I rise to acknowledge that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker this year officially became a “Davos Person,” traveling to a tiny Swiss village with hundreds of other global-leader types, after two years in which the annual power fest experienced a pandemic-enforced repose.
Of course, the Davos Person not long ago was known as the Davos Man. But the times, and the nouns, have changed, though the purpose of the confab remains pretty much the same: high-minded talk mixed with bottom-line pursuit of commercial, state and national agendas.
The Davos Person’s reputation varies depending on the audience. The conveners of the World Economic Forum in Davos see their attendees as enlightened and powerful global citizens who come each year to discuss and sort the world’s big problems. Climate change, the war in Ukraine, slowing economies and economic disparities — that sort of topic.
