The world economic forum is like an Executive Summary on the state of the world. For each topic the appropriate keywords, the Buzzwords. You can be the cynic, says Andreas Becker.
Buzzword-Bingo – and often Bullshit-Bingo is very simple. Each player creates a list of keywords in the Manager Jargon, he believes that you will fall in a discussion. Who can first underline all the Buzzwords of his list, has won (the Bingo call optional).
The world economic forum (WEF) in Davos is the perfect place for this game. The congregation of “elites” in business and politics are to speak it in such a way used, in Buzzwords, that a high hit rate is guaranteed.
The “globalization 4.0” has to be “inclusive”, “fair”, and especially “sustainable”. The destruction of the environment represents the world before the great “challenges”, the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” promises to be enormous “growth potential”, but also creates new problems, which the “Leaders” of course, “proactive”, if you want to “remain competitive”. A “multilateral approach” to generate “win-win-situations” – this point was repeated so often that Donald Trump would have to feel personally addressed, he would listen.
Moral 4.0
Klaus Schwab, founder and master of ceremonies of the forum, even called for a “Remo realizations of globalisation” – and one wonders where the Moral was the all of the decades in which, in Davos, all the slogans were issued, which brought us to the current state.
Can the Bingo be in the mountains and really enjoy, would have to be a cynic. Because the topics of the problems are important, serious.
But the WEF is able to offer solutions? It fails on its own claim, to raise the proportion of women is significantly above 20 percent.
DW business editor Andreas Becker
The WEF may have been the goal, “to improve the state of the world” (the official Motto). But the company would not have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in member fees, if it was just that.
Their bosses can maintain in a few days, so many contacts and business to establish that you can save a lot of time. And you will have access to heads of state and government, the WEF also sees itself as a Forum for “Public-Private Partnerships” – yet another Buzzword.
And the politicians come to meet colleagues, to inspire investors and to present itself to the world public – for media coverage is ensured in Davos, Yes sufficient.
A place of contradictions
Except for the expenses so nothing had happened? Not quite. The message that something has to change, at least, is arrived here. During the WEF 2019 so many projects for the protection of the environment and a fairer world were presented, that was almost the case of the globalization critics and its Slogan “another world is possible”. Davos is a place of contradictions.
Whether this will bring something, whether someone changes his mind? Asked why he spoke ironically, in Davos, about his new documentary about the consequences of climate change, said the British nature filmmaker Richard Attenborough, in whole unzynisch: so many are influential people that it would be irresponsible not to take advantage of this opportunity.