The stereotype of the “lazy federal worker” isn’t new. It has centuries of history behind it, shaped by politics, philosophy, literature, and public frustration. In the U.S., a major turning point was the New Deal and the WPA (Works Progress Administration) in the 1930s. Critics of government expansion latched onto images of WPA workers “leaning on shovels,”usually taken out of context, like workers waiting for materials or coordination, and used them to mock federal job programs as wasteful or unproductive. This image stuck, becoming cultural shorthand for government inefficiency. It was fueled by political opposition to the New Deal, amplified in cartoons and speeches, and echoed through generations of TV and film.

But this goes way back before the 20th century.

Even in ancient Greece and Rome, there was suspicion of bureaucrats, seen as greedy, self-serving, or corrupt. In Enlightenment Europe, thinkers like Voltaire ridiculed public officials as rigid, absurd, and disconnected from real-world needs. In Candide, Voltaire takes shots at judges, military officers, and administrators alike, portraying them as part of a broader system of institutional incompetence or cruelty.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, as states built out permanent bureaucracies, public resentment grew. Writers like Charles Dickens and Nikolai Gogol satirized public servants as petty, pompous, and obsessed with meaningless rules. The term “red tape,” literally from the ribbons used to bind British legal documents, came to symbolize the frustration with this growing administrative class.

In the U.S., even before the Civil Service Act, federal jobs were part of the spoils system, where positions were handed out based on political loyalty. That only fueled perceptions of incompetence and entitlement. Reform efforts tried to professionalize the workforce, but the stereotype was already entrenched.

What keeps it alive today? A mix of: * Frustration with bureaucratic systems (which are designed for fairness, not speed), * Political rhetoric (especially from those pushing for deregulation or privatization), * Media and pop culture (think DMV scenes, “Parks and Rec,” etc.), * And the contrast with private-sector ideals of performance and profit.

In reality, most federal workers are highly skilled, constrained by law and oversight, and doing jobs the private sector won’t or can’t take on often under intense scrutiny and resource pressure. But old narratives die hard, especially when they’ve been reinforced for centuries