The Fragmentation of the “Native” Proletariat
The cultural celebration of the “side hustle” and the digital grind is an ideological tool to normalize the extreme precarity forced upon the “native” proletariat. Mamdani’s focus on how political identity is fragmented is critical here. The gig economy and the constant pressure to monetize every aspect of life prevent the formation of a unified class consciousness, turning workers into isolated competitors in a brutal marketplace. This “hustle” culture is the custom of the neoliberal era, disguising exploitation as entrepreneurship and individualism. A Marxist analysis sees this as the total subsumption of life under capital. A feminist critique reveals how this expectation falls heavily on women, who are already managing a double shift. The solution is to reject the hustle ideology and organize across these fragmented roles, building collective power to demand a guaranteed income and a shorter work week, reclaiming our time from the market.
