Why ‘Do What You Love’ Is Pernicious Advice

If passion is a job requirement, says writer Miya Tokumitsu, employees have little room to complain about mistreatment at work.

It’s been said in many places and by many luminaries: Do what you love.

But what does this phrase actually mean?

Miya Tokumitsu, a contributing editor at Jacobin magazine and author of the new book Do What You Love And Other Lies About Success and Happiness, criticizes the pervasiveness of this idea in American work culture. She argues that “doing what you love” has been co-opted by corporate interests, giving employers more power to exploit their workers.

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