LOUIS BURKE | Corporate | CONTACT
Aspiring worker and future jet ski owner, Simon Richardson (21) reckons he’s had enough of people attributing their lack of success to factors beyond their control.
“It’s the 21st Century. Sexism is over, racism is over, it’s time people started realising maybe it’s just the fact they’re not trying hard enough.”
Richardson, the son of a wealthy Double Bay property developer, Simon Richardson Senior, says his dad is one of the last classic examples of an Aussie battler, who used his life savings of $10,000 to buy four properties in the ‘70s.
“And before you ask, no they weren’t all in nice locations. One of them I was west of the fish markets”
According to Richardson Junior a young, white, wealthy and objectively attractive (until he starts speaking) young man, the family you are born into counts for less than ever these days.
“It’s the choices we make, that simple. If your family is holding you back, ditch them. But like, mine wasn’t so I didn’t. That’s my choice.”
Furthermore, Richardson believes that in our ‘fair-go-for-all’ society, we should be ending concessions for those at a disadvantage such as Universities offering Indigenous and LGBTI scholarships.
“It’s unfair not just to me, but to the other white guys who made up about 70% of my class each time tried Uni. Where’s my scholarship? I mean I don’t have HECS anyway because dad paid for it but still.”
“When you bring race and gender into it you distract from the real issues. Why aren’t any of these people doing things about homelessness? I’d do it myself but there are like none in my area.”
Largely, Richardson credits his worldly experiences such as travelling to Bali as being responsible for his new perspectives.
“You go there, and people are poor as shit but they’re giving it a go. And they’re happy while doing it. This one guy sold me grog that had methylated spirits in it for sure. Where’s that entrepreneurial spirit over here?”
Determined to be self-made, Richardson is ready to start his own ventures to prove his point. Currently, Richardson says he has four business ideas on the go and is refusing to take a single cent of funding from his father.
“Yeah he didn’t really offer anyway but I don’t need it. Got a mate designing the logo for my app, just gotta figure out the rest. Two startup ideas I’m going to start a Powerpoint on and another app I wanna call ‘You BetChat’ which is a betting app where you can like talk to your friends on it, sort of a point of difference.”
“And mate, if I fail it will have nothing to do with my race and gender, that’s that.”