A woman on TikTok is going viral for verbalizing a common sentiment among workers, saying that people work because they have to, not because they want to.
In the video, creator Ginny Hogan (@ginnyhogan) is filming while walking down the street wearing large over-the-ear headphones.
@ginnyhogan Truly psychotic #fyp #capitalism ♬ original sound – Ginny Hogan
Ginny says she thinks “that literally the craziest thing any boss ever does is assume that their employees are working for them for any reason other than money.”
Ginny is a standup comic and satire writer whose work has been published in a number of places, including the New Yorker (per her Linktree), and a number of other publications per other online bios (including on Amazon): The Atlantic, The Cut, the New York Times, Cosmopolitan, and McSweeney’s. She also regularly produces a newsletter, podcast, and has three books out.
The video has more than 1.1 million views and 740 comments since posting to TikTok on Tuesday.
“Truly psychotic,” she captioned the video alongside the hashtag “#capitalism.”
The comedian has 21,000 followers on TikTok where she largely posts stories of her life and shares her opinions.
Many commenters were in agreement with Ginny’s take.
“It’s so sad, they seem so delulu in a bad way,” the most popular comment read.
“That’s why I hate question ‘why do you want to work for us’. The answer is ‘to exchange my labor for money to live’,” a person said.
Others shared what factors help them enjoy their job more.
“Money is what makes me work, work environment I enjoy is what makes me stay for longer,” a commenter wrote.
“Like AFTER you get paid enough to be comfortable, THEN is when it’s a privilege to have a purpose. But not a penny before,” another said.
Several people shared instances in which their higher-ups were surprised that workers were more motivated by money than team building and helping the company.
“Facts. I once had an HR person tell me they couldn’t understand why ppl would leave for more $$,” a viewer shared.
“My boss was SHOOK when I said I wouldn’t volunteer my free time to “help” the company out,” another wrote.
The Daily Dot reached out to Hogan for comment via email.
