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Writer Christopher Hitchens Dies

Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

Sorry to hear when anyone dies, but isn't that a girlie magazine or something? Never read it personally.
I've never read any of the articles either, with the exception of Hitchens. It's focused on global affairs, some of them more around lighter issues like celebrities, some of them around politics and such. He's written for many other places over the years as well, but if you really want to get who he is look up a few of his debates on youtube. Marvelous stuff.

And no one needs be afraid of with holding negative views of him out of respect for the deceased, I don't think he would mind, lol.

 
Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

Hitchens was a powerful debater, and before he went full atheist he was one of my favorite political commentators. I remember eagerly anticipating his appearances on the Laura Ingraham Show. I hope he used some of his time at the end to make peace with God.
 
Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

RIP Hitchens. You were a great lecturer, debater, author, and journalist. One of my personal heroes. RIP man.
 
Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

The arc from Trotskyite to neocon was as spectacular as his work.

"The four most over-rated things in life are champagne, lobster, anal sex and picnics."

Who could argue with that? RIP
 
Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

Hitchens became one of most vocal voices against Islam and Muslims in the West. He became the most extremist anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian (cause) in America, and certainly the loudest one. Suddenly, he became a champion of George Bush’s cause becoming an instant success, desired in the forums of the extreme right-wing and of racism in America. Hawkish right-wingers found in him their knight in shining armour for his eloquence and oratory skills. The man, who for years refused to apply for and obtain American citizenship, went further than the American people in his “love” for the United States. He obtained the American citizenship and almost cried when he spoke of the moment he waved the American flag as an U.S. citizen. Hitchens established close relations with senior officials in the Bush administration and provided advisory services to Karl Rove, senior adviser in the Bush era. The man, who was a staunch left-wing opponent of the American empire, became an obnoxious propagandist of the same empire. Hitchens did not stop at cheering for the invasion of Afghanistan, but was also one of the most enthusiastic supporters for the invasion of Iraq.
[h=3]Christopher Hitchens: the White Man Teaches and Preaches [/h]
I never really liked him because of his political views particularly on the ME, neatly put together in the article above, but even on atheism I don't understand why fellow atheists champion him at all, all he does is mock religions by quoting ridiculous passages from their holy books which is immature only because its so easy to do.
 
Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

[h=3]Christopher Hitchens: the White Man Teaches and Preaches [/h]
I never really liked him because of his political views particularly on the ME, neatly put together in the article above, but even on atheism I don't understand why fellow atheists champion him at all, all he does is mock religions by quoting ridiculous passages from their holy books which is immature only because its so easy to do.

He also began to view water boarding as torture after experiencing it himself, regularly lambasted the religious motivation of Zionist Jews and ditched the Republicans when Sarah Palin came into vogue. His views on religion arise from any political aspirations it may have (which is going to be based on the organised kind, with holy books and all), hence quoting scripture to undermine it. He also undermined the concept of the all-seeing dictator sans scripture.

He was certainly more nuanced than the race-baiter you quoted here. Another person, by the tone of the whinge here apres-debate, was infamously hitch-slapped.
 
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Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

He also began to view water boarding as torture after experiencing it himself, regularly lambasted the religious motivation of Zionist Jews and ditched the Republicans when Sarah Palin came into vogue. His views on religion arise from any political aspirations it may have (which is going to be based on the organised kind, with holy books and all), hence quoting scripture to undermine it. He also undermined the concept of the all-seeing dictator sans scripture.

He was certainly more nuanced than the race-baiter you quoted here. Another person, by the tone of the whinge here apres-debate, was infamously hitch-slapped.

Indeed, look at his position on Bosnia. Prior to the invasion of Iraq (perhaps 9/11) his politics were exaggerated in the complete opposite direction, portraying him as a virulent anti-American.

I always found his political positions rather disgusting, but it's quite clear that he was a much more complicated figure than most portray him. Also, despite this, I always had a morbid affection for him. While his focus on religion is misguided, I was always amused by his rants.
 
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Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

Very disappointed. He was a great man. Its because of people like him and dawkins im an atheist
 
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Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

[h=3]Christopher Hitchens: the White Man Teaches and Preaches [/h]
I never really liked him because of his political views particularly on the ME, neatly put together in the article above, but even on atheism I don't understand why fellow atheists champion him at all, all he does is mock religions by quoting ridiculous passages from their holy books which is immature only because its so easy to do.
Yeah, I've been to several sites where everyone seems to think he was the most brilliant mind in the world, but I'm not that impressed. I don't get it.
 
Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

Yeah, I've been to several sites where everyone seems to think he was the most brilliant mind in the world, but I'm not that impressed. I don't get it.

In a world of idiots a normal person is a genius in comparison.
 
Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

A great writer and intellectual. Even when I disagree with his conclusions.... his points are valid and thought provoking. Between him and Jobs this year we have lost two truly irreplaceable people. While our mortality will some day claim us all, few do so much with their brief affair with existence.
 
Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

The arc from Trotskyite to neocon was as spectacular as his work.

"The four most over-rated things in life are champagne, lobster, anal sex and picnics."

Who could argue with that? RIP

Though he defied labels quite well. To label him neoconservative is to forget his well-known confrontations with those men and the label as well.
 
Truly fascinating man, One of the few great thinkers of our time.
 
Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

Peter Hitchens remembers his brother's courage

He would always rather fight than give way, not for its own sake but because it came naturally to him. Like me, he was small for his age during his entire childhood and I have another memory of him, white-faced, slight and thin as we all were in those more austere times, furious, standing up to some bully or other in the playground of a school we attended at the same time.

This explains plenty. I offer it because the word ‘courage’ is often misused today. People sometimes tell me that I have been ‘courageous’ to say something moderately controversial in a public place. Not a bit of it. This is not courage. Courage is deliberately taking a known risk, sometimes physical, sometimes to your livelihood, because you think it is too important not to.

My brother possessed this virtue to the very end, and if I often disagreed with the purposes for which he used it, I never doubted the quality or ceased to admire it.

Christopher Hitchens death: In Memoriam, my courageous sibling, by Peter Hitchens | Mail Online
 
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Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

This is the kind of stuff I don't get. He might have been intelligent, but he was arrogant. I don't consider arrogance to be courageous and I think people tend to confuse the two when it comes to him.

When speaking of "the godly" as he called believers, yes he was arrogant. Hell he was just plain mean. That was his tactic. But he was not mean to them, that I ever saw or heard of. He had a heated on-air exchange with Scarborough, flipped off Maher's audience after calling them (correctly I believe) stupid, and didn't like being called Chris.

Other than that, he was quite gentlemanly most of the time.
 
Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

When speaking of "the godly" as he called believers, yes he was arrogant. Hell he was just plain mean. That was his tactic. But he was not mean to them, that I ever saw or heard of. He had a heated on-air exchange with Scarborough, flipped off Maher's audience after calling them (correctly I believe) stupid, and didn't like being called Chris.

Other than that, he was quite gentlemanly most of the time.

Being "mean" (*tear tear sob sob*) to the religious was probably my favorite quality of his.
 
Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

Certainly sad news. Not surprising though - it had really only become a waiting game at this point. At his last public appearance, he was hardly recognizable.

I can't think of any other author or political commentator who has had a bigger influence on my ideology and my life really. Even had the pleasure of shaking his hand and getting his autograph at a book signing a while back.

I would probably consider him the most well-spoken person I have ever met. He speaks better extemporaneously than a lot of professional authors write. Even if I didn't always agree with him, I always admired his courage to speak up for what he believed regardless of what outrage or scorn it might bring. That's too rare a thing today. A self procaimed contrarian, he almost seemed to relish pissing off the masses with his edgy rants. Consequently, I think the vast majority of people didn't care much for him (to say the least), but I think the relatively few who did "get" hitchens were profoundly influenced by the man. I know I was, and I will miss him sorely. Rest easy, hitch.
 
I found his writings far more engaging and enjoyable than the rest of the so called New Atheists. They had a certain literary and humanistic ( I mean this in the older, cultural and not Dewey's 'secular humanist' sense) quality and genuine, if from my perspective totally misguided, insight that is totally lacking in the rest of them, including (perhaps especially) Dennett. In many ways he writes like his brother, which is quite interesting, though it shows the upbringing they had and perhaps how much we continue to loose when we dumb down education in great literature.
 
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Re: Christopher Hitchens Dies dec 15 at age 62

He had a heated on-air exchange with Scarborough, flipped off Maher's audience after calling them (correctly I believe) stupid, and didn't like being called Chris.

Just watched this. Amazing. Put those dumbasses in their place.
 
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