IF you haven't seen his video, watch this one first. Pay close attention to ALL of it, but listen closely at 5:00 – 6:00. There he quotes communication back now a hundred years ago how the con of self-made-hard-working man got started.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP8CzlFhc14
I like to search for the foundational moments of things, and Prof Parenti shines a bright light on how that BS of “hard work” got started.