Sweatshops: A Critical Review of Nicholas Kristof's Argument

Nicholas Kristof (pictured below) is a 57-year-old opinion journalist for the New York Times who is generally seen as a staunch liberal in his opinions. However, Kristof has one opinion that differs greatly from the average left-winger; Kristof thinks sweatshops are great. While most people assume that sweatshops are terribly cruel to the workers who are employed there, Kristof plays the devil's advocate and says that sweatshops may be the best thing that ever happened to poor countries.

Nicholas Kristof

Kristof argues that if it were not for sweatshops, the poorest people in the poorest countries could never escape poverty. The main problems Americans have with sweatshops are that the pay is too low, the work is unsafe, and the labor is unfair. This may be true... from an American's point of view. From those living in poverty in the poorest countries in the world's point of view, however, a job in a sweatshop is like a dream come true. Kristof emphasizes this point by asking Cambodian peasants who work in sweatshops how they feel about the situation. One lower class 13-year-old girl states, "It's dirty, hot, and smelly here; a factory is better."

Another point that Kristof uses is that, no matter how hard unions may try, improving conditions for workers is nearly impossible, and usually not beneficial. United States non-profit organizations love trying to improve working conditions for those in sweatshops. If these organizations are successful in making new laws that change things or make the companies who provide sweatshop workers their jobs lose money, the companies will simply pull out of the country, and go set up shop somewhere else without the laws. While their hearts are in the right place, all these organizations do is cause millions of poor people who were on their way out of poverty to return to the bottom of their class.

Overall, Kristof presents a strong argument for a sad cause. His general argument is that no matter how terrible sweatshops may be, they are better than the alternative jobs for the peasants of the poorest countries in the world.

Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/ref/opinion/KRISTOF-BIO.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/opinion/15kristof.html