Christopher Hitchens - [~2005] - Why Orwell Matters

October 21, 2002.
Christopher Hitchens giving a speech based on his book about George Orwell at The Commonwealth Club.
Hitch at 04:18

[@joshfinley5048]

Anyone here in 2024? I miss hitchens.

[@MarsMellow84]

Always will miss him 😢

[@mikeregan7034]

He’s still here, we are all watching him; it’s time for us to take up the mantle. I don’t think he’d appreciate hearing how much he was missed as if the work cannot continue, he would probably consume this quite lazy.

[@Chardonbois]

Chillingly prophetic!

[@willmpet]

It’s still poignant to speak as he does.

[@thernly]

What’s special about being “here” in 2024? I don’t know who you are, and neither did Hitchens. Your hero-worship bullshit is cheap, pandering, and disrespectful. Stop it.

[@jeffsmith673]

Anyone listening in 2020? So much of this resonates today

[@sortof3337]

I have been listening and reading Hitchens since 2012. :( He gets more relevant as the time passes.

[@deathstarwontsaveyou9892]

Yeah I see even Hitchens likes to pull the race card a little.

[@flyrodoperator3921]

Found this man in college back in 2012, and I always go back to him when the state of current events becomes too much.

[@Marc-io8qm]

Nope

[@strawdog2831]

I come here quite often. one can't get enoufe of hitch;~

[@corradojohnsopranojr.9426]

As someone who experiences difficulty concentrating, I must say that Hitchens is able to engage me to his speeches without my mind wondering anywhere else.

[@princeofruins3287]

+l Quite the opposite in my case. I often get flooded with ideas and have to write them . This particular lecture took about three hours for me to finish.

[@rowesawyer4533]

Elric of Melnibonè I agree with both, he holds my attention invariably but I often have to rewind so that I fully grasp a concept.

[@greenspringvalley]

Even though I disagree with him on many things, he is a captivating speaker.

[@WickedFelina]

I am listening and it is 5 am. I have not slept yet until I began listening. I had a dream in which this speech was on TV. I heard it through the dream and undserstood and thought about every word. That is how good this man is. I understand what you mean. I just did it. You would think, while sleeping I could not hear anything or misunderstand or dream about something he said and lose the actual speech. I heard and remembered what he was saying through the entire speech. Here! Here! Raise a glass of Johnny Walker Black and Toast to The Great Hitch!

[@spec24]

What?

[@JL-ke2vm]

Why Orwell Matters and Why Hitchen Matters- watching this video jan 2021 man, we really need Christopher Hitchen today

[@geoffpoole483]

Why? He was a warmongering old drunk.

[@user-nc4mz4pu3b]

there won't be a day that we wouldn't

[@weaksignal8009]

@@geoffpoole483 the best writers are drunks. Hemingway, HST, H.L. Mencken, Samuel Clemons, Hutchins, etc.

[@chasebutler7407]

2022 and I think we are really really needing him lol

[@seanthomas7327]

@@chasebutler7407 it's too bad his friends in the public square 1have seemingly grown quite on so many of the issues he wrote about.

[@placebo5466]

"I don't do captive audiences, I certainty don't do them in the name of Orwell." This little line is just wonderful to me.

[@BygoneT]

@Snaggle Toothed Good lord, the sheer irony of citing patriotism as strenght or value, on a video about Orwell.

[@BygoneT]

@Snaggle Toothed I don't even know who they are. Which is why I didn't comment on the rest. I like Hitchens but I really don't care who he loses or wins against. I'm not that sort of petty tribalistic midget, who needs heroes to hold on to and cries when they "Lose". I don't even know what he would lose in, factual accuracy maybe? Or how to interpret knowledge? Either way I don't care if he does.

[@08453300222]

@@petersutton523 Of course his loss to humanity is miniscule. Did He walk on water or rise from the dead? No;. Jesus loves him yes. but not his ego, which was as big as his stomach. I dont know why so many of you comment giving supposedly real names, but are ashamed to put up your face. Brace yourself Peter, your named like me as `The Rock`. Anyway brother, may God bless you and you come to know the saving grace of my Lord Jesus Christ. Peace and love to you .

[@nitefox4411]

The Dude was just "Priceless." So honest.

[@daviddawson1718]

@@08453300222 oh, fuck off. We don't need your superstitions

[@davy_K]

Smart, talented and loving of his fellow man but with balls to challenge him too.. As great with the pen as he was orally. A rare man indeed. We needed to have him around for longer. One of the rare, real heroes I have. And the world is poorer for him not being in it.

[@mbnall]

Sad I only found him after he died, but I’m grateful for his writings and his recorded lectures and debates. He was, and still is, an unmatched orator.

[@user-cd4tw2dj4p]

same here

[@theresamills5095]

And here. He speaks so that the layman can understand.

[@gabrieldovido7019]

He was blind and he leads th blind. He's fallen into the pit where his followers will follow

[@benhartart9487]

How is that fact sad at all?

[@SleepyPenguin-8og]

Theres a reason for that. Societie exploits the dead. For their own fiscal gain.

[@jimmy2k4o]

Hitchens is to me, what Orwell was to Hitchens. I know you Ladies and Gentlemen, Brothers and Sisters, Comrades and Friends will understand me here.

[@jamesrusso2977]

jimmy2k4o Amen!

[@squidsquiddly5970]

I couldn't agree more

[@sratus]

jimmy2k4o Hmmm I'd like to think Orwell wouldn't have become a pro Bush/Blair neocon as Hitchens did

[@aliciam6725]

Hell yes! Listening to him and/or reading him is ambrosia for the soul. How on earth Bill Maher compared Milo Yiannopoulos to Christopher Hitchens is beyond unthinkable. Thanks for the upload TheHitchensArchive.

[@jimmy2k4o]

i like Shapiro, I think Milo is a silly prick, but nobody is on hitchens level, except maybe douglas murray

[@rabidbigdog]

Hitchens seems most at home in front of bunch of students. A true teacher.

[@MarlboroughBlenheim1]

Yes I was thinking that too. More relaxed than under the pressure of a debate.

[@B.A.Pilgrim]

he just loved the smell of money, money, money

[@B.A.Pilgrim]

​@@MarlboroughBlenheim1he never debated - just ranted and used ad homienem

[@MarlboroughBlenheim1]

@@B.A.Pilgrim yes, that must be why he's had so much success, and had legions of other intellectuals citing him as a major influence and why he's written so many books and articles and got various jobs at top publications - all because he rants and used ad hominem (let me help you spell that). You must be absolutely right.

[@siddified]

''not just with my health which I abused but it hasn't caught up with me yet'' How sad that did in the end... We need more people like the Hitch, and the need keeps growing with time.

[@robertsmith-williams5255]

I occasionally get a deep and profound sadness that he's not here with his cutting wit and insight in to the unprecedented situation that is currently driving the world crazy. At this time I miss him sincerely like virtually no one else who's ever lived.

[@elenafoleyfoley168]

💯💯💯

[@johnp515]

I feel that way about Orwell

[@MattSingh1]

*To put it in my own way- I miss him as though I knew him, and he knew me.* *His death hits me like a tidal wave sometimes, which is what you get when someone you know dies. The fact he's immortalised via audio/visual media also warps the mind somewhat.*

[@anonynaw]

RIP Christopher Hitchens. You will always be a human treasure.

[@MarlboroughBlenheim1]

And RIP George Orwell. You will always be a human treasure.

[@barracuda7018]

Absolutely....

[@SleepyPenguin-8og]

They'll be talking trash about these great men for centuries to come because the truth is feared and barred from public view on the threat of death.

[@Sony_Toprano]

"always be a human treasure" ...... What, Buried?😂

[@SleepyPenguin-8og]

@@Sony_Toprano yes, i am. Unmotivated for anything besides my employers duties i must take care of but thanks.

[@foadghavami2004]

Every flaw, if he had, is forgiven to this man, the prophet of modern enlightenment! How much he is daily missed in our intellectual and conscious mind.

[@arriuscalpurniuspiso]

Magnificent speech by Hitchens. A hero of our times

[@johnfromdownunder.4339]

This is a amazing opportunity to hear from a man I deeply appreciate Hitchens but also George Orwell. Such a privilege.

[@jaybee9269]

I always learn so much from a Hitchens lecture. He was an intellectual badass; his stunningly beautiful mind is irreplaceable.

[@aurevoiralex]

We simply couldn't afford to lose someone like Hitch. It's a goddamned shame we did.

[@bartfloyd3275]

Jay Bee .....perfect Jay

[@Hollis_wants_your_comments]

Jay Bee ”Irreplaceable” - I’ve thought that, too. I only hope, desperately, that we’re wrong, that there will be another who is to both Hitch and Orwell what Hitch was to Orwell. The odds are ever in our favor, but perhaps not in our lifetime or in the conceivable future.

[@AndyJK45]

A good. man.

[@Alan-fk2kt]

He actually believed there were WOMD after all!

[@joestrange3152]

I could listen to Hitch talk for hours on end. With every pause calculated, every word spoken with sheer precision. It's amazing. A voice that will carry on through generations.

[@pubdub2]

As a retired English teacher, I'd suggest that a reasonably thorough understanding of Mr. Hitchens' works be intelligently read and discussed in order to qualify as a viable teacher of the language. The language we speak is the bloodline of thought in our culture. People with the analytical qualities of sophisticated thinking are essential. Why? To instruct students on the art of thought which is objective and comparative instead of simply just clever methods of indoctrination based on social justice. Democracy can't survive unless it has informed individuals. Noisy demonstrations are not indicators of democracy. They're indicators of mob activity. Mr. Hitchens is a prime example of all that is good about thoughtful journalism which has permanent value beyond mere entertainment. To listen to him and read his books is to be forced to make careful use of the tools involved in practical thinking. Teachers who can impart that skill to students are genuinely worthwhile. Others are unworthy to be considered teachers.

[@orth82]

I wonder how many of those students in the audience realised then, or later on, just how fortunate they were to be there to listen to this fantastic talk.

[@elenafoleyfoley168]

💪💯🇮🇪

[@Steve-Cross]

There are very few people, I can hang on their every word. Hitch was one of those. He was brave and honourable in the process. He possessed a brilliant, intellectual mind. He is sadly missed, by all free thinkers. 😢

[@meyerjac]

By all the gods, we need this man today. You are missed, Hitch.

[@robertmacleod6221]

I would agree with that. In 20 20 we are in trouble

[@christineaygin6701]

He would be turning in his grave in 2020

[@leftR-tardation]

Can you just IMAGINE the verbal slaying Hitchens would put on these Leftys and gender dysphoric SJW cretins? Would be epic!!

[@johnpatrick4185]

yes!...

[@dpersonal4187]

Misogynist and Islamophobe.

[@baikhous]

27:22 "[Orwell] died a Dickensian death; he died the death that some of you who have the romantic dream of being writers - which I hope you never give up - may imagine for yourself: in the garret with no money, but with the beautiful work just in the bottom drawer for someone to find. Don't give up that dream, by the way, if you have it. If any of you have ever thought of taking up the craft of writing as a dissident, as an oppositionist, the life I have just been trying to describe is an exemplary one and will repay your study." Bravo, sir.

[@Hollis_wants_your_comments]

Michael Miller The fact that he had to explain ”Dickensian” to at least some of the audience is a testament to the failure of American education.

[@Amanda-zj8lw]

@@Hollis_wants_your_comments I totally agree; however, look at our youth today, despite the extreme efforts at 'dumbing them down'! They showed up for Bernie and the progressives: now they're taking to the streets, despite establishment threats and aggression. Our kids have a remarkable amount of empathy and common sense, despite their lack of a classic education. I, for one, am surprised and impressed.

[@ryanx3584]

I admired when he also mentioned university is over stated and that you do not *need* to venture into un necessary education if you can already write. I did my A Levels in both Literature and Language and I have recently been flirting with the idea of going to uni (at 30). Yet for £9250 a year (plus more fees no doubt) the only thing that pulls me in is critical thinking and discussion, which seems to be withering away in the corner across university campuses all over. Food for thought. Cheers Hitch.

[@Kikilang60]

George Orwell has to be the most pessimistic, Clear minded, decent human, that ever put pen to paper. Orwell knew he was dying for decade before actually died. This is what gave 1984 it strength. It was a hard read. George said, "It's not power that corrupts absolutely , but obedience."

[@Kikilang60]

The cancer that will eventually kill Hitchens, is rooted deep in his esophagus in this video.

[@davidcolby1456]

aud loves life I was thinking the same thing. And I'm not a medical professional but I was thinking it anyway.

[@Deliquescentinsight]

We shall all die, dying is the most ordinary of human events

[@marthas8108]

Thank you, Merry Sunshine.

[@LukeDayInTheUK]

aud loves life, interesting observation. Maybe they are musing over the fact... simply out of curiosity and fascination with Christopher.

[@tomam1100]

I rarely listen to old Hitchens, but damn, this guy was one of the biggest minds of history.

[@nadinejoyce1203]

I couldn't agree more. How good that he had the fortitude to leave behind so many of these talks.💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔

[@paulwilliamson9958]

Christopher Hitchens walked the talk and talked the walk. He lived and died far too young. Thank dog for KZbin and the many videos of this great mind, speaking truth with wit and wisdom. I constantly search for every speech recorded.

[@joemildner5667]

Christopher Hitchens was arrogant idiot.

[@atheistleftcomment1807]

I am so grateful we have those archives, we can enjoy Hitch and learn from him for long time.

[@NJP-Supremacist]

shut up commie

[@ptanyuh]

Hahahaha, yes, let's hide history. That's worked out so well...... Idiot.

[@1984isnotamanual]

Atheist LeftComment yea until youtube takes all his videos down as “hate speech”

[@robertsmith-williams5255]

I occasionally get a deep and profound sad that he's not here with this cutting wit and insight in to the unprecedented situation that is currently driving the world crazy. At this time I miss him sincerely like virtually no one else who's ever lived.

[@1984isnotamanual]

@@robertsmith-williams5255 I agree but it is important to remain grateful that he was here in the first place so as not to fall into despair. Christopher hated self-pity.

[@whirledpeas3477]

A candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. I owe a great thanks for Christopher's work.

[@richgoscicki1601]

For me Orwell s most important contrition was his insights into dumbing down. It makes the lower class so much more controllable. It was once a criminal offense to teach a slave how to read

[@denis888red]

Christopher Hitchens... Utter, utter legend. Wit, wisdom and most of all heart in every line. Mesmerizing. I feel like I should be paying a very large fee every time I hear him. Rest in Peace Christopher. Gone far, far, far too soon...

[@dennisd3258]

Just read 1984, followed by "Woke Racism" by John McWhortner and now I am on "God is not Great" by Hitchens, and honestly, I think these three books are fine companions. Aside from the obvious parlance of current disinformation that is writ large occurring throughout the political and social landscape (in large part on either side of the isle (politics has become religion to many))...very important to not lose the lessons of 1984 and the subsequent work that flows from Orwellian inspiration. I can think of so many "individuals" that now "love Big Brother"... This man is a true gem taken too soon, Christopher Hitchens.

[@siddified]

It's time for a movie about this great and mighty man.

[@lioneljaftha3473]

Would have been fascinating to hear his views on world politics in 2021. Could listen to him for hours on end. Great mind. R IP

[@amyc913]

Watching in 2023. This lecture, like Hitchens, is timeless.

[@tedalper1464]

47:30 "Don't worry: there will always be people who ... have the will to power. What you have to worry about is how many of you have the will to obey."

[@michaelscottkennedy1467]

@bagariddum 0

[@coreycox2345]

@bagariddum, He was brilliant, articulate, right about many things, but so mistaken about the wars of intervention. I wonder if he would have changed his opinion if he were alive today and knew the outcome? I recently read, "The Management of Savagery" by Max Blumenthal. We only made things so much worse.

[@robertmacleod6221]

Are you wareing a mask. It happens at o quick

[@mr.jazzbodkelsey58]

When Hitch explained that 1984 facsicm thing. I got Hitch-slapped with a dose of reality. He was a real one.

[@foadghavami2004]

He would be 70 by now, his passionate presentation of Orwell always been eye opening, he had all Orwell's writing in his library

[@geoffpoole483]

Including the antisemitic garbage Orwell spewed out.

[@luisperez-pd1mp]

@@geoffpoole483at least he wasn’t part of a regime that spewed semitic ashes into the air.

[@paulkeogh3518]

Animal Farm and 1984 should be compulsory reading in Western Academia both for students and tutors. When we look at things as they are it’s clear very few people have read and understood Orwell’s warnings.

[@gordonspond8223]

Was compulsory when I went to school... and I'm not even a native English speaker...

[@MoralScienceEducation]

We may wish to include Asian Academia, where we face the risk Orwell's and Hitchens' lessons go unheard, at the cost of it's citizens, residents and investors🙏

[@johncstead]

One of the most engaging, wise and articulate public intellectuals to hail from Britain. Sadly missed.

[@crlanyon4640]

This man's observations and verbalizations were incomparable and I wish we could hear from him today.

[@thestevenjaywaymusic7775]

What an incredible, articulate, thinking man. So sad that he is gone. The world needs many people like him.

[@nickson1431]

This is more relevant than ever. Wish we had Hitch's voice in these troubled times.

[@jemgem9593]

Awesome speaker, speaking about THE most awesome writer, Orwell, who changed my way of thinking forever after my first read of '1984' in 1982 aged 15. I still think like an Orwellian every moment of everyday, which is a lonely place to be where the masses prefer not to face the truth. And Animal Farm still resonates in all power relations on all levels. Chris Hitchens understands so much, his analysis beautifully refreshing

[@johncampbell9120]

He preferred Christopher to Chris!

[@charliebrown5716]

Why Hitchens Matters.

[@PerryTribeMetalBaker]

+Charlie Brown had i the literary confidence to do the great Hitch justice, i would love to have a go at writting that hha :D

[@Johnconno]

Does he?

[@khumothage4629]

❤

[@SandraLovesRoses]

aw I love him so much

[@therugburnz]

@@Johnconno yes

[@eagleeye1975]

Skip the introduction, go to 4:10

[@statickevin]

THANK YOU

[@therrydicule]

Make it 4:20 and it's a deal

[@thedanishgirl7683]

eagleeye1975 o

[@bramblebrook]

thanks

[@michaelstrauss4411]

eagleeye1975 iii

[@EoinFC]

Christopher Hitchens and Patrice O'Neal died within 16 days of each other in 2011. What a pair we lost.....

[@paulbrimble8204]

Shit I didn't realise that. Each had their own type of brilliance. I swing between listening to old O+As and this Hitchens stuff. It's treasure and fantastic entertainment.

[@187charles8]

Knew I wasnt the only one into them both

[@SoBayK80]

But we knew Hitchens was ill, and then terminal... Patrice went so fast it still feels shocking today. I would like to believe Milo tries so hard to mimic Hitchens that he's conjured 😉

[@chemicalimbalance7030]

@@paulbrimble8204 O&A aren’t together any longer.

[@paulbrimble8204]

@@chemicalimbalance7030 Lucky Anthony

[@jslasher1]

An insightful speech. Hitchens never fails to impress.

[@rexferalman4543]

Everybody misses Hitch. Myself included. But I bet he doesn't miss us in the slightest 👍 😀

[@Climpus]

Every time he clears his throat I feel somehow tearful.

[@yay-cat]

im just baffled by the coincidence between his throat cancer and his hero’s bullet. There’s some poetic tragedy in there

[@___Zack___]

@@yay-cat Hardly baffling to be honest.

[@kubasniak]

His speeches are music to my ears. His English is EXEMPLAR! I miss that man :(

[@rogerlephoque3704]

Hitchens on Orwell, the man at his best. Hitchens and his audience of university students, a monologue that fell on deaf ears....

[@melanievizard9339]

I could listen to that man all day every day

[@QuintTheSharker]

Same. I disagree with him on a few things, but he was a living breathing encyclopedia. I miss him dearly.

[@chriseagle3634]

Hitchens has no equal..he is quite simply the most eloquent and formidable speaker I have ever seen.

[@DrustIV]

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

[@SalmonFume]

Suddenly I felt an urge to close the book and pretend I had not read that.

[@RiseReligion]

Possibly the wittiest man of all time.

[@yourearidiculouslunatic8435]

Wilbur Wafer > what does it feel like to be a huge duesche bag.

[@connoradams3318]

Wilbur, here's a quick tip: if you're going to correct someone's grammar, you should use correct grammar.

[@connoradams3318]

How does it feel to use insults that you haven't a clue how to punctuate or use proper grammar?

[@connoradams3318]

"lol that sentence makes no sense grammatically, but keep trying." www.businessinsider.com/a-guide-to-proper-comma-use-2013-9 www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/capital.asp

[@connoradams3318]

Exactly. It was your own sentence =)

[@nerdydbf]

One of his best talks, his message of personal inquiry and interrogation of text rings loud and true.

[@Alan-fk2kt]

Oh come on!

[@patricksweeney6418]

"I've been quite lucky, with my health which I've abused but hasn't caught up with me yet". :'(

[@ph8077]

"I'd rather live a one day as a lion than 1000 years as a sheep."

[@allanmaurer6463]

Ideology is the mind-killer. True believers of various stripes have been killing each other and anyone they think heretic throughout history. Today included.

[@patricksweeney6418]

@@allanmaurer6463 Aint that the truth

[@hullcityafc72]

"with every virgin comes a mother-in-law"..

[@Hollis_wants_your_comments]

Orwell never dies. Hitch never dies. August 2021

[@paulburgess22]

What an inspirational speaker Hitchens was. He was living proof that a deep and passionate allegience to book culture and the life of independent, rational, ironic, ethical, intellectual enquiry is head and shoulders above an allegience to received opinion, literal interpretation and revealed truth.

[@maxrb67]

He was in a sense faithful in knowledge and good opinions without believing in a higher cosmic power. In by itself, this for me is well rounded faith in humanity.

[@ashleyhyatt6319]

I'm always thankful for these videos, because I was never able to listen to one live while he was alive. He was a beautifully tragic-minded philosopher and a hopefully Camus-like human being.

[@ExistentialNights]

What a beautiful comment. Camus, Hitchens and Orwell are my favorite writers.

[@Biyer11]

@Julius Caesar and you "had" to catch that train!?

[@freedomofspeech2238]

Who the heck TODAY, would make a description of Orwell that precise ? Who would read away the personality of an Author this way ? I do not know but one thing is a FACT = Hitchens was great. Hope futur generations can Emulate this extraordinary HUMAN. Thx Mr. Hitchens.

[@samsavojbolagi5513]

gone when we needed him the most, RIP

[@georgegunnell6319]

Using a pic for the thumbnail of Christopher jamming on Chopsticks was a stroke of genius!

[@denniss7406]

As a student of fine factual writing Orwell is the Gold Standard. If you question my statement read Orwell's essay "Why I Write." Orwell's writing clarity is a living teachable moment.

[@SCAREDBANANA]

I get a warm feeling inside when hearing someone else talking about a book I care so much.

[@AndyJK45]

Yes Jeff. Still listening. I picked up on Orwell in the late 1970’s ( late high school). His truthfulness has only gotten worse.

[@insanityrulestheday]

As Orwell rightfully states, "speaking the truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act".

[@willo996]

Its George Orwells 110th birthday tomorrow. Thank you George.

[@GoteeDevotee]

Eric. Eric Arthur Blair.

[@Hollis_wants_your_comments]

GoteeDevotee Interesting that Hitch’s middle name is Eric, but I don’t attribute any other-worldly significance to it.

[@ladanmanavi]

How I wish he was still here. In this climate he is needed more than ever.

[@Karch.Dah-Veed]

I appreciate the subtlety of Hitchens' wit. It's like one of those cans of nuts that, once opened, turns out to be a spring loaded snake. The way that he unleashes humor at such unanticipated moments, causing the mind to scramble for footing and context, activates a cascade of dopamine secreting reactions and makes Hitch a joy to hang out with.

[@andrewdomenitz2970]

"Animal Farm" and "1984" were both required reading in my High School. I graduated in 1970.

[@napoleonbonaparteempereurd4676]

Its ironic that a book that warns against future censorship by the government was a proscribed book in many Western States. Its banned in China and North Korea though.

[@belisarius2930]

Hitchens left us too soon. Were that he were here today in opposition to the insanity of current affairs.

[@lorenzomagazzeni5425]

@Ken, he was so disappointed that he was going to kick the bucket BEFORE kissinger, I'm 75 and those devils ARE STILL ALIVE

[@aurevoiralex]

How delicious would it be to watch and hear Hitch tearing down the current American administration with unbridled wit, ferocity and delight! I'd pay money to witness that.

[@elenafoleyfoley168]

💯😥🙏

[@baabaabathsheba9107]

I think the comments below about Hitch smoking are hilarious - it’s great to see that even in death he has the power to piss people off. It’s almost as if they are angry that he died a painful, yet as he said banal death, but managed to retain his wit, charm and intellect throughout. He smoked and drank and basically enjoyed life to the full and took it on the chin when the chickens came home to roost. It appears his premature death wasn’t enough for some - they wanted him to capitulate at the end but he didn’t - only total idiots ever thought he would. As usual he had the last laugh.

[@davidgagnon3781]

I don't remember the exact quote, but Hitchens said something like "People say smoking and drinking are bad for your health but how many suicides have they prevented?"

[@nitefox4411]

Hitchens had nothing to recant. Truth is Universal even if deluded idiots don't understand him. Few people I have watched die had an easy process. It is painful even more so in 2019 because the federal government has cracked down on narcotics prescribed by doctors. Hell hath no fury like a nursing home and a physician who must take the "safe route" prescribing a narcotic to relieve physical suffering. Hitchens didn't die because it was God's judgement. He died because that was Mother Nature. It wasn't personal. He lived honestly and some of us respected and love him still because he was authentic. Best to you Baa Baa

[@charliemorris2338]

Some may have artistic talent deep within and it will take a mighty big pill to get it out.(smoking and drinking)

[@Hollis_wants_your_comments]

charlie morris I did some of my best writing while imbibing Scotch and (sometimes) smoking pot.

[@charliemorris2338]

I have suffered an experience known as" Raising the Kundalini" which is a mini death preparation for actual death and it affirmed to me that there is an actual spiritual afterlife.I did this via the ingestion of LSD and meditation.Alcohol and pot do not lend themselves to the highest state of consciousness for Hitchens to claim life has no spiritual meaning to it.One story from Colin Wilson concerns an artist that appeals to a doctor to heal his drinking and the doctor kindly informs him,"yes,I can heal you from your drinking but it will heal you from your writing also."My beef with Hitchens is he couldn't discover God while drunk and smoking cigarettes.

[@rivolinho]

How I wish Hitch had been around to write and speak about the seismic decade that was 2011 - 2021

[@jamesunsworth6865]

I have read many books by George Orwell ( aka Eric Blair) my favourites were Homage To Catalonia, 1984, Burmese Days, and Animal Farm, The Road to Wigan Pier, for me, Orwell was the greatest Author of the 20th Century.

[@jamesmiller4184]

This Archive is a treasure beyond compare. . : .

[@airyfairy5957]

Well, it's 2017 and I think this is more important than ever. Miss you, Hitch.

[@jenkitching43]

Well, it's April 2020, the period of the imprisonment of innocent, healthy citizens in the time of the fake pandemic. So Airy Fairy, yet even more important still! What, I would gkve to hear what the GREAT HITCH would have to say about this insanity.

[@steveshorter]

I see your 2017 and raise you 2021.

[@frankirfourfingers]

Heartbreaking to hear that cough,and nobody knew what was around the corner,I miss him....R.i.p

[@frankirfourfingers]

@Richard Dixon b4 he even seen a doctor???,no2 knew

[@frankirfourfingers]

@Richard Dixon yes, unfortunately he was,but he handled that side of his life like all parts of his life very well,still,very very sad

[@frankirfourfingers]

@Richard Dixon I know,and drink,I'm from Ireland lol

[@Asilaysheepless]

Who's with this in 2023? Speaking for myself, here.

[@matthewjackson9615]

I really miss Hitchens, he was of one of the most well read, well spoken , insightful and though provoking intellectuals of our time. He was the shining light that pierced and exposed the dark backdrop of real life ( described by C. Wright Mills below): The more we understand what is happening in the world, the more frustrated we often become, for our knowledge leads to feelings of powerlessness. We feel that we are living in a world in which the citizen has become a mere spectator or a forced actor, and that our personal experience is politically useless and our political will a minor illusion. Very often, the fear of total permanent war paralyzes the kind of morally oriented politics, which might engage our interests and our passions. We sense the cultural mediocrity around us-and in us-and we know that ours is a time when, within and between all the nations of the world, the levels of public sensibilities have sunk below sight; atrocity on a mass scale has become impersonal and official; moral indignation as a public fact has become extinct or made trivial. We feel that distrust has become nearly universal among men of affairs, and that the spread of public anxiety is poisoning human relations and drying up the roots of private freedom. We see that people at the top often identify rational dissent with political mutiny, loyalty with blind conformity, and freedom of judgment with treason. We feel that irresponsibility has become organized in high places and that clearly those in charge of the historic decisions of our time are not up to them. But what is more damaging to us is that we feel that those on the bottom-the forced actors who take the consequences-are also without leaders, without ideas of opposition, and that they make no real demands upon those with power. • Letters & Autobiographical Writings (1954) [University of California Press, 2000], pp. 184-185. -C. Wright Mills Freud stated : "The voice of the intellect is a soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing. Ultimately, after endlessly repeated rebuffs, it succeeds. This is one of the few points in which it may be optimistic about the future of mankind, but in itself it signifies not a little." Hichens real strength was the fact that he could awaken of voice of intellect that resides in everyone's head and it's my opinion that if you can get people to think then you can get them to perhaps act in a more respectable manner. A man who does not think for himself does not think at all. ~Oscar Wilde

[@currencymule]

One of the more interesting speeches I've seen Christopher Hitchens give.

[@juliawait8174]

Lump in my throat when he said that his bad habits hadn't affected his health...yet. How we could do with Hitch in these dark days.

[@Alan-fk2kt]

GULP!

[@Kevo216666]

All ideologies are evil when made doctrine - manifestos become bibles - concepts and ideas become absolutist and unalterable. Good words today inspire death tomorrow. They become religions.

[@PerryTribeMetalBaker]

+K Russell nicely said, how very quotable of you :)

[@Green28142814]

It's the single best and most articulate comment I have seen on KZbin, to date. Can't imagine I'll find a better one any time soon.

[@Kevo216666]

David Nicholson Wow... That's very good of you to say so. Thanks :)

[@Green28142814]

You are more than deservedly welcome. You managed to summarize Orwell, and to a lesser extent Hitchens, in a manner no less impressive for its accuracy than its brevity. A truly rare ability.

[@Kevo216666]

Gus Goodbun Amen... I wrote this before I'd ever heard of Jordan Peterson - who shares my thoughts but does it better. please look him up.

[@Gabryal77]

That comment about his health made my heart pang

[@mumyoullknowme4644]

Ive listened to this so many times, and each time I listen I understand something more. I dont agree with Christopher on being a believer in Christ Jesus, not the religion, but wow I could listen to his passion and logic all day. RIP Christopher , may God rest your soul.

[@Kevo216666]

I appreciate reams have been written on this iconic book and that I can probably offer little in the way of further insights, but personally Nineteen Eighty Four is the best book I've read. I still find it awe-inspiring on so many levels. Not many books stay in the imagination like Nineteen Eighty Four does, where the phrases and concepts become so ingrained in our culture, that describing the modern world is impossible without quoting or referring to it. Often I have Orwell's voice in my head when I pick up a newspaper or listen to a politician. His warning against tyranny will never cease to be relevant - that's why everyone should read it... and perhaps more than once.

[@hullcityafc72]

***** My pick would be Homage to Catalunia, which isn't a novel but an account (some say the best) of the Spanish Civil War, written by someone who was on the front line.

[@brucewayne8382]

+K Russell I still haven't finished it yet, it's damn good so far though!

[@gunofapreacherman1340]

K Russell 1984 and Animal Farm, are the literary equivalent of taking both barrels from a sawn off shotgun to the head. Animal Farm, still leaves me feeling nauseous, especially taking today’s politicians into consideration. 1984, leaves me with a feeling of dread for our future, as a result of today’s politicians. Orwell, matters more than ever now.

[@michaelhull1813]

Read it? It's the manual for Progressives.

[@Hollis_wants_your_comments]

K Russell His identification of Leon Trotsky (né Leon Bronstein) as the fictional ”Emanuel Goldstein” within the fictional Nineteen Eighty-Four is useful, to say the least. Although this book provides the most precise delineation of WHAT’S being done to We the People, I prefer the ”simple” allegory, Animal Farm, for its meticulous description of HOW it’s done, HOW it comes to pass. I regard Animal Farm as the perfect How-To Manual - even more so than the Christian Bible - for authoritarianism in whatever incarnation. For my 65th birthday last May (2019), I bought the 1995 50th anniversary edition of the first American publication of Animal Farm, with 100 Ralph Steadman illustrations: never have a book and its illustrator been so exquisitely paired. (Btw, it’s printed in China, which regime apparently doesn’t see it as the provocative threat that, in fact, it is.)

[@Deliquescentinsight]

Looking at this in 2021, it seems it is more than ever a 'good time' to review this

[@dr.elizabethmartin7118]

THANKS for posting - from the future - it's now August of 2019. I DO MISS Christopher Hitchens! He was already coughing like a tubercular Dickensonian/Dickensisain character..but it was from smoking cigarettes............We lost him too soon. Lovely gent........... I used to go to the San Francisco Commonwealth Club...............heard a Soviet ex-spy...........Never heard Christopher, but read his great articles.......................cheers!!

[@thesixtiesmusic]

Yes. However, the date is superfluous, for the Hitch, like Orwell, will always be timeless... Thank you so much for uploading these wonderful videos; it is so interesting to hear the Hitch on literature, especially on Orwell.

[@judepower4425]

What a treat to find a Hitchens video I haven't seen! I do have his book on Orwell but this is just wonderful .... and I should've gone to bed ages ago and left this for tomorrow morning, but I just can't do so. Thank you for posting it.

[@viviandarkbloom100]

As well as being brilliant, Christopher was also VERY welcoming of students and all people asking him questions afterwards. Notice the very first thing he says is that "he won't leave until everyone who wants to talk to him, etc..." He was a great Teacher and Professor. Very giving of his knowledge. Some of those Literary types can be standoff-ish. Not The Hitch. What a Man.

[@Justquitalready]

I watched this and learned a lot. Thanks for posting.

[@Bouncy_penguin]

I agree. Trotsky was snowball and treated sympathetically. I took napoleon to be ultimately Stalin. However, I came to think he was a mix of both Lenin and Stalin given Stalin was actually Lenin’s muscle for a long time and they were in lockstep for some time. Animal farm was a simply brilliant book and I shall always be eternally grateful for my high school English teacher for helping me understand the many layers of the work and to appreciate it so much.

[@nakedsingularity3165]

My goodness, how well Christopher Hitchens' words about Orwell describe American politics in 2019! "The Con Man's victims do his work for him..."

[@michaelhull1813]

Obama all the way.

[@nakedsingularity3165]

YSV Rao - To whom are you talking?

[@raydematio7585]

Obama yes, Trump no

[@stanstlouis9811]

Greatest orator of all times.

[@elenafoleyfoley168]

🙏🙏🙏

[@Amethyst_Friend]

MLK.

[@sebastianmelmoth7331]

Can you imagine what Hitch would make of the hard left and American universities today. Miss this man so much.

[@Alan-fk2kt]

What would he make of the ENTIRE right?

[@misssparkle8317]

@@Alan-fk2kt what do you mean by the right?

[@prestonrobinson9829]

Still relevant in 2021. RIP Hitchens

[@nicolasmyth4664]

Thanks for uploading and sharing.

[@deeliciousplum]

Thank you to theHitchensArchive for sharing this talk. Exceptionally enlightening.

[@jeffwells1255]

The next Great Leap Forward in these videos will be the ability to hear the questions from the audience!