Nicholas Kristof, the Secret Sexist

Three weeks ago for my Education in America class we went to the library to learn about correct sources to use in research papers. Seeing as this was a class of mostly seniors, it seemed pretty irrelevant but that’s beside the point. One of the activities the librarian had us do was read an article and analyze whether it was a credible source. Well, I was reading the article when I noticed the author was our beloved Nicholas Kristof, author of Half the Sky. As we proceeded with the exercise the librarian began to berate Kristof and the article and pretty much told us it was not a credible source.

Yet, the story she told us next really amused me, so I thought I should share it with you all. Apparently when she was working at a different university they wanted Kristof to come speak at the school, because the whole school had read Half the Sky. So, she got in contact with his people and was very excited to have him come to campus, however, she was concerned with pricing. When she asked how much it would cost for him to come talk at the school his reps told her it would be $45,000. Expressing concern over this hefty price tag, she asked if he would not consider lowering the price. To that Kristof stated that if they could not afford the 45,000 dollars they could ask his wife to talk as she only costs 35,000 dollars.  When I heard that my jaw dropped to the floor.

The irony of this statement was astounding to me. Kristof who is this supposed champion of women’s rights is perpetuating workplace inequality with his own wife. Right then I felt my dislike of him was justified. I understand that he needs to make money, but if he was truly dedicated to his cause not just his image, I think he would find some way to spread awareness excluding exorbitant speaking fees. He is the embodiment of the disingenuous white savior.