[fragmede]

Colloquially, hustle isn't rigorously defined. The things you say are reprehensible, are (imo). However, where a person's primary job doesn't pay well enough, and won't provide future financial security, hustle (defined here as having any second job) is entirely necessary for many Americans, not just for a hypothetical future passive income stream, but also in order to make rent and other basic necessities.

[diskzero]

Good observation. "Hustle" seems to exist in an interesting intersection of socio-economics. I know a lot of people working 2-3 jobs to make ends meet and they never mention it being a hustle. This is what I don't understand. Is a hustle something that is supposed to bring in much higher rewards for less work? Is it just a different way to say you have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet?

[hellisothers]

Aren’t these hustles the same thing? One is a boss manipulating others to work harder so they (the boss) can exploit the workers output. The other is (sorry to beat a dead horse) capitalism (late or otherwise) exploiting workers to the same end?

[bb88]

If you are "hustling" you are risking time and/or money for potential reward -- you're in control of what you're doing and could shift what you're doing in a heartbeat.

On the other hand if you've lost the locus of control, you're being "hustled".

E.g. I wouldn't say that taking a part time night shift at McDonald's to make ends meet is "hustling". It's possible the extra shift is needed because the landlord is greedy and keeps raising the rent by the maximum allowable by law.