For some time, I’ve noticed the term “The Great Reset” and the name “Klaus Schwab” on social media and in emails. Both were unfamiliar to me. There is a clear political divide on The Great Reset: conservative media refer to its socialist agenda, while liberal media refer to sustainability and poverty. Conspiracy sites claim it’s about an imminent coup (d’etat).
In April 2010, Richard Florida, a professor at the University of Toronto‘s Rotman School of Management, published a book, entitled: The Great Reset: How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity (eg, Amazon, BOL).
Early June 2020, The Great Reset became a project by the World Economic Forum (WEF), founded by Klaus Schwab, “a German engineer and economist”. A quote from the WEF website:
“The pandemic represents a rare but narrow window of opportunity to reflect, reimagine, and reset our world” – Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum.”
This 2020 WEF project feels (very) similar to (i) the 2010 book by Richard Florida, and (ii) the Club of Rome (1968) and its 1972 publication: The Limits to Growth. Latter publication caused a lot of turmoil in the 1970s, but vanished into oblivion. I expect the same for The Great Reset.
The irony of this World Economic Forum project is that the economic devastation caused by Covid-19 will prevent the “narrow window of opportunity to reflect, reimagine, and reset our world”. Currently, many governments are spending billions (Europe) or trillions (USA) on Covid-19, which can no longer be spent on “resetting” the world.
Initially, I wondered if the “Highlights of The Great Reset Launch” (5 min. WEF video) were a practical joke or a spoof. Then I wondered why people feel threatened by such a project. The clumsiness of the video should give rise to amusement rather than fear. I suppose people view Klaus Schwab as a real life Ernst Stavro Blofeld, a fictional James Bond villain.
To some extent, The Great Reset is a consequence of these famous expressions:
- Niccolò Machiavelli: “Never waste the opportunity offered by a good crisis”;
- Winston Churchill: “Never let a good crisis go to waste”;
- Rahm Emanuel: “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.”
Opportunity (1977) by Joan Armatrading
artist, lyrics, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
Opportunity
Came to my door
When I was down
On my luck
In the shape
Of an old friend
With a plan
Guaranteed
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless stated otherwise.
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