Why does everyone use the world hustler/hustle?

Reality

Sun, Apr 07 2024, 11:11 am

It has a negative connotation. Yet everywhere on this site it's used instead of a go-getter. It doesn't mean exactly the same thing. To be described as a go-getter is positive. Same thing with a side hustle. It connotes an under the table job as opposed to taking a side job or second job.

amother

Daphne

Sun, Apr 07 2024, 11:21 am

why negative connotation?

dictionary.com says

hustler: an enterprising person determined to succeed; go-getter.

amother

Petunia

Sun, Apr 07 2024, 11:21 am

It depends on the context. A hustler is typically a person who will do whatever mean’s necessary to get ahead and succeed. So it can be used to describe someone conning someone, or it can be used to describe someone working their a** off to make themselves successful

If being used to describe someone in a business setting it won’t have a negative connotation

lamplighter

Sun, Apr 07 2024, 11:22 am

It's a common expression used everywhere and I never heard it have negative connotations.
It just means a go getter, at least in common usage.

amother

Amaranthus

Sun, Apr 07 2024, 11:30 am

amother Daphne wrote:

why negative connotation?

dictionary.com says

hustler: an enterprising person determined to succeed; go-getter.

From Merriam-Webster dictionary:
a: one who obtains money by fraud or deceit : SCAMMER, SWINDLER
b: one who lures less skillful players into competing at a gambling game

c: an athlete who plays with alert energy and aggressiveness

d: harlot

More recently the meaning has shifted into something positive. I think rappers started using the term in a positive way but I'm not sure if that's where the shift originated.

Reality

Sun, Apr 07 2024, 11:35 am

amother Daphne wrote:

why negative connotation?

dictionary.com says

hustler: an enterprising person determined to succeed; go-getter.

Why? Because it always had a negative connotation. I see from other posts it has changed recently. Every time I read people wishing their husband's were more of a hustler it sounds so bizarre to me.

amother

Royalblue

Sun, Apr 07 2024, 11:36 am

It’s mlm language. It’s what people are trained to say. I like when people use it because I know to stay far away from whatever they are selling.

DrMom

Sun, Apr 07 2024, 11:43 am

The word HUSTLE has several definitions; not all have negative connotations.

"After a summer in the country, she enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Manhattan" is not negative at all.

Reality

Sun, Apr 07 2024, 11:57 am

DrMom wrote:

The word HUSTLE has several definitions; not all have negative connotations.

"After a summer in the country, she enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Manhattan" is not negative at all.

That is 100% true.

But nobody on imamother has ever used hustle like that. It's always about making money. I would want to be described as such a hard worker, she took on a side job. Versus, she has a great side hustle that brings in extra money. You don't see a difference in the two descriptions?

zaq

Sun, Apr 07 2024, 12:10 pm

Language changes with use. Words and expressions sometimes flip meanings over time, so that a insult can become a compliment and vice versa. "Side hustle" no longer has a negative connotation. It's synonymous with "second job" or "second income stream." You don't like the term, don't use it.

Bleemee

Mon, Apr 08 2024, 1:10 pm

zaq wrote:

Language changes with use. Words and expressions sometimes flip meanings over time, so that an insult can become a compliment and vice versa. "Side hustle" no longer has a negative connotation. It's synonymous with "second job" or "second income stream." You don't like the term, don't use it.

Yup. In today’s start-up world it’s “second income stream”.