Definition:
Crabs in a bucket is a metaphor describing behaviour where individuals undermine or pull down others attempting to improve their situation, ensuring that no one escapes shared hardship.
Usage Context:
Used in discussions of social mobility, class dynamics, workplace competition, marginalised communities, and internalised oppression.
Critical Note:
The metaphor is often used to moralise interpersonal behaviour while ignoring structural conditions. When opportunities are scarce and advancement is individualised, competition replaces solidarity. The problem is not the crabs, but the bucket.
Related Terms:
Class Erasure, Manufactured Scarcity, Normalisation Pressure, Upward Aspiration Pressure, Divide and Rule