Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Although many Europeans are at work and may not be on HN" Uhm, that's exactly why I'm on HN.
OT, but frankly such attitude is recurring and I can't imagine how it is compatible with HN "ethos". If you're at work, be effective there or change the work. What's to be so proud in slacking during work hours? Would you want such people working in your startup?
Mercenary (sneaky): "They're getting the exact amount of work from me that they manage to extract."
Mercenary (quid pro quo): "They're getting what they're paying for. If they want increased work ethic, they have to increase their pay ethic."
Mercenary (clever): "I will go above and beyond the call of duty in ways that get noticed by my boss."
Work ethic (intrinsic/weberian): "Work in the sweat of thine brow from dusk till dawn. I sleep well at night knowing I always do my utmost for my company."
Work ethic (LessWrong.com / game-theory): "It's utility-maximizing in the long-run to pre-commit to being the kind of person who has good work-ethic, even if there is no utility to be gained in a specific concrete situation."
Work ethic (soldier): "I'm a professional, I get the job done."
Hostile: "Fuck 'em!"
Snake: "Fuck 'em! But pretend to like 'em so I get a raise."
Survivalist: "Anxiety. Depression. Gastric upset. Make it through another day. They took my red stapler."
Ruthless prioritizer: "It's really too bad that I'm slacking off at work. But time/energy is scarce and my own projects have to take precedence, sorry."
Conscientious objector: "I'm not going to work hard for my company, 'cause they're at best neutral and at worst actively harming humanity."
Attention-span challenged: "[refreshes Reddit]"