Stop Glorifying the Businessman Why They Are No Longer Suitable as Role Models
A frank critique of the sanctified image of the businessman and the myth of success they represent
The Businessman as the New Prophet
In recent decades, the figure of the businessman has ascended to near-mythical status. Draped in tailored suits, idolized on stages, podcasts, and social media, the modern entrepreneur is presented not just as a professional but as a hero, a guru, even a savior of economies and societies
This image has evolved far beyond business success. The businessman has become a cultural archetype a dream that young people are sold, a symbol that governments applaud, and a lifestyle that media relentlessly promotes. But at what cost ?
This article offers a frank and necessary critique of why the glorification of the businessman is a misleading and often dangerous phenomenon and why we must stop exporting it as a sacred social ideal without examining the harsh and often exploitative reality behind the scenes
1. The Problem with Sanctifying the Businessman
a. Capitalism’s Poster Child
The glorification of businessmen is inseparable from the ideology of capitalist success. Entrepreneurs are painted as self-made, visionary builders of empires. Yet in truth, most wealth accumulation occurs through inheritance, privilege, financial engineering, and systems that reward speculation over production.
The businessman image hides a deeper truth success is rarely meritocratic. The myth of “starting from nothing” often erases the invisible scaffolding of:
Access to capital
Elite networks
Socioeconomic background,
Gender and race privileges
b The Erasure of Human Values
Business success is measured in growth, revenue, and exit valuations not in kindness, empathy, or ethics When society elevates businessmen as role models, we replace human values with financial values.
Are billionaires who lay off thousands to “increase efficiency” really people to admire? Is ruthless competition something to teach children? When profit becomes the ultimate value, everything else becomes negotiable even people
2. The Businessman Myth and the Culture of Toxic Aspiration
a Hustle Culture and the Cult of Overwork
We now live in a world where entrepreneurs are expected to “grind 18 hours a day drink coffee instead of water, and sacrifice health, family, and ethics at the altar of the startup
This toxic narrative turns burnout into a badge of honor and failure into a price worth paying for glory. The glorified businessman becomes the poster child of endless productivity, even when the human cost is devastating
b. Public Image vs. Private Reality
The curated images on social media rarely reflect the truth. Behind many admired entrepreneurs are:
Failed marriages
Mental health struggles
Legal gray zones
Exploited workers
Unsustainable models held up by marketing and hype
Yet the narrative remains untouched The businessman is always winning. Always in control. Always right
This distorted image warps the minds of millions who try to copy it without access to the same resources support, or privileges
3. When Businessmen Fail Society
a. From Builders to Extractors
The businessman of yesterday might have built railways or factories. Today’s “innovator” might build nothing but extract everything from attention spans to data to labor
Modern businesses, especially in tech and finance, often prioritize monopoly, user addiction, and surveillance capitalism over societal well-being.
Examples abound :
Companies that exploit gig workers while praising flexibility
CEOs who pay no taxes while preaching about economic growth
Startups that prioritize valuation over viability, collapsing and taking jobs with them
Should those who cause this damage be our societal role models ?
b. The Philanthropy Façade
Many wealthy businessmen wrap themselves in philanthropy as a shield from critique. But donations are not justice. They are often :
PR strategies
Tax optimization tools,
Instruments of soft power
When businessmen build hospitals with money earned from underpaying employees or polluting communities, is that heroism or damage control ?
4. The Danger of a Single Dream
When society only promotes the businessman dream, it narrows the imagination of young people. Not everyone should become an entrepreneur. Not everyone should chase unicorns. But today, the businessman is framed as the only dream worth pursuing
Where are the teachers, scientists, nurses, community builders, researchers, and artists in our lists of role models ?
The businessman myth has stolen the spotlight and replaced the diversity of dreams with a single, fragile, and often unsustainable aspiration
5. What Should We Aspire To Instead ?
a. Redefine Success
True success should be measured not by what we own, but by what we contribute. Instead of revering people who accumulate, we must admire those who solve, heal, educate, and protect
Let’s admire the :
Engineer building clean energy systems.
Farmer applying sustainable techniques.
Researcher inventing low-cost medicine.
Artist challenging the status quo.
b. Recenter Values
We need role models who embody:
Integrity over income.
Purpose over profit.
Community over competition.
Aspiration should be expansive not reduced to net worth or venture capital rounds
Conclusion : It’s Time to Deconstruct the Idol
The glorified image of the businessman is not just misleading it is harmful. It blinds society to deeper truths, reinforces inequality, and limits what young people believe is worth striving for
It is not an attack on entrepreneurship itself but on the sacralization of a narrow, often deceptive version of it. We must challenge this narrative with open eyes, sharp critique, and better alternatives.
'' Let’s stop exporting the businessman as a sacred social dream and start rebuilding our dreams with diversity, ethics, and truth ,,Momen Ghazouani Founder CEO Setaleur
