Christopher Hitchens On Socialism

[@Theactivepsychos]

This is why you don’t pigeon hole others or yourself as left or right because sooner or later you’re gonna be condemned as not being left enough. We’re all spectrums of ideas and opinions that should only be discussed on its merits and not on its position on the political spectrum.

[@Redactedlllllllllllll]

That's just being in denial. Just because I might be a basic nationalist and someone else is an actual Nazi doesn't mean anything. So what if they don't agree an everything, they work together politically.

[@Theactivepsychos]

@@Redactedlllllllllllll almost exactly my point.

[@skyteus]

I mean, this doesn't have to follow. There's always going to be "holier-than-thou" people around. I say, call yourself what you are.

[@Theactivepsychos]

@@skyteus and what do you call yourself if you’re right on some topics and left on others?

[@latenightlogic]

Pure nonsense. The left is good and any direction you head in the right is simply less good.

[@jameslabs1]

He would have been very entertaining to hear over the past year. Thanks

[@JadeHarleyCoffeeMug]

best thing hitchens did was ask to be waterboarded and ask "how bad can it be?"

[@RandomNarwhal]

And he later confirmed that it was torture

[@danmieseler9351]

I noticed he never volunteered to have his fingernails pulled out.

[@herethere2091]

It’s interesting to think that religion is direct;y opposed to a classless, fair society cuz zealots just say god intended it the way it is

[@DontDrinkthatstuff]

Marx like many religious zealots has a overarching view of history. This is the ironic thing within his worldview.

[@nameless4937]

Not a leftist without Hitch. Appreciate the context 🤘

[@MarkbyMarkAFosterPhD]

Hitchens was a Cliffite (Tony Cliff).

[@kildogery]

More like Tony Clifton.

[@jcleaverchamberlinjr]

Yep, he was initially a subscriber to Cliff’s brand of Trotskyism and a member of the SWP (or International Socialists as it was known at the time) and was friends with Alex Callinicos at Balliol, who is to this day a major name in the SWP. Callinicos even wrote an obituary for Hitchens on Socialist Worker’s website.

[@J0W1]

Everything Ben said....

[@matthewrousseau2982]

He was a cooperate socialist. He loved the free market

[@MadJackChurchill1312]

Standard Trot trajectory: Nitpick nitpick icepick ah fuck it I’m a neoconservative now.

[@missmiss8359]

We got ourselves a tankie lol ! The disastrous atrocities of the USSR wher not minor faults unless of course you consider deporting(genocide) entire ethnic groups and replacing them with russian settlers/purging comrades and intellectuals belonging to eathnic minorities for daring to promote the right of selfe determination for their people...ext to be minor faults .

[@Violet-nn1rm]

You three bumbling idiots critiquing Hitchens is a poorly written, low-budget comedy.

[@LeftReckoning]

It’s really beautiful to me when you internet creatures try and write well.

[@TheWhitehiker]

@@LeftReckoning Not a bad sentence, LeftReckoning. You can take some tips from Violet.

[@LeftReckoning]

@ thank you for your participation

[@TheWhitehiker]

@@LeftReckoning That's a better sentence.

[@fugazi225]

thanks for info

[@commonwunder]

He was the world's most versatile and accomplished bully. That a society offers such prestige to an egotistical tyrant, is interesting in its own right.

[@brad1928]

Hitchens final words on his death bed were, “capitalism. downfall.” I wouldn’t be so quick to condemn the late Hitchens just because his foreign policy opinion was not in alignment with the left. He was still an independent thinker and had his qualms with capitalism.

[@otoyoto7153]

Exactly, people massively overstate how far "right" he drifted toward the end of his life, he said directly that just because he didn't identify as a socialist anymore, that doesn't mean he took back everything he's ever said about capitalism. He continued to be a massive admirer of Marx and didn't condemn communism when asked if he would during another interview later on.

[@matthewgabbard6415]

Not a Communist, a Left Socialist Trotskyist. Communist was Moscow party line. Since it fell this generation who grew up without it doesn’t remember the leftist opposition to it

[@timfrye3586]

Love the 1980's Christopher! He proves that a great mind well used, produces socialist thought. And a great thirst well quenched, ends up producing a bigot.

[@DerStammtischphilosoph]

If you think that developing socialist thoughts is a necessary condition of having a great mind, then you have nothing in common with Christopher Hitchens.

[@timfrye3586]

@@DerStammtischphilosoph not at all what I said, reread the premise I laid out and have your hypothetical Hitchens respond to that, not your curious reinterpretation

[@matthewgabbard6415]

Isn’t it a bit sad that anyone who dares call out a psychotic, fundamentalist sect of a religion is deemed a racist. I guess Rushdie is one as well. Hitchens was never even a right winger, he just wanted a democracy in the Middle East by any means necessary. You really should know that much at least

[@missmiss8359]

In what way was Hitchens a bigot ?

[@synlion]

Same question: How was he a bigot?

[@NumeroSystem]

I'm on board except for the "no god" part. I don't think it matters if someone believes in some form of creation or not.

[@williammcadoo8685]

If your believing in a progressive or moderate version of faith , sure otherwise no .

[@NumeroSystem]

Alright.

[@kc2086]

How someone thinks the universe came to be is not terribly relevant to this, agreed. To me, the deal-breaker is believing that this physical world is just a shadow of some deeper spiritual realm, be it Heaven/Hell or whatever else. It tends to go along with the idea that this world is MEANT to be a fucked up place and that trying to fix it is foolhardy. "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions", that idea. Believing that there's something better beyond death is probably the only thing making life tolerable for millions of people... all the more reason to try and improve society, I'd say.

[@sullen2420]

You're not remembering what harm the evangelical movement in this country has done. They are our fascists, and they need to be stopped.

[@SCS-1964]

Flat earth creator gods, virgin birth saviors, flying angels, flying demons, flying jinn's, flying genies, flying cherubs with flaming swords, flying fire breathing dragons, flying horse chariots, flying pegasus's, flying horses, flying goats, flying elephants, flying buraq's, talking snakes, talking donkeys, talking ants, sticks that could part seas, giant humans, mammals getting out of graves AKA walking dead DO NOT EXIST and never did. The sun and moon are not being pulled around the hindu flat earth by a flying seven horse chariot..SMH All fables, myths and fairy tales from dead middle east men's imaginations 2 thousand to 3 thousand years ago, no different than today's movies. Cheers

[@kildogery]

The New Statesman is as dispointing as Hitchens became.

[@MattSingh1]

*Nah. Regressive leftists like you are the disappointment. Satisfyingly, Hitchens called the likes of you out on your water-carrying for Islamofascism.*

[@zenalibertana]

So, he was stupid since begin ...