Or, alternatively, we have a bullshit economy inflated by a fiat fire hose and people are seeing various side effects of that, and responding the best way they can to the incentive structure around them. The guy isn't avoiding personal responsibility, he's looking for a job that provides the bare minimum so that he can provide value to himself, and maybe society, in other ways.

In a hard currency world, he'd probably work hard for a while (i.e. provide real value to others, because people won't easily part with hard currency), save up some coin and live off of it while finding meaning in other ways.

If I had my way, I'd have a market garden to feed my family and provide nutritious food to my neighbors. Maybe you view that as doing the bare minimum, maybe not. Instead, given the fiat treadmill incentive structure, I write code for a living.