Post #3718553

2026-07-10 14:02 UTC

I find myself struggling a lot lately with the way American individualism / neoliberalism / the nuclear family model (& also the breakdown of it + rise of two income families) / the hollowing out of third spaces and community groups leads to life being just so overwhelming with so much STUFF individuals need to do. I wonder if folks have recommendations for writers/thinkers who talk about this? I have a vague sense of the historical forces behind it but would love to learn in more detail.

Replies (2)

@nxadm@infosec.exchange 2026-07-10 14:31

@shauna@social.coop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origin_of_the_Family,_Private_Property_and_the_State

Open ##3718550
@psh@infosec.exchange 2026-07-10 15:39

@shauna@social.coop the overwhelming nature of work above else is built into the bedrock of the country by the puritans who established the Massachusetts bay colony. Rooted in Calvinism, Puritans believed in the "calling"—the idea that God placed individuals on Earth to work hard, serve the community, and glorify Him. Idleness was viewed as a direct rejection of God's will. The phrase “idle hands are the devil's workshop“ was a saying they followed, believing staying busy was a spiritual defense mechanism. Much of this modern capitalist system has been birthed with this early puritanical belief. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protestant_Ethic_and_the_Spirit_of_Capitalism

Open ##3719741