On December 26, 2024, Vivek Ramaswamy argued that American firms hire foreign-born engineers over native-born Americans not because Americans are less capable, but because of a difference in culture.1
American culture, Ramaswamy suggested, celebrates the prom queen over the math-olympiad winner. Or the jock over the valedictorian. On television, we prefer Slater to Screech and Stefan to Steve Urkel.
The post drew angry reactions, especially from the very online right. As I will explain, this controversy continues to expose a tension between our praise for hard work and our contempt for people who visibly do it.
A lot of us admire the gifted slacker, the artist struck by inspiration, the athlete who makes it look easy. Many people have mixed feelings, though, about a person who studies all weekend or practices nonstop. There is something about the striver that threatens a fantasy they would prefer to keep intact.
Once you understand what that fantasy is, the appeal of the gifted slacker becomes much clearer: