'Drink Less, Work More', Billionaire Tells Non-Rich

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

There is no way of way of knowing how much she would be worth if she started with $0 in 2007, your statement is a blind one, it doesn't deal with the reality of the situiation. The reality of it is that she inherited a business from her Father and has made it a much more successful business in a very short period of time. How do you know that she hasn't worked very hard to accomplish this? You don't, you're just assuming that she is some spoiled silver spoon rich kid that fell assbackwards into money, the facts bear out differently.

I have admiration for ANYONE that works hard period. Whether or not they inherited money or started from scratch is irrelevant. Why do you want to belittle her accomplishments simply because she was born into a successful business?

Who said she couldn't have worked hard ? Not me.

I am saying that she started out with an enormous advantage that upwards of 96% of other people don't have, and yet she feels the need to exalt herself by sniping at poor people using a bunch of ignorant stereotypes (that they are "sitting around smoking and drinking instead of working") in order to make herself feel like she "deserves" her vast fortune, while poor people "deserve" their poverty.

Stereotypes of the American "welfare-crackhead" aside, most poor people around the world work very, very hard.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Yes, and lets face the facts that she would not be where she is today if she had not been born with a silver foot in her mouth.

Where would any of us be without our ancestors hard work and determination? Just because some people are more fortunate than others does not mean they are less deserving.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Where would any of us be without our ancestors hard work and determination? Just because some people are more fortunate than others does not mean they are less deserving.

I think you are starting to get my point. What you have or what I have is based in large part on what went before us - the country we happened to be born in, the family we happened to be born in, etc. People who arrived in the world already bestowed with incredible riches and advantages, who then insult those who weren't so lucky as somehow "not working hard enough" are simply not being honest with themselves.

Vanity is the quicksand of reason.

Yes, and lets face the facts that she would not be where she is today if she had not been born with a silver foot in her mouth.

That was funny

[Teddy B 17,252]

Who said she couldn't have worked hard ? Not me.

I am saying that she started out with an enormous advantage that upwards of 96% of other people don't have, and yet she feels the need to exalt herself by sniping at poor people using a bunch of ignorant stereotypes (that they are "sitting around smoking and drinking instead of working") in order to make herself feel like she "deserves" her vast fortune, while poor people "deserve" their poverty.

Stereotypes of the American "welfare-crackhead" aside, most poor people around the world work very, very hard.

You said it right here:

There is an old saying: it takes money to make money. I have far more admiration for people who built their own businesses from scratch, rather than those who inherit enormous fortunes and then snipe at poor people for "not working hard enough." Unfortunately, too many people born with a silver spoon in their mouth get the idea that they must be somehow "smarter/better/harder-working/more deserving etc." than those who weren't as lucky.

Nothing she said is untrue. Does it apply to everyone, ofcourse not. Her comments weren't directed at hard working people, they were directed at lazy people who smoke and drink too much. Why are you assuming she was talking to every hard working person out there?

Edited August 31, 2012 by Teddy B

[sly_wolf 199]

Where would any of us be without our ancestors hard work and determination? Just because some people are more fortunate than others does not mean they are less deserving.

Yes, but much of that work and sacrifice came from the trenches. I think that many today idolyze the rich just because they are rich. I have much more admiration for the ones that started with nothing and still have their feet on the ground along with the rest of us.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

You said it right here:

There is nothing in my words which state an opinion on whether Ms. Rinehart is a hard worker, or not.

Nothing she said is untrue. Does it apply to everyone, ofcourse not. Her comments weren't directed at hard working people, they were directed at laxy people who smoke and drink too much. Why are you assuming she was talking to every hard working person out there?

I am not assuming anything; this is what she said:

"There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire," she writes. "If you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working."

A person who inherited a giant fortune who characterizes those who are poor (but dare to wish they were rich) as wastrels who spend their time in idleness, smoking & drinking, is ignorant, petty, and vain. This is what I am commenting on; I have not made any comments on whether I think she "works hard," or not.

[Teddy B 17,252]

There is nothing in my words which state an opinion on whether Ms. Rinehart is a hard worker, or not.

I am not assuming anything; this is what she said:

"There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire," she writes. "If you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working."

A person who inherited a giant fortune who characterizes those who are poor (but dare to wish they were rich) as wastrels who spend their time in idleness, smoking & drinking, is ignorant, petty, and vain. This is what I am commenting on; I have not made any comments on whether I think she "works hard," or not.

When you refer to her as a "silver spoon" and that she is "lucky", that does imply that she hasn't worked hard.

Again, her comments aren't directed at everyone, she specifically says to "spend less time smoking, drinking, and socializing" and work harder as a way to better yourself. So if you don't spend your time smoking, drinking and socializing, then her comments are not aimed at you. I happen to think she is spot on.

[SMR 368]

Good advice. To which I will add...

1. Finish high school at least, college is better

2. do not make babies until you are married

3. get a job at age 16 and never stop working until you retire. If you lose a job, get another one before you go home, even if it is working at a fast food place. Employed people are more employable than unemployed people

Gina Rinehart didn't finish college and I strongly doubt she spent a day in her life working fast food.

Your assertion that somebody should get a fast food job on the way home from being laid off is either an exaggeration or sprung from ignorance. I'm not saying that you shouldn't get a job or that you can always expect to get a job as good as the one you lost, but getting a minimum wage job just doesn't make sense for most people that can get another skilled job. And regardless of your employability, you aren't going to get another good job on the way home.

Your rationale of how much she would be worth if she started with zero, makes no sense. Most business owners start with $0, the fact that she is a second generation business owner does not make her any less competent than her Father, nor does it mean she worked any less to accomplish what she has. In fact with what she has done with that business in a very short period of time, I would venture to say that she is very intelligent and has worked very hard to get where she has. If you know of anything different, please let me know.

Liberals know who they are.

Actually, that rationale makes a lot of sense. It's not just about starting out with zero dollars. It's about starting out as an outsider, with no connections, no position, no business model, and no money. No doubt that Gina Rinehart is a shrewd businesswoman, but I suspect she has no more idea of how to build a business from the ground up than the serial poor do.

Gina Rinehart started with a thriving business in a rapidly growing industry (she's not the only one that's getting rich mining in Australia although she is a little better at it than some). She grew up from the inside seeing how that business works, knowing the right people, and learning the system. She has done well where others may not have. But if she thinks she got where she is just because she works hard and doesn't drink [too much] then she is either conceited, ignorant, or delusional (and probably all three).

This isn't about belittling her accomplishments, which are considerable (and some of which include suing other members of the family to make sure she got the inheritance). This is about Gina Rinehart not understanding people who start with nothing and belittling their accomplishments, because they aren't measured in billions.

And Wife_of_Mahmoud, hell has frozen over because I think you are spot on on this one.

Edited August 31, 2012 by SMR

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I have far more admiration for people who built their own businesses from scratch, rather than those who inherit enormous fortunes and then snipe at poor people for "not working hard enough." Unfortunately, too many people born with a silver spoon in their mouth get the idea that they must be somehow "smarter/better/harder-working/more deserving etc." than those who weren't as lucky.

[SMR 368]

Nothing she said is untrue. Does it apply to everyone, ofcourse not. Her comments weren't directed at hard working people, they were directed at lazy people who smoke and drink too much. Why are you assuming she was talking to every hard working person out there?

She said, "If you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working."

So she believes that anybody who is jealous of her money and has less than she does spends too much time drinking, smoking, or socializing. The only qualifier is jealousy. Jealousy has negative connotations, but essentially she is speaking to anybody with less money who would like to have as much as she does. She doesn't limit her comments to some lazy poor. She just says that everybody who has less is lazy.

[Teddy B 17,252]

She said, "If you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working."

So she believes that anybody who is jealous of her money and has less than she does spends too much time drinking, smoking, or socializing. The only qualifier is jealousy. Jealousy has negative connotations, but essentially she is speaking to anybody with less money who would like to have as much as she does. She doesn't limit her comments to some lazy poor. She just says that everybody who has less is lazy.

Jealousy is the worst emotion there is and it is the root of many evils. These are the people in which her comments are aimed.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

When you refer to her as a "silver spoon" and that she is "lucky", that does imply that she hasn't worked hard.

Again, her comments aren't directed at everyone, she specifically says to "spend less time smoking, drinking, and socializing" and work harder as a way to better yourself. So if you don't spend your time smoking, drinking and socializing, then her comments are not aimed at you. I happen to think she is spot on.

I didn't call *her* a "silver spoon;" I said "she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth." Being heir to a giant fortune is pretty much the definition of the phrase; it has nothing to do with working or not working hard. It means you are born with great wealth and opportunities that most people don't have.

It's still abysmally ignorant (and vain) to imply that becoming fabulously rich is as simple as not smoking, drinking and "socializing," while completely ignoring the fantastic advantage (and luck) that she had by "simply" being born the heir to multi-millions.

Of course you can think whatever you like; it's still a free country.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

If we are all lucky, she won't fritter away any more of her precious useful time attempting to write "poetry" - apparently this is the ode she penned earlier this year:

The globe is sadly groaning with debt, poverty and strife

And billions now are pleading to enjoy a better life

Their hope lies with resources buried deep within the earth

And the enterprise and capital which give each project worth.

But whoomp there it is.... she admitted it - making money requires capital

[Ban Hammer 13,403]

[Teddy B 17,252]

If we are all lucky, she won't fritter away any more of her precious useful time attempting to write "poetry" - apparently this is the ode she penned earlier this year:

The globe is sadly groaning with debt, poverty and strife

And billions now are pleading to enjoy a better life

Their hope lies with resources buried deep within the earth

And the enterprise and capital which give each project worth.[/

i]

But whoomp there it is.... she admitted it - making money requires capital

I believe you mis-read the quote. The enterprise and capital that give each project worth are the result of a successful business, not the other way around.

Pretty evident right in this thread.