A rat race is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. The phrase equates humans to rats attempting to earn a reward such as cheese, in vain. It may also refer to a competitive struggle to get ahead financially or routinely. The term is commonly associated with an exhausting, repetitive lifestyle that leaves no time for relaxation or enjoyment.

Etymology

The earliest known occurrence is 1934. In reference to aviation training a rat race was originally a "

follow-the-leader In a marching band A marching band is a group of musical instrument, instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass instrument, brass, woodwind instrument, ...

" game in which a trainee fighter pilot had to copy all the actions (loops, rolls, spins,

Immelmann turn The term Immelmann turn, named after German World War I Eindecker fighter ace Lieutnant Max Immelmann, refers to two different aircraft maneuvers. In World War I aerial combat, an Immelmann turn was a maneuver used after an attack on another a ...

s etc.) performed by an experienced pilot. From 1945, the phrase took on the meaning of "competitive struggle."

Historical usage

*''

The Rat Race ''The Rat Race'' is a 1960 American drama film adapted from the play of the same name by Garson Kanin. Directed by Robert Mulligan, it stars Tony Curtis and Debbie Reynolds as struggling young entertainment professionals in New York City. Film ...

'' was used as a title for a novel written by

Jay Franklin John Franklin Carter a.k.a. Jay Franklin a.k.a. Diplomat a.k.a. Unofficial Observer (1897–1967) was an American journalist, columnist, biographer and novelist. He notably wrote the syndicated column, "We the People", under his pen name Jay ...

in 1947 for Colliers Magazine and first published in book form in 1950. It is dedicated ''To those few rats in Washington who do not carry brief-cases.'' *The term "rat race" was used in an article about

Samuel Goudsmit Samuel Abraham Goudsmit (July 11, 1902 – December 4, 1978) was a Dutch-American physicist famous for jointly proposing the concept of electron spin with George Eugene Uhlenbeck in 1925. Life and career Goudsmit was born in The Hague, Nethe ...

published in 1953 entitled: ''A Farewell to String and Sealing Wax~I'' in which Daniel Lang wrote, * Philip K. Dick used the term in " The Last of the Masters", published in 1954: *

Jim Bishop James Alonzo Bishop (November 21, 1907 – July 26, 1987) was an American journalist and author who wrote the bestselling book ''The Day Lincoln was Shot''. Early life Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he dropped out of school after eighth gra ...

used the term rat race in his book ''The Golden Ham: A Candid Biography of Jackie Gleason.'' The term occurs in a letter

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

wrote to his wife in which he says: "Television is a rat race, and remember this, even if you win you are still a rat." *

William H. Whyte William Hollingsworth "Holly" Whyte Jr. (July 11, 1917 – July 11, 1999) was an American urbanist, sociologist, organizational analyst, journalist and people-watcher. He identified the elements that create vibrant public spaces within the city ...

used the term rat race in

The Organization Man ''The Organization Man'' is a bestselling book by William H. Whyte, originally published by Simon & Schuster in 1956.Whyte, William H. (1956). ''The Organization Man.'' Simon & Schuster,online copies/ref> It was one of the most influential books ...

Solutions

"Escaping the rat race" can have a number of different meanings: * Movement from work or geographical location into (typically) a more rural area *

Retirement Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

, quitting or ceasing work * Moving from a job of high strenuosity to one of lesser strenuosity, like the

tang ping ''Tang ping'' () is a lifestyle and social protest movement in China beginning in April 2021. It is a rejection of societal pressures to overwork, such as in the 996 working hour system, which is often regarded as a rat race with ever diminishing ...

lifestyle of young Chinese * Adopting a

Buddha-like mindset Buddha-like (), or fo xi using its Chinese pronunciation, is a buzzword used in China to describe young people who reject the rat race of the contemporary workaholic Chinese society in favour of a tranquil, apathetic life. The term is a neologism ...

* Changing to a different job altogether * Remote work * Becoming financially independent from an employer * Living in harmony with nature * Developing an inner attitude of detachment from materialistic pursuits * Alienation from the norms of society

Music

* "

Slave to the Wage "Slave to the Wage" is a song by English alternative rock band Placebo. It was released as a single from their third studio album, 2000's '' Black Market Music''. It reached number 19 in the UK Singles Chart. The song, inspired by the drudgery ...

" by English alternative rock band

Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...

is a song that describes the classical Rat Race, on the 2000 album '' Black Market Music''. * "Escape (Free Yo Mind From This Rat Race)" was released as the b-side of "

Glam Slam "Glam Slam" is a song by American musician Prince, and the second single from his 1988 album, ''Lovesexy''. The song has sexual overtones with a spiritual undertone and fits the ''Lovesexy'' theme of integrating God and sex. The song is complex mu ...

", the second single from Prince's album ''

Lovesexy ''Lovesexy'' is the tenth studio album by American recording artist Prince. The album was released on May 10, 1988 by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album was recorded in just seven weeks, from mid-December 1987 to late Jan ...

'' and was later included on ''

The B-Sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

'' compilation. *"

Rat Race A rat race is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. The phrase equates humans to rats attempting to earn a reward such as cheese, in vain. It may also refer to a competitive struggle to get ahead financially or routinely. The term is ...

" by English ska band The Specials *"Mice Race" by British

Anarcho-punk Anarcho-punk (also known as anarchist punk or peace punk) is ideological subgenre of punk rock that promotes anarchism. Some use the term broadly to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content, which may figure in crust punk, hardcor ...

Deathrock Death rock (or deathrock) is a rock music subgenre incorporating horror elements and gothic theatrics. It emerged from punk rock on the West Coast of the United States in the early 1980s and overlaps with the gothic rock and horror punk gen ...

band

Rudimentary Peni Rudimentary Peni are a British anarcho-punk band formed in 1980, emerging from the London anarcho-punk scene. Lead singer/guitarist Nick Blinko is notorious for his witty, macabre lyrics and dark pen-and-ink artwork, prominently featured on a ...

. *''Rat Race'' Devil's Playground by

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

(2005) *''Rat Race''

Rastaman Vibration ''Rastaman Vibration'' is the eighth studio album by the reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in April 1976. Critical reception Reviewing for ''Rolling Stone'' in 1976, Robert Palmer said that on the album Marley consummately perfo ...

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

(1976) *''Rat Race'' by Babbu Maan (album Pagal Shayar-2020) *''The Clockwise Witness'' by DeVotchKa is a song that describes the futility of Rat Race (album A Mad & Faithful Telling-2008) *''Even if You Win, You're Still a Rat'' by Architects (2012) * '' RatRace'' by English metal band

Skindred Skindred are a Welsh reggae metal band formed in Newport in 1998. Their musical style mixes heavy metal, alternative rock and ragga. The band also integrate elements of punk rock, hardcore punk, reggae, dancehall, jungle, ska, hip hop, drum ...

(2007) * '' The Racing Rats'' by English rock band

Editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

(2007)

Etymology

Historical usage

Solutions

Music

See also

References

Further reading