Christopher Hitchens: The Fifth Annual Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture

[@LaplacianFourier]

Just appreciate what an amazing talk this is. He was simply asked to say a few things about Arthur Miller and his play The Crucible (which is rather mundane to those sufficiently impressed during middle school US history course), but Hitchens put it in a grander scope and struggle that even Miller himself may not have imagined, as evident by his almost skipping of "the appointment.” A person like him whose marvelous intelligence is only matched by his bravery is truly once in a century, at best. And to realize that his book God is Not Great was only a finalist speaks to the ignorance and frivolous nature the National Book Foundation conducted themselves with. Denis Johnson's Tree of Smoke is but a fleeting fictional entertainment that at best may contain literary somersaults that wowed, whereas Hitchens book will be one looked back by our descendants few millenniums from now and wonder why his contemporaries were so thickheaded. The latter is if we can even muster some of the brilliance and courage displayed consistently by this man to not let civilization collapse.

[@MarjorainMD]

@ Boomerino, appreciate your statement, and concur 100% with it as well, intellects like Christopher Hitchens are scarce, as you well put it, once a century at best. I was very lucky I spot him in C-Span in the mid 80’s from there on my Christopher Hitchens library grew, pleased to say I have all his written works, proud to have in my possession “god is Not Great” first edition book # 9 hard cover from the first 1000 copies signed by the man himself, I treasure this giant of reason teachings, my books go to my son then to his sons/daughters. We must try to preserve his well researched ideas and thought provoking wisdom. Thank you for reading…Cheers! 🥃🥃

[@joecurran2811]

Great speech by the Hitch!

[@MarjorainMD]

Oh, how I miss this man! incomparable/irreplaceable Hitchens. Every time I listen to this fantastic polymath even my English diction gets better and so does my grammar,..I love this gentleman.

[@bjack7282]

a warning from the past and still nobody is listening

[@dianahill7239]

Christopher Hitchens was intelligent enough to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court! Chief Justice Christopher Hitchens.

[@MarjorainMD]

Well, unfortunately I am not a member of the senate nor anyone of importance to change any laws, but I have been listening to this man’s wisdom and thought provoking ideas since the mid 1980s … I love Christopher and sorely miss the gorgeous bastard.

[@dianahill7239]

Christopher Hitchens was intelligent enough to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court! Chief Justice Christopher Hitchens.

[@Snafuski]

Must-hear...

[@MattSingh1]

*This was just a month before Christopher was diagnosed with the cancer that would rob him of us.*

[@LaplacianFourier]

Yes indeed, robbed us of him.

[@crixus]

@MrAvenged He does not. It's a Kurdish flag. Either get your eyes fixed or read Christopher's articles. Or both. In any case, it might prevent you from posting stupid comments on youtube.

[@PaulGilbertIsGod2]

@erihan10 His wife a Jewish Greek. Christopher didn't find out his mother, Yvonne, was Jewish until long after she passed.

[@DamnedConservative]

His first wife was Greek orthodox, his 2nd wife Carol Blue is of Jewish heritage

[@joecurran2811]

Wasn't there that comment to a Catholic Bishop we are both horrible bastardisations of Judaism

[@SirKanti1]

@erihan10 Yes his wife is jewish i believe as was his mothers side of the family.

[@erihan10]

He just said he was married by a rabbi, did he not?

[@crixus]

@MrAvenged A palestinian flag might suggest that you agree he's a racist or antisemite (which would be ironic since Hitch is a Jew). Apart from that: it wasn't clear in your original post that you replied to someone.

[@jamescarr4662]

Perhaps an Israeli flag is by that logic suggestive of islamophobia...

[@jamescarr4662]

To his eternal credit Hitchens was an avid opponent of Israel's illegal and USA-underwritten occupation of Palestine; he was far too intelligent and rationale a man not to be. An obvious truism is that anti-zionism is not anti-semitism.

[@recalcitrantrecidivist5927]

Its a Kurdish flag.

[@stevennorton485]

the fear of the lord is the beginning of knowledge proverbs 1 v 7

[@Bajro97]

Listening Hitchens anew on the subject of free speech always rekindles my rage at the cowards in publishing and politics who enable fascist bullies. A true jolt of inspiration that I find I need from time to time. One has keep one's anger cold, as Hitchens would say, and one's powder dry.