Why Are You Booing Her? She’s Right—Current Working Culture Is Terrible

A young woman spoke her truth about how hard it is to adjust to a nine-to-five job after getting her first one after graduating from university, and it has made social media explode into a ferocious debate.

The TikToker, who goes by the username @brielleybelly123, posted a video which she captioned: “qotd in a 9-5 how do you have time for ur life?” It’s a fair question. As a young person, it’s hard to adjust to being an adult and having all of these adult responsibilities.

“The nine-to-five schedule is crazy,” she says. She tells viewers that she feels as though she has no energy after getting home from work, which she is having to commute to. “I want to shower, eat my dinner, and go to sleep. I don’t have time or energy to cook my dinner, either.”

Of course, this has caused outrage on X (formerly Twitter), particularly with those who belong to an older generation and can’t seem to change their ways. Those are the people who are boldly proclaiming that she should just suck it up and that it’s just the way it is. Some are even trying to compete with her for some reason. “Oh, well at least she doesn’t have four children to look after,” or “I work much longer hours, she doesn’t know how good she has it.” Like … good for you? Why does everyone have to work themselves to the bone like you do?

One X user even calls the Tiktoker “entitled,” which is just a horrible comment to make. People don’t know her or anyone else’s circumstances. They could have a disability or chronic illness. They could be a carer for a sick relative. And even if they didn’t, why does it matter that someone else is having a hard time adjusting to working eight hours a day? Being judgemental isn’t good for your health, Cerra.

Others, many of whom seem to belong to Gen Z, have argued that the original poster’s feelings are valid. What’s the point of life if you never have any time to do anything you enjoy? Like seeing your family and friends, or dating? The rising cost of living and high rental rates have meant that she and millions of other people have been forced to live further away from their jobs. Why would anyone want that? Why should it be necessary?

We wish people would acknowledge that the way we live—our workloads and the never-ending grind—are not healthy and that we need more free time to be with loved ones and do things that bring us joy. Our collective mental health would be all the better for it.

(featured image: nensuria/Getty Images)