Comment

Comment by Kalypso on January 26, 2010 at 10:11am

Comment by charlotte carney on January 18, 2010 at 12:37pm

this is really exciting - hitchens is one of my favorites and it is so nice to know there are so many other intelligent rational people out there!gald to be included.

Comment by The Rock Collector on October 9, 2009 at 8:20pm

Hello Hitchens admirers. I've really enjoyed the thoughtful comments and views posited by everyone. I learn a lot from intelligent folks like all of you. I look forward to interacting with you.

Comment by Left of Larry on September 2, 2009 at 11:16pm

This was at Virginia Commonwealth University Sept. 8, 2008. It was sponsored by the student organization I co-founded when I was at VCU called the United Secular Alliance (affiliated with the Atheist Alliance International and the Student Secular Alliance). Enjoy.

Christopher Hitchens/Frank Turek Debate from Larry M on Vimeo.

Comment by Scott on August 6, 2009 at 2:56pm

Hello everyone. I just joined this group, so I don't know what has been discussed recently. I'll throw this out and you can just tell me to shut up if it's old news to the group. There is a youtube video called something like "Hitchens owns slave to jesus" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXC8VldIKEc in which Hitchens berates a Christian radio show host practically into submission. I have never heard anyone be verbally abused this bad before. It's very entertaining if you haven't heard it. I'd like to hear other member's opinion on the video if you've seen it.

Comment by Debra Carbon on May 30, 2009 at 9:46am

I think Hitchens supports the Iraq war because he knows just how crazy a true believer can be. He spoke about it on Bill Maher and made the case that the only people who wants nuclear weapons to actually use them are the extremely devout muslims. While I'm against the war, his point wasn't necessarily left or right it was someone who knows how dangerous religion can be. I don't agree that this war is even about making sure they don't have weapons but I think Hitchens can really make a point.

Comment by Jerome on May 7, 2009 at 10:09am

I think the thing that frustrates many on the right and left concerning Hitchens is the fact that he really refuses to firmly sign on with either. He seems to really have his own opinions, whichever side be damned. It seems from his writings and lectures that these are qualities he admires in folks like Thomas Paine and George Orwell.

Comment by moJoe on May 6, 2009 at 5:08am

[Reposted from Atheist News]

Sweet. Email.

I would have to disagree with you on this one. I concede that Mr. Hitchens has a fairly complex political outlook, but that does not change the fact that he is politically right-of-center.

As much as I am tempted to agree wit you, being conservative and believing in "egalitarianism, human rights and internationalism" are not mutually exclusive (especially that last one.) Your mention of these qualities and the Iraq war seem to make up the thrust of your counter-argument. On the latter point, I will also disagree with you. The vast majority of socialists vociferously disagree with the war in Iraq, mostly because all outward indicators point to the fact that it had nothing to do with protecting us from Islamic extremists and everything to do with war and oil profiteering.

While it is true that he has always been an atheist, he began his career as a Trotskyist. While he has stated openly on numerous occasions that he still admires Trotsky, and that he believes that the communists made some real accomplishments, he has also stated that he now believes that capitalism is the economic system that is more revolutionary and "internationalist." There is, however, a fine line between "internationalism" and "globalization" that he admittedly does not observe. He has stated very clearly that economic globalization is simply a symptom of modernity and probably not something that should be protested, contrary to the beliefs of the majority of the left.

The right claims him as one of their own and--contrary to your experience in these matters--I have never observed him in protest, he was almost painfully deferential to President Bush during his time in office and he is more likely to defend conservative politicians and their foibles than he is to defend liberal ones unless they are obnoxiously religious.

On top of all of this, he has stated on several occasions that his views today are more in line with American Libertarianism than anything else. Libertarians are "socially left" and "economically right." I would argue that he is a bit further right than most Libertarians as he is (as has been mentioned) a vocal supporter of our presence in Iraq. The Libertarian party is quite explicitly not a fan of the Iraq war.

His views are a frank reminder that if you go far enough one direction, you meet yourself coming back the other way and I would argue that as the political landscape has warped and evolved, so has Mr. Hitchen's philosophies. What have not changed overly much are his values.

Politics are not as black and white as people make them out to be. My only transgression--if indeed I have committed one--would be falling prey to the sin of oversimplification.

My own short-comings aside, he's more or less a conservative. Sorry.

As to the "on the fence" statement made by Eli, he might be wrong there. Mr. Hitchens was solidly on one side of the fence and is now solidly on the other side of the fence. The only time he was "on the fence" was in the brief period of time in which he was jumping over it. But I'll let Eli handle that one.

Sorry for the long response. But hey, thanks for writing; I enjoy a spirited discussion, even if it looks like it might involve a lynching. And for the sake of full disclosure, I am a lefty that likes Chrisopher Hitchens too, I just don't agree on this particular point.

--Joe

Comment by Dave Mann on May 5, 2009 at 8:51pm

On episode 005 of Atheist News Joe said that Hitchens "Is a right-winger." I'm solidly on the Left and have followed Hitchens career since the early nineties. I believe his philosophy has not changed. His allegiance to specific institutions such as Nation magazine has changed but he has always maintained his commitment to egalitarianism, human rights and internationalism. Any time a news-person has tried to call him a conservative or a neo-con he has always objected. There are many Socialist, Communists and Marxists who have supported the liberation of Afghanistan and Iraq. That does not make them right-wing. Don't let Atheist News mislabel our opinion-leader Christopher Hitchens email them our objections. Thank you.

Comment by Jerome on April 17, 2009 at 9:03am

Hello everyone. I'm a fledgling writer and admirer of Hitchens. Whenever I get a little lazy in my writing I read something by him and think "yeah, that's what I'm supposed to be doing, get up and write, you lazy bastard!". A highlight this year has been seeing him debate in Birmingham, AL and getting my copy of god is not great signed. The only thing that would have made it better would have been speaking to him at length.

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