Newsweek: "What If Paul Krugman Were A Woman?"

newsweek.com:

"Please do not believe all the talk about the green shoots of the Japanese economy, which I suspect you might have heard. We are in pretty bad shape."

Narika Hama, a professor of economics at Doshisha University in Kyoto, is a sort of Japanese version of Paul Krugman�"if Paul Krugman were a woman with a purple rinse, pink jacket, funky blue jeans, black patent leather pumps, and a vague British accent. Hama, who lived in the United Kingdom as a child in the 1960s, is something of an intellectual celebrity in Japan. (One of my Japanese hosts was excited to get her autograph after our meeting.) She's a respected academic economist and a well-known commentator. She writes a monthly column for the Japan Timesand is a regular contributor to Open Democracy. Like Krugman, she's a scholar and polemicist who doesn't shrink from speaking directly about politics. She's also got the columnist's gift for phrasing and buzzwords.

Read the whole story: newsweek.com

Comments

[Jer1957]

The more important question is:

What if Barack Obama were a Man?

Would he continue to be such a compliant advocate of a Bottomless Wall St Bailout? ($13Trillion +)

Would he still back "health-care reform" (Medicare budget cuts,) that could kill enough old folks to be agreeable to HMO execs.

Of course, he would--any Harvard-trained lawyer always follows the money...

[cavegal]

All Ivy leaguers whether Dem or Repub are trained to follow the money, they don't have to be training as lawyers either.

[HawaiianPunch]

Ohhhhh, I see what you did here. Sharp and incisive! Obama may never recover.

Here's another braintickler for ya: what if you weren't some embittered, ill-informed, tool that spends its time and energy anonymously airing your 'issues' by making negative, anti-factual and not-altoge­ther-relev­ant posts on internet fora?

Grow up. It's a holiday; go outside and have some fun. Unless, of course, doing what you're doing here is your idea of fun.

[Chlowina]

Good one... :~)

[AlaninElkGrove]

His grandma already took his sparklers away because he was "experimenting" with helpless animals.

(probably this is how Chen.ey spent his childhood as well)

[weatherwaxx]

If he were, the beard would have to go.

This is a really stupid headline, particularly since the story is about a different economist entirely.

Which begs another question: What if Newsweek were worth reading...­?

[cavegal]

LOL!! Most of these rags are owned by huge multinational corporations. I forget who owns Newsweek now but you are right. Most of them have been really dumbed down and are in total support of continuing the current oligarchy. Problem is now we all know they lied to us and there is just no getting around it anymore.

[StephenJK]

GE owns Newsweek

[Martampa]

Krugman makes a lot of sense. Obama would do well to listen to some of his comments.

[Jer1957]

Agreed. And I might ask:

What if Obama were a man?

Specifically, a man capable of standing up to the Wall St./London financial boys who tortured his grandfather in Kenya???

Not a well-financed and media-protected opportunist humming Wall Street's tune--and following orders?

[jalowe1957]

What if Paul Krugman was Sapphic and a woman?

If he were, he'd suffer the one-two sucker punch of discrimination based on both gender and sexual orientation.

[Kassandra]

If Krugman were a womon in America, he would be totally, not partially ignored. He wouldn't have won that Nobel Prize either, bet on it.

[noneIn2008]

Maybe time to stop labeling people with irrelevant labels like "woman". Let's judge people are individuals and drop all the artificial labels that have no relevance. Headlines like this only help propagate sexism.

[brooklyncitizen]

Amen.

[Kassandra]

BS

[Bettysdad]

What do you suggest we refer to "women" as ?

How about "radios?"

[Social Construct]

The Austrian School theories are a mere rehashing of eugenics theorists, plainly and simply put. Yet, that's just my opinion and I'm sure everyone has one ....

[jekyll]

Eugenics theorists? Care to elaborate.­...

[LunaPark]

Yea right. I'm sure Murray Rothbard and Ludwig von Mesis were espousing eugenics. Do you think von Mesis was applying eugenics to his economic theories when he had to flee Nazi Germany as a Jewish refugee?

[Bettysdad]

Eugenics has nothing to do with any genetic characteristics.

Although anti-semites think so.

[Ryoki]

If Krugman were a woman I'd suggest dying the beard. Maybe a color to match his pumps.

[smchp]

What if Limbaugh were black.....­.discuss!

[smchp]

At Black woman that is.......l­ol. Discuss.

[JackRusselTerrier]

I have to say, I saw an interview of Paul Krugman by Charlie Rose on PBS recently and I was very disappointed. They both seemed more interested in keeping their jobs and their corporate sponsors than calling a spade a spade. Paul Krugman did a lot of hemming and hawing but didn't have the guts to call out the politicians for conflict of interest in taking money from the banks. Charlie Rose seemed to be trying to lead the conversation towards keeping things just bas they are.

[serindipity803]

Yes, I have noticed Krugman is not as alarming as the Huff Post headers make him out to be!

[OfficialA]

What if Newsweek were a source of real journalism?

[PerfectSense]

Ouch - the truth hurts.

[higgins1990]

LOL! I was going to slam Krugman, because, basically, he is a tool, but this was by far the best reply of all.

[Avanti2]

She would be the wall flower, cowering in the corner, not wanting to dance.

[Moshe]

That is a very distrubing and disturbed premise.

I am going to try to not thing about it, and the author of this thought might want to seek counseling.

[InedaName]

If Paul Krugman were a woman, her name would be Paula. Next question..­.

[Innerspace]

Great job Jekyll, A completely accurate summary. It's unfortunate and frightening that so many people(I assume) read and agree with Krugman. Same old bull, the clueless Keynesians and their clones think they can just print their way out of this. In a debt based economy, paper money ain't wealth. The dollar will soon be worth next to nothing and then where will the wealth be in our 75% or more consumption based system? Unconstitutional, unethical and downright criminal printing is a major factor in the dollar's demise. I think we can all see that things are about to get a whole lot worse. Won't be able to print our way out this one, it will just make it worse. It is a vicious cycle. This is economics 101 people.
And Krugman, You might want go get your Grandpas' wheelbarrow, because the next quart of Aqua Velva you pick up Walmart or Nieman's or wherever will probably cost about $1800. You might be forced to switch to Old Spice.