This is a very rich-world view of work. Most people can't just "unilaterally rescind" their employment if they decide they don't like it anymore.
I don't disagree with what you're getting at, just understand that loyalty is a necessity to a lot of folks, and I don't think it is because their values are misplaced.
>Most people can't just "unilaterally rescind" their employment if they decide they don't like it anymore.
I suspect what's meant here is that most anyone can take a different job and leave one that no longer serves them, not that most anyone can walk away from a job without another lined up.
I agree, and also, if it becomes not beneficial to me (for instance, large increase in responsibility for no raise), I will move from "do my absolute best mode" to "minimum effort mode" until I can line up something else -- which is just me realigning my effort level to match the standard set by the Company.
I understand your point, but I wouldn't call that loyalty either. Loyalty is a choice, you could cheat on your partner, but you choose not to.
What you're talking about is necessity. If you don't have the possibility to simply walk away from a job, then you're sticking around because you must, not because you're loyal.