TikTok</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unftrpod/">Instagram</a> at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/">unftr.com</a>. Join our Discord at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/discord">unftr.com/discord</a>.
Become a member at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/memberships">unftr.com/memberships</a>.
Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at <a href="https://shop.unftr.com/">shop.unftr.com</a>.
Visit our bookshop.org page at <a href="https://bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod">bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod</a> to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at<a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations"> bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations</a>.
Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/accessibility">unftr.com/accessibility</a>.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (<a href="https://www.mannyfacesmedia.com">mannyfacesmedia.com</a>). Original music is by Tom McGovern (<a href="http://www.tommcgovern.com/">tommcgovern.com</a>). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is dedicated to progressive politics, leftist economic theories, and social justice in the United States. Join us for deep dives into socialism, labor rights, climate justice, and the fight against inequality. Whether you're curious about Marxist ideas, modern social movements, or progressive policies, UNFTR delivers thoroughly sourced critiques, analyses, and interviews with the historical context mainstream media won't provide. Subscribe for informative and unabashedly progressive coverage of the leftist political and economic landscape.

Unf*cking The Republic&reg; (UNFTR) is dedicated to progressive politics, leftist economic theories, and social justice in the United States. Join us for deep dives into socialism, labor rights, climate justice, and the fight against inequality. Whether you're curious about Marxist ideas, modern social movements, or progressive policies, UNFTR delivers thoroughly sourced critiques, analyses, and interviews with the historical context mainstream media won't provide. Subscribe for informative and unabashedly progressive coverage of the leftist political and economic landscape.

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