Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman has a biting take on Netflix's new show 'Altered Carbon'
- Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman made a comment about Netflix's new show 'Altered Carbon' reflecting our own world and power structure.
- The show's violence against women has been a source of debate, with some saying it's gratuitous and others arguing it's reflective of our society.
Everyone loves binge-watching Netflix, even Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, who delivered an incisive take after finishing the streaming giant's newest hit.
In a tweet Wednesday, Krugman addressed the science-fiction world of "Altered Carbon," Netflix's epic series based on the 2002 novel by Richard K. Morgan.
"I just finished watching 'Altered Carbon' on Netflix," Krugman tweeted. "It's about a corrupt future society in which wealthy, powerful men feel free to ignore the law and abuse and beat up women. In other words, watching it was a lot like reading the morning newspaper."
The tweet has racked up over 11,000 likes so far.
The world of "Altered Carbon" has been a source of debate since the show became available to stream on Netflix on February 2. Some, including Business Insider's own Carrie Wittmer, criticized the show's depiction of violence against women.
In her review, Wittmer wrote:
In establishing the world of "Altered Carbon," the violence didn't have to be toward young, attractive women - over and over again. But it is, and feels gratuitous. At first, the excessive violence toward the human form reinforces the fact that death isn't final. But to drive this point home to the audience, the show could use some variety in victims.
But others have defended this element of the series.
"I think it's really important to investigate what this very dark world tells us about the world we actually have right now," one of the stars of the show, Renée Elise Goldsberry, said at a roundtable discussion recently. "In order to really examine ourselves we can't shy away from the best and the worst of us."
At the same discussion another "Altered Carbon" star, Dichen Lachman, pointed out that violence against women is common, even today.
"This is a real thing and it is hard to digest and look at," she said. "We can really look at our own society through this focused lens, and maybe it will push people into action to do something positive to help women reach out to women who have suffered. Because it's a real thing and not enough people talk about it. And if we shy away from it, then we can't really examine how horrific it is, and how it needs to stop."
At least one viewer, Krugman, seems to agree with Lachman about the show's relevance to our world.