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Christopher Hitchens has left us


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Knew he was diagnosed a while ago, but had kind of forgotten about it. He was a rascal, an agent provocateur and in the end a tragic figure who always came across as someone more interested in stirring the pot than worrying too much about the ingredients.

But ... always stopped to listen to what he had to say and it seemed like there were enough kernels of truth sprinkled throughout the bombast to make it all worth while.

RIP

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GA, one way or another, he's found the answer to the big mystery ...

Highly ironic that the last article he published was about the falsity of the statement "that which does not kill me makes me stronger". I guess that was the writing on the wall.

I'll miss his writings, even the 20-30% I disagreed with.

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Eh. The whole Orwell obsession aside, I thought he was a dick mostly for the sake of being a dick. Let's not forget that the guy was at the vanguard of people who said "if you don't think Baghdad should have the living shit bombed out of it, it's because you're pro-Baathist dictatorship and pro-Salafist terrorism". I get that he was strong in his convictions, but this ultimately meant that he had so little respect for those who disagreed with him that it's hard for me to find a reason not to reciprocate.

Edited by Big Wheel
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Knew he was diagnosed a while ago, but had kind of forgotten about it. He was a rascal, an agent provocateur and in the end a tragic figure who always came across as someone more interested in stirring the pot than worrying too much about the ingredients.

Yes. He was a gifted writer, but often lightweight on content and logic.

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Eh. The whole Orwell obsession aside, I thought he was a dick mostly for the sake of being a dick. Let's not forget that the guy was at the vanguard of people who said "if you don't think Baghdad should have the living shit bombed out of it, it's because you're pro-Baathist dictatorship and pro-Salafist terrorism". I get that he was strong in his convictions, but this ultimately meant that he had so little respect for those who disagreed with him that it's hard for me to find a reason not to reciprocate.

I think this specific issue pretty much encapsulates Hitchens's weaknesses and strengths. He offered withering (sometimes also witty and/or hilarious) criticisms of those he disagreed with. His writing was also infused with a strong moral (almost religious!) fervor. But when you actually think hard about the logical arguments made in the articles Hitchens wrote around this time, much less how the policy he endorsed play out, it doesn't seem like he added much substance to the debate.

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I think Hitchens was profoundly wrong about Iraq, but I always enjoyed his witty, incisive manner of discussion, which was satisfyingly free of cliches, PC, and the sort of inarticulateness that is the lingua franca of American public discussion. He followed the Brit tradition of the curmudgeon, but always it seemed with a bit of a wink. Anyway, I am sorry to see him go.

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I think Hitchens was profoundly wrong about Iraq, but I always enjoyed his witty, incisive manner of discussion, which was satisfyingly free of cliches, PC, and the sort of inarticulateness that is the lingua franca of American public discussion. He followed the Brit tradition of the curmudgeon, but always it seemed with a bit of a wink. Anyway, I am sorry to see him go.

this is about exactly how i feel about Hitch. he made me laugh out loud in agreement as often as he made me recoil in disgust - but very often w/ genuine wit. whether i agreed w/ him or not, i seemed to always have been glad to listen to/read him. he'll be missed...

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Eh. The whole Orwell obsession aside, I thought he was a dick mostly for the sake of being a dick. Let's not forget that the guy was at the vanguard of people who said "if you don't think Baghdad should have the living shit bombed out of it, it's because you're pro-Baathist dictatorship and pro-Salafist terrorism". I get that he was strong in his convictions, but this ultimately meant that he had so little respect for those who disagreed with him that it's hard for me to find a reason not to reciprocate.

Agreed.

http://gawker.com/5868761/christopher-hitchens-unforgivable-mistake

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This item in one of his obituaries made me laugh out loud:

"After graduating with an inevitable Third, Hitchens launched his career in journalism as "social sciences correspondent" at The Times, a "Gogol-like ghost job which I held for six months before the editor said something to me that made it impossible to continue to go on working for him".

In a footnote, Hitchens noted that the exact words were: "You're fired".

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This item in one of his obituaries made me laugh out loud:

"After graduating with an inevitable Third, Hitchens launched his career in journalism as "social sciences correspondent" at The Times, a "Gogol-like ghost job which I held for six months before the editor said something to me that made it impossible to continue to go on working for him".

In a footnote, Hitchens noted that the exact words were: "You're fired".

now that is a perfect example of why, despite all the problems, Hitchens was worth reading. it made me laugh out loud as well head man :rofl: absolutely hilarious :tup

Edited by thedwork
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