‘Hustle culture’ blamed millennials’ financial failures on lifestyle indulgences rather than structure

Evidence

This ideology became a meme when Australian property magnate Tim Gurner blamed millennials’ inability to afford homes on their love of avocado toast and lattes. His own success, Gurner claimed, came from his work ethic: “When I had my first business, when I was nineteen, I was in the gym at six a.m. in the morning and I finished at ten thirty at night and I did it seven days a week, and I did it till I could afford my first home. And there was no discussions around, could I go out for breakfast or could I go out for dinner or whatever it was. I just worked.” This ethos reflected the pervasiveness of “hustle culture” or the “grind mindset”—the belief that relentless effort and discipline could overcome any obstacle. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 314

Categorization

• QUESTION: Gurner’s avocado toast blame is a vivid emblem of the era’s signature — is the meme evidence of genuine belief or of bad-faith status games?