Scam culture

The side hustle, endorsed by millions, encouraged by every individual who has "made it". Finding something to do on the side of your normal work to get a little extra cash. The goal: to keep hustling and grinding until your side hustle becomes your main hustle and you can leave your job, become your own boss, CEO of your own lifestyle. This is the dream right? This is what so many of us want to do, especially since we were all in the throes of lockdown, fiddling our thumbs and wanting something more from life, more than working the rat race just to pay the bills at the end of the month. I somewhat admire those who have succeeded, they really did whatever it took to get to their end goal, but I find myself wondering as of late, how did the side hustle become something so tainted with lies and deceitfulness. Where did it all go wrong?

When did the hustle and the grind become a ruthless obsession, when did it become okay to go after your dreams no matter the fallout along the way? When did decent morals become a thing of the past? These are the thoughts I've found myself struggling with as the reality of scam culture sinks in. Con artists have been around since the beginning of time but in this era- our era of a world run by media and click bait culture, scam artists are being praised for their deceitful abilities. We've all seen or at least heard of the Netflix shows and docuseries, dramatizing the stories of con artists and fraudsters. "Inventing Anna" & "The Tinder Swindler" are the two shows I have most recently watched, and while equally dubious and horrified at the story, I also found myself almost in awe of them, of their sheer willpower and determination to make up some cock and bull story and convince the world of their authenticity. Their ability to bend and shape those around them to suit their needs and then discard them once they have depleted the funds and move on to the next victim. These shows are transforming these fraudsters stories into glossy, star studded dramas luring us viewers in.

As if the future world wasn't bleak enough for the next generations to come, they now have to add the draw of scam culture in to their mix of climate change, environmental damage, war, drought, terrorism, poverty, diseases. It feels wrong to me, to see people praise this scam culture, to idolize these fraudsters and champion them as if conning folk out of their homes and livelihoods is something worth celebrating.

Is there still such a thing as an honest days living?

I guess it's easy for me to sit here on my high horse and speak of morals when in fact it makes me a hypocrite. The sheer fact that I have been in awe of these fraudsters proves these shows and docuseries are designed to capture our attention, to draw us in as they dramatize what it is we all want from life- that freedom and determination to succeed and be the best. They project our dreams and desires without the fairy dust or sugar coating, but they in fact, show it as a reality of what it could take if you wanted to be ruthless in your success.

I suppose the real question is where do I find myself on the scale between right and wrong? What choice would I make if an opportunity was presented to propel me forward, would I consider the fallout? I would like to think I tip the scales in favour of good morals but I am human and I don't think we can ever truly know who we are until such a situation is laid out in front of us and we need to choose the path forward.

...