Rat race
- For other uses, see Rat race (disambiguation).
A rat race is a term used for an endless, self-defeating pursuit. It conjures up the image of the futile efforts of a laboratory rat trying to escape whilst running around a maze or in a wheel.
One example scenario is the increasing use of vacuum cleaners instead of brooms to clean up dirt. This increase in power consumption would result in more power plants with greater capacities, which in turn output more pollution. This ends up partially as the dirt and soot that vacuums were invented to clean up in the first place. More people would therefore buy vacuums because there is more dirt around for vacuums to clean up.
- The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat. — Lily Tomlin
Robert Kiyosaki created some didactic board games that teach players how to escape from frustrating trap of a circular rat race by acquiring assets that produce passive income in excess of their expenses.
Escaping the rat race can describe the social and physical suburbanisation of the countryside by city dewellers moving beyond the "urban growth boundary".
See also
Categories: Psychology stubs | English phrases