Finding hope in the age of resentment: Krugman's final farewell message to the New York Times
Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman's last column for the New York Times is out. The economist explained that he had decided to leave his position as columnist 'in search of greater freedom in terms of style and content'
2' min read
2' min read
"This is my last column for the New York Times, where I started publishing my opinions in January 2000. I am retiring from the Times, not the world, so I will continue to express my opinions in other places. But this seems to me a good opportunity to reflect on what has changed in the last 25 years'.
The reasons for the farewell
.It begins with these words the last article written by Nobel Prize winner for Economics Paul Krugman for the New York Times, at least as a columnist. Last 6 December, opinion page editor Kathleen Kingsbury had announced Krugman's intention to leave his column, and that day has come. Writing on the social platform BlueSky, the economist had explained that he had decided to leave 'in search of greater freedom in terms of style and content'.
Hope beyond resentment
"What strikes me," Krugman continues, writing his latest column for the NYT, "looking back, is how optimistic many people, both here and in much of the Western world, were back then, and how much that optimism has been replaced by anger and resentment. And I'm not just talking about members of the working class who feel betrayed by elites; some of the most angry and resentful people in America right now, people who seem very likely to have a lot of influence on the future Trump administration, are billionaires who don't feel sufficiently admired."
"And it wasn't so long ago that tech billionaires were widely admired across the political spectrum, some of whom achieved the status of folk heroes. But now they and some of their products face disillusionment, and worse: Australia has even banned the use of social media by children under 16.Which brings me back to the point that some of the most resentful people in America right now seem to be angry billionaires."
The title chosen for the last speech is indicative: 'Finding Hope in an Age of Resentment' (Finding Hope in an Age of Resentment). Right from the title, in fact, the spirit in which the Nobel Prize winner took the decision to leave his position as a columnist, in search of new challenges and new opportunities for expression, seeps through.
