“They don’t want to work”

Abstract

This chapter takes a look at the dominant narrative the author calls the laziness myth, exploring the origins and effects of a narrative that tells employers and employees alike that laziness is to blame for unemployment and poverty. It discusses the beliefs about laziness and about lazy people that make up the laziness myth: (1) that hard work determines who should achieve the good life, (2) that people who don't work hard are lazy, (3) that certain groups of people are especially lazy, and (4) that laziness is the source of social problems, so solving laziness should be central to solving social problems. The chapter explains the harm that the laziness myth has done using the experience of Zulu people as an example. It also presents three reasons to why the myth is just a myth: (1) because people are working hard but the myth keeps that work invisible, (2) because the causes of unemployment and poverty are systemic but the myth keeps those reasons invisible, and (3) because seemingly lazy behaviors have causes that are other than laziness.