One of the most common progressive talking points today is that side hustles are proof that capitalism has failed. You’ll hear them say, “People shouldn’t have to work two or three jobs just to survive.” The implication is that the system is rigged so workers are forced to slave away while their bosses get rich.
At first glance, it sounds compassionate. But peel back the surface, and you’ll see it’s built on an outdated and faulty economic premise—the Labor Theory of Value. Karl Marx argued that a thing’s value comes from the amount of labor put into it. Therefore, if you work harder or longer, you’re being “exploited” whenever someone profits from your labor. But this ignores reality. Value doesn’t come from labor—it comes from demand.
If you build something people want, you create value. That’s entrepreneurship. That’s capitalism. And that’s what side hustles teach ordinary people every single day.
Why Side Hustles Are a Gateway to Freedom
Contrary to the socialist complaint, side hustles are not chains—they are keys. They’re the bridge between dependency and independence, between paycheck living and ownership.
When you start a side hustle, you’re no longer just an employee. You become a creator, an innovator, a problem-solver. Whether you’re selling products online, offering freelance services, or launching a small brand, you’re testing the waters of freedom.
And the best part? You don’t need permission. You don’t need investors or a boss’s blessing. You just need the drive to start.
Every great business began as someone’s side hustle—Amazon, Apple, even Walt Disney’s first animation studio in a garage. These ventures didn’t emerge because people sat around waiting for “fair wages.” They grew because people took initiative.
The Truth About “One Job Should Be Enough”
The socialist mantra “one job should be enough” sounds noble. But it’s built on the assumption that the world owes you stability. It doesn’t. The economy changes, industries evolve, and automation reshapes the workforce faster than governments can regulate it.
The smartest people don’t whine about this—they adapt to it. Side hustles are how you build optionality. They’re not just about earning extra cash—they’re about building skills, confidence, and autonomy. They’re the modern apprenticeship for financial freedom.
In truth, having a side hustle while working for someone else is the perfect stepping stone to becoming self-employed. It allows you to learn marketing, time management, and value creation—while still maintaining a safety net.
How Side Hustlers Make Everyone Freer
Here’s the irony socialists can’t see: the more people who start side hustles and businesses, the less power “the bosses” actually have. Every new entrepreneur creates more competition, more opportunity, and more freedom for everyone else.
When millions of people prove that they don’t need traditional employers to survive, the balance of power shifts away from corporate control and toward individual independence.
That’s not exploitation—that’s evolution.
Entrepreneurs raise the standard of living, drive innovation, and offer alternatives. Even those who choose to remain employees benefit, because employers have to compete for their time and talent.
Freedom Over Fear
Socialists want you to believe that working hard and dreaming big is just a scam. They’d rather you stay resentful and dependent, convinced that “the system” is holding you down and only they can save you.
But every successful side hustler is living proof that’s a lie. The very act of starting a side hustle is rebellion against that defeatist mindset. It says, “I refuse to wait for permission. I’ll build my own future.”
You don’t need to tear down capitalism to thrive—you just need to use it.
So don’t apologize for your hustle. Don’t let anyone guilt you into thinking ambition is exploitation. The next time someone mocks side hustles as a symptom of a broken system, remind them that it’s actually the cure.
Stand tall, fight back against mediocrity. Take control of your own life in style! 👇