I've got a friend who is in industrial maintenance. I just can't understand how they put up with the working conditions. 12 hour shifts working around furnaces and covered in grease all day, forced overtime on a regular basis. This guy works harder than I ever have and makes a fraction of the income that I do. He has been injured multiple times at jobs. He's in his early 30's and has a more difficult time walking than many senior citizens due to a back injury. To your point he's still better off than many folks in similar situations in less developed nations. There's a lot of detail left out of the "work hard" narrative.
You can personally thank my grandparents, all four laying dead in their graves before the age of 60, for your opportunity to "work hard" in America.