Member-only story
When I started as a writer on this platform, I decided to use a pseudonym and keep my personal life private. In the end, the readers would only want to know what I think, not where I live — I said to myself — which worked wonderfully, up until a point.
In the light of my recent piece in Start it up, which was intended as a public response on work ethics surrounding side hustling during work hours, I realized something interesting after reading some of the comments my story has received. One very likely cause of the disconnect in work principles when it comes to Zulie’s and my angle stems from the fact that I belong to a different world than most of the people that sided with Zulie. Namely, I live and work in Europe while Zulie (presumably) lives and works in the U.S.
Analyzing the comments, it struck me that the continent I’m writing from is equally important as the message I want to covey to clarify my perspective on sensitive topics such as work ethics. My location, in this sense, may explain why I find bewildering things like struggling for healthcare or lack of work-life balance, as well as predictability from the hiring company.
