A couple of months ago, as I was walking to the subway, I passed Nicholas Kristof on the street. I thought of this moment again due to his recent op-eds in the New York Times. For those of you who don't know, Nicholas Kristof is one of the Op-Ed columnists for the Times. He frequently travels to war-torn countries in an effort to shed light on situations most of us would rather not dwell upon. He has drawn much needed attention to the plight of women around the world, many of whom suffer unimaginable indignities. From reporting mass rape in war zones, to young girls being sold into sexual slavery the world over, he refuses to be silent about crimes against women, which can all too easily be ignored out of shame, ignorance and discomfort.
As far as I'm concerned, he's a rock star.
And there he was, strolling unnoticed towards Grand Central station. I gasped and turned my head in order to catch another glimpse. No one else on the street paid any attention. This all goes to prove one thing -- I am a dork.
But wouldn't it be amazing if op-ed writers, journalists and intellectuals were greeted with the same fanfare as movie stars? The Jonas Brothers have hordes of screaming fans (why, exactly?) and Mr. Kristof had only me that day, and I was too shy to approach him. Now, don't get me wrong, if I saw George Clooney walking down the street I would be just as starstruck (and indeed was the day I saw Paul McCartney with Captain Insane-O herself and their baby). But is it wrong to long for a world in which an average looking newspaper columnist turns heads?
I think not.
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