“The Protestant Work Ethic: Just Another urban legend?” was written by Jonathan Klemens, he claimed that the American work ethics require workers passionate about a mission, also a good ethic is essential for country’s economy and society. Despite many saying otherwise, it’s also still deeply rooted in American society. However, I partially agree with his argument that work ethic is “ firmly entrenched as a powerful and valued American social trait,” Everything is a double-edged sword, work ethic is a responsible performance for work, achieve self-worth but failure to follow the laws of science can cause irreparable damage, the fair or foul of work ethic may either create everything or destroy everything.
Based on the work of the sociologist Max Weber from the article, he explores the origins and values of good work ethics and capitalism. This work ethic, he points out, is reflected in those who find work that both serves society and meets individual needs. American work ethic is a belief in the moral value of work. To work hard, make luck, believe anything is possible because work is ethical, those who work harder or longer are, by definition, more ethical than those who don’t. This is the American work ethic – an elitist faith driven entirely by willpower. To be moral is to respect and uphold the just freedom of an individual or social organization. In terms of equality, although ‘all men are created equal’ is stipulated by law, there are still serious inequalities in many fields of American professional life, such as human rights prejudice, racial discrimination and gender discrimination which also exist in every corner of American professional life.
In the United States, work ethics are deeply rooted in American society. For instance, my friend tells me that the United States and China actually have something in common. That’s the rat race. Because of China’s large population, the competition is fierce and cruel. There are fewer Americans, but the rules of the game are still very cruel. My homestay mom is a cook and usually work for a private family, the main obligation is to take care of their three meals a day and clean up the kitchen, make sure their refrigerator is covered with food. she works three days per week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. the work ethic is closely connected with the economic condition. Because of rising prices and demands on the economy, she decides to find another job on Tuesdays and Thursdays in order to increase income and rise her life into another level. In addition, She also rents out three extra rooms to college students, each of whom keeps a decent income each month. As she said, the average American works 34 hours a week, this is an average that counts part-time workers. In her spare time, she also often buys ingredients home and prepares some dishes for her own enjoyment. the older they are, the more they value is that the time they spend in the world. So Klemens’ idea of the work ethic is personifies by those who have found work that provides both a service to society and personal satisfaction (Klemens 210) is particularly reflected in my homestay mom obviously also it embodies the traditional American work ethic explores people’s passion for life and work.
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People struggle every day to strike a more sensible balance between work and life, and work always prevails. the outbreak of COVID-19 is a good example to explain the different thoughts on different people. Even though the health center advised to keep the social distance is a better way to prevent the outburst of virus, there were still a lot of people who don’t listen to this suggestion, there were even mass gatherings, street protests. they thought that no entertainment facilities should be closed, it was just a normal flu and there was no need to wear masks. In fact, the main reason for their protest against home quarantine is that they have no jobs, no income is no life, they can’t meet their friends or colleagues, I also remembered a live news report in which a mother drove past a camera and yelled “ I just wanted to get back to work.”the excessive work ethic made it impossible for her to stay at home and lose her job. it seems that human rights are more important than life. The American work ethic, which drives Americans to work longer every week, longer hours than any other industry, business and countries which is an important factor of America’s success. This makes America become one of the most workaholic countries in the world, the pursuit of happiness and the American dream drives progress and innovation, but it also has unintended side effects, excessive desire for work, for the money it brings, leads people to neglect basic health problems.
Many employers use words such as ‘qualified,’ ‘disengaged,’ ‘unmotivated,’ and ‘disloyal’ when describing their current and potential workforce. That’s because America’s new workforce — those between the ages of 16 and 24 — is bringing some amazing skills and personality traits into the workforce. The United States is a country full of opportunities. If you are strong, the society will give you opportunities. According to my overseas study experience, there are many types of scholarships in universities as long as you conform to their requirements, there are also many opportunities in universities to make money like finding a place in dining hall or tutoring. The new generation may not be as diligent and earnest as the previous one, as I saw from my daily life, the young employees show up for work 10 minutes late in flip-flops and pajama pants, then fidgeted during the workday until the pace slowed down enough to allow her to use her smartphone to text friends or update her Facebook page. The traditional American work ethic needs another generation to pass on. as Klemens mentioned in the article that the traits characterize a strong work ethic includes focus on work, unpretentious and modest comportment and honesty and ethics (Klemens 211). The moral of the day is to feel good about yourself, no matter what you do. In today’s mediocre education, literacy and knowledge are on the decline and are rarely valued. In a culture that celebrates mundane behavior, where everyone gets a trophy for participating, the social construct of self-esteem deprives individuals of the drive to improve through competition and achievement. Self-indulgence and debt have taken the place of self-reliance and thrift. Immersion in social media has replaced the work ethic in the workplace.
In conclusion, The American work ethic is well represented in my homestay mom’s life, This epidemic situation shows that the American people love their jobs and yearn for freedom even more than they value their lives. However, The American work ethic has definitely changed, more and more people these days seem to possess a sense of entitlement in terms of their work habits, the pursuit of happiness eclipses the pursuit of material wealth. as the older generation dies, their work ethic will go with them. There needs to be a better promotion of a good work ethic to make the next generation understand that what is necessary for success, essential to a strong economy and a positive society.
