An Australian CEO was shredded by users on Reddit after he claimed that the poor are getting poorer because of their ‘poverty thinking’. Joseph Darby, the CEO of Become Wealth, a wealth management company claimed that when people say that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, it’s their own fault.
“The rich are getting RICHER. While the poor are getting POORER. (But why?) It all boils down to mindset,” he said in a LinkedIn post.
He then went on to explain what the poor do to stay poor. “They blame circumstances, focus on short-term, buy liabilities, want the cheapest, think “I can’t afford that”, dwell on problems and have poverty thinking,” the CEO claimed. (Also read: CEO denies worker’s 2-day leave request: ‘They’re about to get married, but…’)
In contrast, he said the rich often display an “abundance mindset” through which they create opportunities and plan for generations. “The rich invest in assets, seek the best value, ask “How can I afford that?” and find solutions,” he said.
Take a look at the LinkedIn post here:
“Now I’m not saying that external factors don’t play a role in wealth disparities. But here’s the thing: your financial destiny is not set in stone,” he said, adding that self-made people like Elon Musk and Oprah all faced massive challenges.
“But they didn’t let that stop them. You too have the power to break the cycle. And it all starts with taking responsibility for your life and refusing to play the victim. Instead of saying “I can’t,” start asking “How can I?,” he said.
How the internet reacted
The former armyman turned CEO was slammed on Reddit for sharing a tone deaf opinion. (Also read: ‘Worst founder in India’: This ‘greedy’ CEO receives dubious honour from Reddit)
“Having been jobless for a while I fail to see how abundance mindset can help. I hate how privileged people preach that non-stop as if jobs grow on trees when I can’t even get a call for an interview,” said one user.
“Yeah! It’s all poor people’s fault for being poor. Nothing at all to do with structural systems of inequity designed to keep them poor and make the rich richer,” wrote another user.
Reddit users also called him out for calling Elon Musk a self-made man when he was born to wealth. “
Ah, Elon Musk the self made man. He broke the cycle of poverty. His father was a humble man with nought but a diamond mine to his name,” quipped a third user.