Article Critique: Saudis in Bikinis by Nicholas D Kristof
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Kayla Deleon
English 1301
Mrs. Line
1 December 2014
A Critique of "Saudis In Bikinis"
In The New York Times, Nicholas D. Kristof discusses his outlook on the women of Saudi Arabia and their decisions on fashion in his column "Saudis In Bikinis." In the article, Kristof states that he believes Saudi women are repressed in their society and culture and proclaims "if the women prefer to remain secondclass citizens, then I suppose that's their choice. But if anyone chooses to behave so foolishly, is it any surprise that outsiders point and jeer?" Despite Kristof's perspicacious yet benighted reasoning, one would say that Kristof, himself, may be unobservant regarding irrefutable aspects to his own culture.
Cultural differences is one example of why Kristof chooses to discreetly bash
Saudi women and their culture. In the article, he bluntly questions the actions that the women in Saudi Arabia endure, stating that they are "repressed" in their culture. He claims that he was scolded at multiple times after he had made a "typically snide reference to repressed Saudi women." The truth of the matter is, Saudi women are not repressed because they choose to wear their abayas. It is true that abayas are regulated and policed. Women's rights is a burning topic in Saudi Arabia, with a surprisingly wide range of views, consisting of both men and women. For Kristof to question the decisions that these women are making is like an insult to them and their culture. "If most Saudi
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women want to wear a tent, if they don't want to drive, then that's fine. But why not give them the choice? Why ban women drivers and why empower the religious police, the mutawwa, to scold those loose hussies who choose to show a patch of hair?" In this quote, Kristof seems as if he is disconnected from the rest of the world, lacking to concede and remember the fact that he grew up in the West and was most likely unaware of different cultures in different
Kayla Deleon
English 1301
Mrs. Line
1 December 2014
A Critique of "Saudis In Bikinis"
In The New York Times, Nicholas D. Kristof discusses his outlook on the women of Saudi Arabia and their decisions on fashion in his column "Saudis In Bikinis." In the article, Kristof states that he believes Saudi women are repressed in their society and culture and proclaims "if the women prefer to remain secondclass citizens, then I suppose that's their choice. But if anyone chooses to behave so foolishly, is it any surprise that outsiders point and jeer?" Despite Kristof's perspicacious yet benighted reasoning, one would say that Kristof, himself, may be unobservant regarding irrefutable aspects to his own culture.
Cultural differences is one example of why Kristof chooses to discreetly bash
Saudi women and their culture. In the article, he bluntly questions the actions that the women in Saudi Arabia endure, stating that they are "repressed" in their culture. He claims that he was scolded at multiple times after he had made a "typically snide reference to repressed Saudi women." The truth of the matter is, Saudi women are not repressed because they choose to wear their abayas. It is true that abayas are regulated and policed. Women's rights is a burning topic in Saudi Arabia, with a surprisingly wide range of views, consisting of both men and women. For Kristof to question the decisions that these women are making is like an insult to them and their culture. "If most Saudi
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women want to wear a tent, if they don't want to drive, then that's fine. But why not give them the choice? Why ban women drivers and why empower the religious police, the mutawwa, to scold those loose hussies who choose to show a patch of hair?" In this quote, Kristof seems as if he is disconnected from the rest of the world, lacking to concede and remember the fact that he grew up in the West and was most likely unaware of different cultures in different