April 13, 2022

"'I don’t think that most people appreciate that most years, alcohol kills more people than drugs,' Kristof told me, though he clarified that he does not believe this is true of the type of alcohol that he makes."

"He also does not think that profiting off the sale of alcohol and lowering rates of alcohol addiction, two of his stated immediate goals, are in conflict. 'You know, I’ve lost friends to alcoholism, but I haven’t lost any to Pinot Noir alcoholism,' he said. 'I wouldn’t be in favor of barring alcohol in general. I think that wine can be, or cider can be, a social good and can create social capital. Things that bring people together, I think, are good for society. I think alcohol can do that, and I think that’s true of wine and cider. I take your point that some people start with nice Pinot Noirs and then… ,' he trailed off. 'But I think that is much less common, and those who die, the mortality from alcoholism, it’s driven really by working-class Americans, and it’s in kind of bulk hard liquor particularly. I don’t think that good wine and cider add significantly to the problem.'"

That's the most hilariously elitist thing I've read in a long time. Kristof is Nicholas Kristof, the former NYT columnist, who left that job to run for governor in Oregon, but got stopped in his tracks by the state law requirement of 3 years' residency, and he only had 1.

The quote is from "Nicholas Kristof’s Botched Rescue Mission/How the lauded Times columnist lost the race for governor of Oregon before it even began" (NY Magazine).

Why did he think he could run if he didn't meet that very specific requirement? Answer: lawyers! Just as his vineyard doesn't produce the kind of wine that entails the usual problems of alcohol, his 1 year could count as 3, couldn't it? With fancy enough arguments, his 1 could be the Pinot Noir of 3... couldn't it?

You know they say the states are the laboratories of democracy. It's such a shame we didn't get to see the mind of Kristof applied to the laboratory that is Oregon!

73 comments:

MikeR said...

"who left that job to run for governor in Oregon, but got stopped in his tracks by the state law requirement of 3 years' residency, and he only had 1." I really think that his level of competence would be a good fit for Oregon.

Kevin said...

“When I make alcohol,” Nick Kristoff said in rather a scornful tone, “it kills just who I choose it to kill—neither more nor less.”

Dave Begley said...

Wine and cider are okay, but not beer?

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Quite elitist. Are fabulously rich athletes “working class,” Nick?

it’s driven really by working-class Americans

Lotta very wealthy people get really drunk and cause mayhem every year. Vehicular manslaughter etc. Hollywood is famous for all the “do you know who I am” DUI videos, grainy though they might be. But maybe Nicky K is thinking those “to the manor born” friends are immune from addiction?

Mike Sylwester said...

The New York Times used to publish Kristof's essays in which he begged tax officials to leak Donald Trump's tax information to him, promising that he could publish it.

Kristof is obsessed with publishing other people's tax information. If he became a state governor, then he no longer would have to beg for such information. As governor, he simply could select other people's tax information and reveal it to the public.

Maybe he could get his jollies by just publishing all his own tax information for everyone to read and discuss.

Enigma said...

That's the most hilariously elitist thing I've read in a long time.

And factually false. Alcoholism tends to occur in wealthy countries. Drinking is a luxury time-wasting activity, and it's often suppressed by religions too.


https://www.abbeycarefoundation.com/alcohol/alcoholism-by-country-statistics/

As far as the use of alcohol is a concern, the top countries in the world with the heaviest adult drinkers are as follows:

Belarus
Lithuania
Grenada
Czech Republic
France
Russia
Ireland
Luxembourg
Slovakia
Germany

Iman said...

What a tool. Pathetic.

Temujin said...

I'll reverse this one for this very special New Yorker:

If you can't make it here (Oregon), you're not going to make it anywhere.

I love Pinot Noir. I will not be buying Kristoff's version. I wouldn't trust it was actually Pinot. The man's had integrity problems for years.

gilbar said...

and those who die, the mortality from alcoholism, it’s driven really by working-class Americans

because rich people can afford to pay for their own obits, and say that they died "from a long illness"?

MadisonMan said...

It's very funny to me that he didn't even investigate the rules for running. What a simp. And wine and cider good, but beer? Not mentioned. What an elitist simp.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

'You know, I’ve lost friends to alcoholism, but I haven’t lost any to Pinot Noir alcoholism,' he said.

Careful, Nick! You know Karma is off somewhere taking notes!

Sebastian said...

"it’s in kind of bulk hard liquor particularly"

May sound elitist, but it also may be true. Is it? Leaving the class bit out of it, anecdotal experience suggests there is at least a kernel of truth to it.

"Nicholas Kristof’s Botched Rescue Mission/How the lauded Times columnist lost the race"

"Lauded"! Also ridiculed, vilified, refuted, ignored. Which is deplorable, so let's go with lauded.

The tell here is not just that progs laud other progs, but that down to their use of adjectives they take for granted that everyone agrees.

rcocean said...

Plenty of people die from drinking wine. Lower class ones are called "Winos".
My doctor mentioned a patient who got cirrohis of the liver from drinking 3 glasses of wine 5 days a week. And friend got it when he was part of a wine tasting club. Drink 6 bottles of wine a week and that's the equivilent to 2 bottles of Vodka in terms of alcohol.

John Cheever's mother drank herself to death with wine.

rcocean said...

Unlike Minnasota, Oregon used to be allergic to carpetbaggers. Especially those from "Back East". that's probably changed, given the number of Californians and Immigrants who've moved there.

mezzrow said...

tldr:"Purty words should be good enough for the proles."

Where's my pinot noir? Is that the right glass for that? Why aren't you masked?

Paddy O said...

Interestingly, his argument is close to the one thay prompted Arthur Guinness to start his famous beet in Dublin. He was a Christian and wanted an alternative to whiskey, etc. His is a fascinating story

hawkeyedjb said...

"As far as the use of alcohol is a concern, the top countries in the world with the heaviest adult drinkers are as follows..."

If Wisconsin were a country it would be on that list.

Carol said...

Lol the only people who took his candidacy seriously were other writers. Like the ones who thought Egg McMuffin had a chance

Nobody knows who you are, guys.

Carol said...

I do agree with Kristof about social drinking though. I haven't gotten to know anyone new since the world dried up.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

Even a 3-yo could understand that 3-year requirement. Kristoff's problem was he didn't have a 3-yo to tell him he couldn't run. He had lawyers, who would argue anything to get a buck and take their clients to the cleaners. "We just have to appeal the decision one more time, Mr. Kristoff."

As P.T. Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute." Nicholas Kristoff is that sucker.

rcocean said...

One day libtards should explain why hard liquor is allowed to advertise on TV and cigarettes are not.

Bob Boyd said...

Those darn working-class Americans, is there a problem in the world that isn't our doing?

mikee said...

I'd think being bonked on the head with a wine bottle, containing it matters not Pinot Noir or Cabernet or Trockenbeerenauslese, might be a refutation to Kristof's assertion about his alcoholism class warfare. Who has a spare bottle handy, with which to bonk him?

Paul Zrimsek said...

Quick, Nick, give me a 4-letter word for a type of person likely to be killed by alcohol. Starts with a W.

Nicholas said...

This reminds me of the "sophisticated" crowd that went to Obama's superspreader event on Long Island.

iowan2 said...

"I’ve lost friends to alcoholism, but I haven’t lost any to Pinot Noir alcoholism,"

I have just lost a friend that drank herself to death with merlot. She ran a trucking company.

Statistics by anecdote, is not a smart look.

It is also a sign of a person ignorant of addiction. He can be thankful he has not had the experience to gain the insight.

ConradBibby said...

Notice the tone of apologetic hand-wringing over whether it is okay for enlightened elites NOT to support a ban on alcohol! Alcohol has been around for thousands of years and can be easily made from just about anything. There will be no getting rid of alcohol despite anyone's phony consternation over the health risks.

iowan2 said...

e)Why did he think he could run if he didn't meet that very specific requirement?

Today the Iowa Supreme Court is looking at district court ruling that ruled a candidate could not be on the primary ballot, because she lacked enough qualified signatures, by three. This is the Democrat primary for Senate. The winner will take on, 88 year old Senator Charles Grassley.

My wife said its kind of picky. But the rules are spelled out. Short by three, or three hundred, is still short. I'm interested if the Supreme court is going to follow the letter of the rules, or find some "fairness" doctrine, hidden in the emanations and penumbra of the Iowa Constitution.

Scotty, beam me up... said...

'You know, I’ve lost friends to alcoholism, but I haven’t lost any to Pinot Noir alcoholism‘ - Nicholas Kristof

Pinot Noir wine has some of the highest alcohol content amongst the various wines. Kristof is either implying that his Pinot Noir will be low in alcohol content or that he is not aware of any alcoholics who drink Pinot Noir in saying he knows of no one who died of alcoholism from drinking Pinot Noir. He must be selling grape juice made from the pinot grapes that he has.

D.D. Driver said...

Pinot Noir alcoholism

Winos? Now we can't even all them winos anymore? Wokeness is out of control.

Joe Smith said...

I assume he's a lib?

But I think he has something about people not killing themselves with an oaky Chardonnay.

I mean, there are wine moms, wine o'clock, and then there are hardcore drinkers.

And I've been around long enough to know the difference.

JK Brown said...

My brother drank himself to death because of America's war on prescription painkillers made it near impossible for him to get pain meds for botched sinus surgery. So he self-medicated. And ethanol is ethanol, no matter what it is mixed with to make it more palatable. My brother had two drinks a night. But when pushed by the ER doctor, those two drinks equated to about 10 oz of liquor.

Joe Smith said...

'If Wisconsin were a country it would be on that list.'

Brandy old-fashioneds are exempted dontcha know...

'I have just lost a friend that drank herself to death with merlot.'

Proves his point...merlot is not pinot.

iowan2 said...

The 'working class' thing is hoot.

Addiction is progressive.

You use until you have, lost everything, get help, or die. So yes in the depths of addiction, you are working class, until you sink below that bar too.

I know a guy that spent 2 years spraying bugs, until he cleaned up and got his Dentist license back.

We won't waste anytime on examining addictions in entertainment and Royalty.

The longer I think about this jerk Kristoff, the more upset I get. Time to move on to something fun.

TexLaw said...

Alcohol is alcohol. It's all addictive. It's addictive to rich and poor alike. It's even addictive to rats.

Marcus Bressler said...

I consider myself an expert on the topic of alcoholism as I "is" one (or at least as it pertains to me). On the 28th of this month, I'll have 28 years sober. Alcohol is alcohol. I could relate hundreds of tales of people, many women, who came into a certain 12 Step, spiritually-based program of recovery with the protestation of "But I only drink WINE!"

IamDevo said...

I kept reading this article much in the same way that one might keep staring at a pile-up on the highway; not believing it was possible for a human-made disaster to be of such magnitude, but accepting the evidence that I was witnessing. Kristof continued with each dim-witted utterance to reveal himself to be lacking any self-awareness, as well as a narcissism so deep as to overwhelm and consume every other aspect of his personality. "Gosh, my alcohol is GOOD! Other people's alcohol is BAD, especially the kind consumed by the little people, like plumbers who I actually have never spoken to or had to deal with.
I'm such a way cool Son of Oregon that the rubes'll fall all over themselves to vote for me as their Dear Leader, and then I'll be able to do a bunch of good." This from a moron who couldn't figure out the most elementary laws governing political office. And yet, I reflected on the undeniable fact that his written words had been accepted as Gospel by readers of the NYT for his entire career. Talk about Dunning-Kruger.

Mason G said...

"Why did he think he could run if he didn't meet that very specific requirement?"

Because he's a Democrat. Rules don't apply to them when it's inconvenient.

Godot said...

Think of the good Kristof could have done in Oregon -- where so many highway fatalities are caused by Chevrolet and so few by Bugatti.

Skeptical Voter said...

Well it is true that very few, or maybe none, of Kristof's grapes wind up in the short dogs favored by back alley winos. So there is that.

Michael K said...

On the "class" subject with alcohol, back when I was in practice I saw a patient who was a successful businessman with a nice family. He was in the hospital to "dry out" from severe alcoholism. We talked about his future and he told me he could not stop drinking even though it was close to taking his life. He died a couple of years later. He was one of only a few alcoholics I talked to who was honest about his drinking. Most lie.

hombre said...

"It's such a shame we didn't get to see the mind of Kristof applied to the laboratory that is Oregon!"

I lived in Oregon for several years. Three things stand out politically, Portland, Kate Brown and Democrat dominance through mail order voting.

It is unlikely that another leftist "mind" would restore that beautiful state to political health, particularly a mind that failed to comprehend residency requirements.

Rabel said...

The denial and justification. The irrational decisions related to the run for Governor. The urge to get closer to the source of his habit.

Nick Kristoff is an alcoholic. A wino. Maybe.

Owen said...

Kristof's real problem is that he's a Rhodes Scholar. Which means a lifetime addiction to impenetrable fact-free narcissism.

PM said...

Shades of
Street Woman, palm out, to Queen Elizabeth: Please Mum, I haven't eaten in weeks.
Queen Elizabeth: Oh my dear, you must try. You must force yourself if you have to.

Tina Trent said...

Kristoff spent decades claiming to be doing good for women and girls in oppressive countries, but he never had the balls to call out the ethnic and religious roots of such oppression. Then, back in America, he sympathized with offenders instead of their victims. He doesn't seem very bright.

I wonder why he quickly left the Times. The youngsters there are getting unruly, it's said.

iowan2 said...

He was one of only a few alcoholics I talked to who was honest about his drinking. Most lie.

Lie to you and everyone around them.

What kills them is lying to themselves. The cure for addiction is honesty. Dr's can get through withdraw, and sober them up. But only honesty will lead them to recovery.

The perception held by Kristoff is part of the problem. But, again, unless a person close to you has found the solution, its impossible to "learn" the disease.

Earnest Prole said...

I take your point that some people start with nice Pinot Noirs and then… ,' he trailed off.

I started out on Burgundy but soon hit the harder stuff
Everybody said they'd stand behind me when the game got rough
But the joke was on me, there was nobody even there to bluff
I'm going back to New York City, I do believe I've had enough

wendybar said...

I think Kamala has been drinking....Can anybody make out what the hell she is talking about??

“I acknowledge one must acknowledge that prices are going up, and that people are working hard and, in many cases, are worried about whether they can get through the end of the month and make it all work,” Harris said.

“What I can say is that people deserve to know that their president, that our administration, is concerned enough to do something about it, so that is what we are doing,” she added.

Rollo said...

Drink enough and you can even forget which state you have been living in. Right, Nick?

I have been drinking more since COVID -- or at least it's convenient to blame it on COVID.

Iman said...

Blogger Nicholas said...
“This reminds me of the "sophisticated" crowd that went to Obama's superspreader event on Long Island.“

Nice try, Kristof. Self-abasement only works with Howard, Inga and the other leftwing lounge lizards…

Freeman Hunt said...

He is wrong.

Freeman Hunt said...

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2012) conducted a population-based study of the association between HED and several SES-related variables among adults (N = 457,677) in 48 States and Washington, DC. The findings indicated that people who did not graduate from high school and had a low income had the lowest prevalence of HED. In fact, HED prevalence increased with household income and was highest among those with a household income greater than $75,000 a year."

"Another population-based study conducted in New York City at the neighborhood level yielded similar findings (Galea et al. 2007). Specifically, the neighborhoods with the highest income and with the greatest income disparities showed the highest prevalence of alcohol use as well as greater frequency of drinking."

"Similarly, analysis of data from a large, population-based survey called the Panel Study of Income Dynamics demonstrated that three indicators of family-background SES—income, wealth, and parental education—predicted alcohol use in young adults (Patrick et al. 2012). Young adults with the highest family-background SES reported greater alcohol use, and those with greater family wealth reported higher monthly HED prevalence."

The consequences for the "lower classes" are worse if they become alcoholics, but they are less likely to do so.

The book Triumphs of Expertise on the Harvard Grant study reported a similar phenomenon. Being rich insulated people from the consequences of their alcoholism and made them less likely to recover, ultimately ruining their lives.

Mason G said...

"Today, I am seeing more headlines about food shortages than about fuel prices."

I'm sure Brandon isn't at risk for missing a meal. So he's got that going for him, which is nice.

Freeman Hunt said...

Is he skating through the tiny space of not killing as many people? The other terrible consequences of alcoholism don't matter as long as the person doesn't die?

Hari said...

"the mortality from alcoholism, it’s driven really by working-class Americans"

Hari said...

"You know, I’ve lost friends to alcoholism, but I haven’t lost any to Pinot Noir alcoholism‘" He also doesn't have any friends who are working class.

Earnest Prole said...

For those curious about Kristoff’s Oregon roots, the story told at his Oregon farm’s website is consistent with what I’ve read elsewhere:

“The Kristofs were an Armenian family living in Eastern Europe. During World War II, family members spied on the Nazis for the Allies, were caught and imprisoned, and eventually had their lands seized by the Communists. After first being imprisoned by the Nazis for spying, Ladis Kristof fled to Yugoslavia and was then imprisoned by the Communists in a concentration camp. Eventually, he was released and made his way to France, but he dreamed of reaching America. In 1952, the First Presbyterian Church in Portland, Oregon, sponsored him, and he arrived that fall and found a job in a logging camp in Valsetz, Oregon.

“After learning English, Ladis became a distinguished political scientist at Portland State University where his wife, Jane, taught art history. They bought the Kristof Farm and raised a son, Nicholas, who grew up on the farm and went to Yamhill schools. Nicholas would go on to become a Harvard graduate, Rhodes Scholar, and New York Times columnist. He married Sheryl WuDunn, a Chinese-American from New York City, and they became the first married couple to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism. They raised three children, Gregory, Geoffrey, and Caroline.

“In the 21st century, fewer people were eating cherry pies and the Kristofs began to consider next steps for their orchard. Nick and Sheryl were writing a book, “Tightrope,” about the struggles of the working class and sought to support a higher value-added agriculture in the area. They decided to replace the cherry orchard with Pinot Noir grapes and cider apples.

“Three generations of Kristofs have poured their souls into this project. We hope that people around the world will find the resulting wine and cider refreshing, invigorating and as gloriously complex as the story of the Kristof farm.”

Bill Peschel said...

There's a method to what seems like Kristoff's inability to read a calendar.

He was testing to see if he was in the elite class. Elites are known for evading the rules and getting away with it. Look at the Obama campaign allowing credit card donations from overseas (got away with it); numerous politicians appearing maskless while the prole servants had to remained masked (got away with it); and states allowing mail-in ballots to come in bundled and untraced back to the original voters.

Kristoff discovered his true place in the hierarchy: a tool.

Ralph L said...

He should have just said, my wine will be so expensive, only the rich could buy enough to harm themselves, and probably not after they taste it.

Kristof's real problem is that he's a Rhodes Scholar.

Then he ought to know cider is (or was) a cheap buzz for the lower class in Britain.

I used to get Kristof confused with Nat Hentoff until he died. They're both off.

n.n said...

The states are ideally not laboratories of the democratic/dictatorial duality, but of moderation, beginning with the government, and building upon the People and our [Chosen] Posterity.

n.n said...

re: moderation. Sex, of course (no baby aborted is a goal we can all live with). Blackhole petri dishes, viral transmission. Alcohol, too. Drugs, in progressive measure. Fat... may be beautiful, but is a first-order comorbidity.

Freeman Hunt said...

Triumphs of Experience. Thanks, phone.

JaimeRoberto said...

To paraphrase Kyrsten Sinema, Oregon is the meth lab of democracy. Of course that label applies to California as well.

Ralph L said...

When you read of deaths from dissipation in Victorian novels, it's a bit shocking that they're (really and truly) privileged and young (20s-30s).

Gravel said...

I suspect that this claim is trivially true in a similar fashion to the statement "most accidents occur within a few miles of home": yes, because most driving occurs within a few miles of home. Far more people drink alcohol than use other drugs. Anyone who wants to unpack the data can find it here.

https://www.samhsa.gov/data/release/2020-national-survey-drug-use-and-health-nsduh-releases

BUMBLE BEE said...

I can't believe this crew missed it. The X-Pensive Winos :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3ZjVJ2qxlA

Mea Sententia said...

Math is hard.

Dave64 said...

But I think that is much less common, and those who die, the mortality from alcoholism, it’s driven really by working-class Americans, and it’s in kind of bulk hard liquor particularly. I don’t think that good wine and cider add significantly to the problem.'"
So alcoholism is a Dirt People problem nothing the Cloud People should waste their time worrying about.

Howard said...

I'm surprised Rhodes Scholars haven't been cancelled yet. Rhodesian aparthied award. It's gotta be as bad as drunk fraternity blackface

effinayright said...

Funny, innit, that your body knows the difference between the alcohol in Kristof's fancy Pino Noir and the alcohol from Boone's Farm, Two Buck Chuck, Sneaky Pete, and White Port and Lemon Juice....

Also, the stupid assumption that perfumed hanky-sniffing toffs swirling his top grade stuff don't follow it with the cheaper stuff later....

It's a Morloch and Eloi thing, doncha know....

Bunkypotatohead said...

Don't quit your day job Nick.
D'oh!

Lurker21 said...

'You know, I’ve lost friends to alcoholism, but I haven’t lost any to Pinot Noir alcoholism ...'

True. It's that damned Pinot Grigio that fills up the graveyards.