Schwab’s movements through the Congress Centre unfold like military exercises, a coterie of agitated minions accompanying him everywhere. “All your politics certainly are aiming to create better inclusiveness for the American people.” “Congratulations for what you have achieved for your economy, but also for your society,” Schwab told Trump as he introduced him. When Donald Trump appeared in Davos in January 2020 to present a keynote address, Schwab credited the American president for fostering a spirit of community. He blithely disregards the obvious contradictions between the pristine values he publicly champions-inclusion, equity, transparency-and the unsavory compromises that he makes in wooing people with money and influence. Like most Davos Men, Schwab has mastered the art of holding two irreconcilable positions at once, unencumbered by the typical constraints of rank hypocrisy. But this is also central to the experience, a feeling of overwhelming befuddlement tinged with elation that you are somewhere that is supposed to signify your own importance in the momentous sweep of history-a ridiculous yet highly effective means of motivating people to keep showing up. The event has exhausted the meager supply of hotel rooms, forcing grown professionals to share glorified dorm spaces in barebones chalets for upward of $400 a night, or otherwise commute from neighboring villages while relying on Forum shuttle buses whose schedules appear as closely guarded as North Korean nuclear launch codes.ĭespite the outward appearances of glamour, attending the Forum has become a supreme and unending torment of logistical hassles, astonishing costs, and physical deprivation-exhaustion, dehydration, hunger, and anxiety. In recent years, 3,000 people have jammed the proceedings in Davos.
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