Famous Journalist Storms Out of Interview | "I Actively Dislike You"

[@CosmicSkeptic]

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[@jozefwoo8079]

Hi Alex, if you are still interested in learning from this conversation, I do think you should have skipped to another topic quicker. That said, it was also clear that Peter was in an adversarial mode from the first second.

[@joelabraham708]

hmm, I _also_ actively dislike you, but that doesn't seem to be able to stop this site from constantly recommending your shit videos to me

[@Chris-n2f9m]

Why you would entertain this pompous moron I do not know.

[@EllieBanks333]

I think when Hitchens got angry about the "what about alcohol" thing, Alex missed an argument. Alcohol is legal. We don't want people flying planes, driving buses, or doing brain surgery under the influence of alcohol. Why don't we already have a "testing" problem?

[@GoodmanMIke59]

I now recall the uncomfortable experience of your watching you, Alex, and will never watch another one of your videos again. You're a petulant and rude young man. ... I taught buttheads like you. You're the kind of young man I would ignore until I had to send him to the office. ... This was generally followed up upon by a phone call to the parents of spoiled children like you.

[@harlequin-grim]

This meltdown could have been avoided by a single: "Alex, I think I've grown a bit tired of this topic, would you mind if we moved on?" This just goes to show you it doesn't matter how intelligent or well-educated you are, if you don't know how to check your ego, you'll still find yourself behaving like a child every now and then.

[@bishop222556]

Bingo.

[@bubbacheese3929]

He kinda says that multiple times about how he’s board, how he’d like to move on, how he wasn’t prepared to talk about Portugal, etc… Plus the interview was only supposed to be an hour and it was 48 minutes on the one topic.

[@patbau96]

@@bubbacheese3929 Yeah but if it was bothering him so much he could've just been more firm about moving on instead of throwing a temper tantrum

[@scotttimbrell8632]

Could have been avoided by any awareness and decent questioning on Alex' part, also. Both are to blame.

[@riccardo-964]

Easiest solution.

[@slawssson9447]

"thank you for being here" "so far so good" what kind of reply is that? dude was upset from the start

[@joeyaiello2186]

He’s perpetually swallowed by his brothers shadow and will be bitter about that forever

[@marcuskissinger3842]

This guy was an asshole the whole time…

[@Keyboardwarrior1337]

Yea. He came in pissed. Forgot to smoke some bud in the morning.

[@sasanikolic5395]

Truu

[@varunsharma3532]

It was either pre determined that he will get angry or maybe he got angry because of some random fluctuations But he did not have any free will to not get angry

[@henhouseharry6193]

Peter's problem is that he believes once he's explained his side of the argument you have to agree with him.

[@jerrmhs]

What's weird is people are commenting as if Alex should just move on when he gives his answer. The whole point of an interview is to critique ideas and to see how they miss with other ideas

[@hugo3627]

I think he is fine with not agreeing with him, he keeps reitorating "that is just my opinion". He just does not want his opinion to be challanged. Typical fake tollerance you see a lot, everyone is allowed to have their shitty opinions but you are not allowed to have a opinion about the opinion.

[@BrendaCreates]

That's what we call a bingo.

[@HeathB]

God , I got this exact feeling from him. "I've said my part, thanks for agreeing with me."

[@juan_153]

@@jerrmhsI thought people did that when they engaged in polemics, or a debate, even dialogue, but not this back and forth arguing and calling it an interview. Correct me if i’m wrong

[@Frozen_Smoke1972]

Peter loves the sound of his own voice so much, he can't bear to storm out without taking endlessly about it.

[@bestbehave]

It runs in the family, only his brother had things worth saying

[@Frozen_Smoke1972]

@bestbehave I think he also had a humility about him that this pompous arsehole has not.

[@wardulens7607]

well, tbf, he does have a nice voice.

[@Frozen_Smoke1972]

@wardulens7607 Ha! I'm not sure about that. He reminds me of an old teacher of mine who was far too full of his own self-regard but didn't have the intellect to warrant it.

[@bestbehave]

@ my immediate reading was that you described him as an old lecher…..

[@snapgab]

Imagine writing a whole book about how you support a war on drugs, being invited to talk about drugs, and then getting mad about being asked about drugs.

[@Aussiesnrg]

I thought the same thing

[@ragegaze3482]

yea and when hes asked questions on said book, he says he doesn't have to answer that because it was answered already in the book or in x blog. If you wrote the book or the blog you should be able to answer questions without referring back to them lol.

[@snapgab]

​@@AussiesnrgLMAO it's gotten even dumber now that I'm watching the interview. He, in one breath, complains first about Alex asking him questions about this when his views about it are already well known since he has already written a book about it, but then complains about how nobody bought his book or even knew it existed! Just completely nonsensical, what a sad insecure excuse of a man.

[@minkusmaz]

​@@ragegaze3482he is mad that no one gives a crap about his book, it's sadly transparent

[@KraYarK]

I can respect someone not liking drugs, not taking them, or not wanting them to be sold in a black market. But anyone who supports a "war on drugs" it's just delusional and not to be taken off seriously in my opinion.

[@reidtrevar]

"1 minute would've been too long to talk about drugs." - a man who wrote a book concerning drug use

[@user-soon300]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@steveshooter9010]

As if he said, " I wrote a book about it...enough said".

[@adamsmith9184]

And Alex cleared the topic with him multiple times in advance 🥴 Old bastard

[@user-nd5iv5bm2n]

he only wants to talk about it if its the propoganda being unchallenged. no intellectual integrity allowed.

[@shawnellemartineaux6212]

Who was invited to discuss drug decriminalisation. 😅

[@davidsimpson7229]

Ironically, Peter Hitchens succeeded at proving that you can have a complete mental health breakdown WITHOUT marijuana.

[@pitmclord]

Smoking a bit would probably do him a lot of good

[@davidsimpson7229]

@@pitmclord Personally, I think weed is often harmful. But yes, for him I’d probably agree 😂. Gotta learn to chill.

[@d3rduck]

lmao

[@MarcusCicero1]

This was clearly caused by interacting with a irritating millennial, not marijuana

[@andralfoo]

@@davidsimpson7229 smoking anything is always harmful, but adults should have the agency to make their own mistakes

[@coolhumanrecords]

The restraint Alex shows in not just telling him 'Okay, fuck off then' at the end is amazing.

[@NickRamsayNickdrumr2]

I would have said that after Peter said 'So far" right at the start.

[@maartenbondt9600]

Every time I see Alex with a difficult person I’m surprised at his patience.

[@johannesbrahms9528]

"You're obsessed with drugs." -Guy who wrote a book about drugs. "I think you've behaved disgracefully." -Guy off screen because he stormed out after insulting the host.

[@trumanfalkner3475]

The lack of self-awareness is truly embarrassing to watch. But I can’t look away. Was this an episode of the office?

[@Si_Mondo]

​@@trumanfalkner3475 "The lack of self awareness...." is why I suspect that secretly, he's *still* a Trot, and all his lip service towards conservatism is just that; lip service.

[@gsomethingsomething2658]

@@Si_Mondo Yes, interesting thought. You could be right.

[@neptuneamaru5649]

I agree that Hitchens' off screen rant was unprofessional but if they really agreed to 1 hour then it's Alex's fault. He's the one interviewing Hitchens and he should change the subject every 10-15 minutes. Alex didn't do a good job of time management and that's on him.

[@gsomethingsomething2658]

@@neptuneamaru5649 _"... but if they really agreed to 1 hour then it's Alex's fault."_ - But as clearly stated by Alex at the beginning, that _isn't_ what they agreed to.

[@tripkev6522]

Imagine he’d gotten Hitchens to sit back down after 20 minutes of arguing. “So… God. … Do you think he’d have decriminalised drugs?”

[@anneamus]

Well played, Sir.

[@john-ic5pz]

lmao 👍🏼 WWJD

[@saintetienne755]

Bravo - would have been a peach

[@maval4537]

lol!

[@torstenheling3830]

Yeah. Can you imagine if Alex had sat down and said that? It would have been hilarious. All he wants to talk about is legalizing all drugs, and I’m not sure which ones; however, all I can imagine is marijuana because his focus was on marijuana. Marijuana has been legal for purely recreational purposes here in California for over 6 years (and is legal for purely recreational purposes in 20 other US States, like all of New England from New York up to Maine and several others), and I haven’t noticed the slightest change in society during that time. And I’m no Gen Z. I’m 65, and I frankly couldn’t care less about the topic. It’s a non- issue here and laughably boring and uninteresting. It would be like debating whether Irish Whisky should be legal. Okay, so what else is on the agenda?

[@ryaneliasbaker]

“Thanks for being here.” “So far, so good.” Already off to a tragic start. Man, what an absolute grump of a man.

[@GucciButNotGuilty]

Foreshadowing irony

[@jbrassic5434]

Yeah I clocked that too, that was brutally rude. What an entitled old prick.

[@Aquascape_Dreaming]

I think the biggest struggle with Peter Hitchens is that he has become quite used to anticipating ambush, antagonistic journalism. That shouldn't be Alex's problem, though. If Hitchens has lost the ability to retain a sense of good will and benefit of the doubt, then it's time to hang up his hat and coat, and get out of the game. He can bang on about morality all he wants, but if he doesn't observe the milder courtesies (also under the morality umbrella), then he's no better than the thing he rails against. What a poor example and message this sends to young people, that you can expect the older men you look up to to look down on you with derision and suspicion, devolving into outright false accusation? Hitchens should be the one to eat an entire patisserie of humble pies, and apologise to Alex. It's obvious Peter has given up on life and society.

[@the-coop]

I noticed that too and got 5k views on Twitter for saying so to him, but then people responded accusing me of helping Alex spin a narrative? I'm not biased in Alex favour, I have no idea who he is. I was biased in the favour of Mr Hitchens and still disappointed here.

[@Aquascape_Dreaming]

​@@the-coopI don't really think anyone could accuse Alex of trying to spin a narrative, because every time he opened his mouth to speak, Hitchens cut him off and drowned him out.

[@scrapbus9681]

"I don't like you" "I don't care" These are some amazing insights, Peter. What a baby. 🍼

[@ucheogwude2516]

In the literal first minute: Alex - " Thank you for being here" Peter: " So far, so good" That in itself should have been a MASSIVE red flag.

[@ink7761]

to be fair to him he does often say that in his interviews. I remember a much more constructive conversation with Novara Media

[@kil93]

He says it in every interview. The fact you dont know this shows how ignorabt you are of him

[@firehot006]

Tries to start it off with a witty start like Christopher would have done, but fails.

[@Feverm00n]

@@kil93honestly that doesn’t make it any less of a red flag lol

[@johnmcway6120]

​@@kil93why wouldn't one be ignorant of some old goblin looking rude mf? Anything wrong with it?

[@finnrothery2928]

Imagine this grown man who, instead of saying “Sorry, Alex, can we move onto a different topic”, decides to have a full on tantrum 😂

[@Fairburne69]

100% If he was so tired of talking about drugs after 30 minutes for example why didn't he just say, "I'd like to switch topics now. This one is boring." But instead he has a temper tantrum like a 5 year old child.

[@tiyenin]

​@@Fairburne69You get that Peter wasn't actually "tired of the topic," right? That was his excuse, but it was clear that Peter just kept growing increasingly mad that Alex was bringing up salient points that he simply could not refute. This is what frustration (particularly with not being as smart as you'd like to think) looks like.

[@unduloid]

The issue is that Alex pointed follow-up questions showed how weak Hitchens' answers are. Hitchens really hates it when he gets exposed like that.

[@cesarvillalobos1692]

He did say it at the 11 minute mark. I think, however dislikable he is, he did say he didn't want to go on about it, at least once.

[@finleylogie7288]

11:50 he said he doesnt want to go on about the subject

[@vkl47]

I've never seen someone take so long to storm out of a room

[@michaelmick6167]

really

[@towag]

😂

[@justinjones8583]

It’s because he likes to go in circles. Both physically and argumentatively.

[@ablemad1]

reminds me of the Key and peele sketch :P

[@JesseP.Watson]

Peter Hitchens basically saying: "I HAVE BEEN ABUSED, THIS IS MY LIVED EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CONTRADICT THAT!" ...Now that is pretty ironic! 😂

[@maxschmidt8929]

Wow. My mouth was hanging wide open at the end of the interview. You handled this very well.

[@eride810]

"Let me introduce Peter...." "Well of course I'm Peter! Do you think they would be calling me that if my mum hadn't given me that name? It's clear that my name is Peter, and I'm not even sure why we're discussing it..."

[@JohnWalter-f2w]

😂

[@Dreamstrafe]

Excellent impression

[@kerlygerl]

Spot on

[@andrewlunceford6571]

You're OBSESSED with names!

[@pprender1]

😂😂😂

[@G_Demolished]

I always thought he seemed insufferable when debating his brother, but I attributed that to sibling rivalry. It would seem he’s more consistent than I gave him credit for.

[@thedoctor.a.s1401]

Finally someone who understands

[@hewasfuzzywuzzy3583]

He hates it when people don't agree to his point and stay focused on his point. He's of the type that if you're talking or arguing about a specific discourse; then stay on topic and don't change the subject so to speak about another already established issue. He's kind of got a point. But he doesn't state it clear enough I guess. Or at least in a way that gets it out there that he wants the interviewer or person arguing with or against him to stay on topic. Maybe there's something else. But I'm getting this vibe from this particular interview.

[@DeaconShadow]

Yeah, he’s always been an obnoxious jerk. Like you said tho, it could have seemed more obvious when debating Chris. But when I looked in on other conversations people had with him he had that self satisfied arrogance far too many apologists possess.

[@JonathanFitt]

Yes he’s always been an insufferable twat. I don’t think anyone would give his opinions the time of day were it not for his brother.

[@Gee-xb7rt]

I feel like he could have been less of a boomer and stayed in his chair and demanded the subject be changed without all the drama. All I learned is he doesn't like Portugal and Alex.

[@ApostateProphet]

This is so weird. He complains that his views on drugs have been suppressed with hostility and then he gets annoyed because you make him talk about his views.

[@NightsideOfParadise]

Yeah, I wonder if the guy has personal issues going on.

[@jonas6120]

He could use a few puffs to calm him down

[@SundayMatinee]

He wants to express his views WITHOUT being challenged. Hence, his frustration because life just doesn't work that way.

[@dawnkeyy]

"My views won't change anything" I'm not through the whole trainwr... I mean, interview yet, so idk if Alex does ask him, but I'd like to know why such a cynical nihilist bothers to write books or take interviews on the subject then. Who's "the obituary" for?

[@NightsideOfParadise]

@@Domesticated_Ape Yeah, doesn't sound like he was just bored like he said.

[@cozumel5608]

42:47 😂😂😂 The way Alex looks at the screen, it looks like an episode from the office

[@gusyeates5408]

Hitchens wants to call Alex rude but he constantly talked over the top of him and raised his voice, speaking down to him. 🤯 well done to Alex for remaining polite and calm.

[@estellehebert5429]

Totally agree!

[@octoBadger]

100% He misunderstood Alex, then spent several minutes berating him whilst not letting him explain. Alex showed superhuman restraint.

[@art-fw7ci]

I used to have respect for Hitchens, but that was pathetic.

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

It's a shame Alex didn't introduce the concept that those who want to smoke cannabis do already, and legalisation is unlikely to increase the rate of consumption.

[@alexandergingell9578]

Hitchens was a little arrogant and derogatory and his accent doesn’t help. However, Alex did keep asking the same question -why? He didn’t like the response and was trying to illicit another one? His style seems to be presenting a conversation between equals not as an interviewer. When it was obviously all going ‘pear shaped’ as the interviewer he should have found a way to plus if he was supposed to talk about other subjects he was a little disingenuous. His grovelling at the end was embarrassing and must have emboldened Hutchins.

[@alexcalvoimagery]

Never seen a man who could use a joint quite like this gentleman.

[@clivehanforth6283]

Lmaooo, he really does

[@queenknow]

I’m dead.

[@kidusgetachew9215]

Let me academically argue with you how Marijuana use can strategically harm you and let's deconstruct how lazy a society becomes when consuming the devil's lettuce. I should also add we can spend 24 hours talking about this. Marijuana usage is my whole personality and since I have already expounded it on my book I already have enough materials to answer your questions.

[@turbulent_glider]

😂😂😂

[@Andres-rr4gj]

you mean man child?

[@adamm6290]

If you took a shot for every sentence Alex got through without Peter shouting over him, you would be as sober as Peter wants the entire planet to be.

[@afdave7]

Hahajaha!!!!

[@JoshWiniberg]

😂😂😂

[@padfooterz]

What a miserable lad he seems.

[@smallestmikenike9261]

i will now be playing this with a dab pen

[@validatedclassified2564]

The real question is, is Peter even sober himself?

[@gombles]

Peter doesn't seem to understand that "giving an answer" doesn't mean it has to be taken at face value and as fact.

[@redbadger2255]

Alex: *tries to say literally anything* Peter: *interrupts with stupid accusations and stuttering* The irony of this man-child saying that Alex is being rude is mindboggling.

[@justoalejandrogonzalez5097]

The interruptions were the things that most amazed me. I'm thinking about seeing it again and counting them.

[@davidrice6224]

Christopher clearly got all the charm and charisma - Peter was sadly left with nothing. Hopefully this video will make him crawl up his own a$$ and disappear.

[@whysocurious7366]

If you took a drink every time he interrupts, then you would not be able to watch the whole interview.

[@blackbelt2003]

I think this was bad on both sides. Peter Hitchens was clearly in a disagreeable mood to begin with and made ad-hominem attacks repeatedly, whilst Alex kept circling the interview back and forth after the subject had been exhausted, making it more like a debate without a moderator than an interview, which clearly made Hitchens even more annoyed. Neither man would agree on any of the topics, but countless productive interviews have been completed in the past despite that. A good interviewer and a good subject don't have to agree, but if it devolves into a point-scoring argument like this in which no-one wants to be the bigger man and move on, it's unrecoverable.

[@davidrice6224]

@@blackbelt2003 the war on drugs is Hitchins game, and he agreed to it being one of two subjects he was prepared to discuss. If he didn't want to talk about it, as apparently he didn't, then don't agree to it. And if he'd actually let Alex speak it may well have been done in 20 minutes. Alex bears absolutely no responsibility for this, but Htchins has shown himself to be an absolute man-brat.

[@whatismyusername7153]

He knew this was going to look bad for him. If I thought I was mistreated by an interviewer I would not have a problem with them airing it, unless I thought I also was at fault. His line about “don’t think you’ve bested me” was the most telling. He definitely felt bested.

[@PeteJohnMcGarvey]

100%. If I thought I was mistreated by an interviewer, I would be *demanding* it aired, not telling him not to. The ‘feeling bested’ comment was indeed extremely telling.

[@lewreed1871]

In my addled haze, I read "felt bested" as "self bested". He really did outdo himself!

[@lemonynora]

@@PeteJohnMcGarveyyeah he was definitely bested. And I thought Alex was going soft here. Peter was very unprofessional here there would have been way better ways to move on from this topic than him standing up and doing 15 minutes of personal insults and a hissy fit

[@mpayson]

My thoughts exactly. That was a clear concession of defeat, even if he didn't intend it that way.

[@hive_indicator318]

"I'm definitely not mad. Don't put in the papers that I'm mad" lol. Dril's tweets are useful so often

[@iggysh2427]

Dear Alex, you behaved politely, gracefully, well-mannered and were absolutely honest and brilliant as always. Thank you

[@George.Andrews.]

@iggysh2427 . Alex was a pain in the arse. I'm no big fan of Peter, but man, enough was enough.

[@jamie835]

​@@George.Andrews.Totally agree. Then running the argument afterwards when Hitchens was off camera seems a bit sly to me

[@sannytizer7772]

This guy was determined to go on and on about decriminalisation, which he admittedly wants, and that was his agenda.

[@easyok2709]

Soo true, Alex requires to feel like he’s won the conversation

[@sannytizer7772]

@@easyok2709 Exactly

[@hunterceroy]

46:27 lol😂 no one is talking about that pillow slam hahahaha

[@Altair584]

Literally just saw this hahaha what did the pillow do

[@rogman512]

I am blown away at how disrespectful, and childish that man was. you handled that awkward situation way better than I would have.

[@nizzie16]

He’s a spoiled child, unhappy with himself and his life. Just listening to him whining that his book didn’t get the praise he thinks it deserves explains Hitchens entire personality. The thought that the book was maybe just rubbish doesn’t even occur to him.

[@PrivateSi]

Have you never read his columns or seen him on TV before? When he's not angry, aggressive and insulting he passive-aggressive, fuming inside and still just as insulting. He occasionally adopts a Libertarian stance on the odd issue but is basically a full-on Conservative D*CKHEAD... Authoritarian nutjob with more in common with Commies than Libertarians and Liberals. The more Conservative you are the more joy & jobs you want banned, and the more kids beaten, and prisoners executed. Nasty moronic NANNY-COP STATIST.

[@HillbillyYEEHAA]

Too busy thinking he's superior. He's very stuck in his ways of thinking

[@YingGuoRen]

He is a notorious contrarian. If there were a massive Christian revival in the UK he would become an atheist. If there was a sudden surge in social conservatism he would advocate for liberalism. He believes in nothing beyond holding unpopular opinions.

[@ANPHKI]

To be fair, I kind of get where Peter is coming from here. An utter drab of a "debate", or a "conversation", or whatever you want to call this. I would be bored off my noggin, if I had to sit there reiterate this sort of base level back and forth on a subject being trodden through many times, more articulately and with better prepared opiners on the issue. I am certainly not for legalization of harmful drugs as a policy myself, but that is neither here and there. The point here, is that Alex O' Connor really missed the mark and did not capitalize on an opportunity to have a fruitful and intellectually challenging conversation with one of the better pundits and political opiners of our time.

[@dickyguapo]

If anything could drive people to drink and drugs, it would be listening to Peter Hitchens.

[@TheLemonsims]

I can’t stand the way he talks!!!

[@moonandstars1677]

It’s pretentious and made worse by the whistling of his S’s.

[@duderyandude9515]

I was smoking weed when watching this.

[@fordcapri6288]

Pretentious arrogant toff

[@fordcapri6288]

@@ellydian8145 i think you missed the point the interviewer was trying to make, in the portugese drug legalisation experiment "In the first five years after drug policy reform, use of illegal drugs rose slightly among the general population but fell again in the following five years" and that general crime declined during this period. Most likely making a correlation between criminalization leads to more crime. (Put simply). However it is likely imo we are certainly going to see an increase in crime here in the uk, but that will be more from an increased population, uncontrolled immigration, and conservative party that has destroyed the economy.

[@diegog1853]

"If marihuana is legalized there would have to be constant testing of everyone doing important jobs" "well alcohol exists, it is legal and it is a great danger if people that do important jobs are drunk, and yet there is no need for constant testing" This is a completely valid counter point... and it is pretty obvious that he is getting upset because he has no answer... probably not in his book either.

[@benwil6048]

Telling he is still using the reefer madness term for cannabis too; it’s those damn Mexicans coming here, smoking marihuana and raping Our wamens!

[@Happyisboss]

He literally says "never mind alcohol thats something~" then completely changes the subject

[@iankelley9704]

I had the same thought, but to his credit, he did say he wants more stringent laws for alcohol. That was kind of what he went off on Alex for.

[@murph8411]

Given how widespread he also says it’s use is and how he thinks its ignored by the police (even though more people are still arrested for possession than supply in the UK) you’d think testing would be just as necessary already. Given that in some places where cannabis has been legalised there hasn’t been a sudden huge increase in people using it if reports are to be believed. I’m surprised Hitchens used Colorado as an example of children getting a hold of the drug from legal sources easily given you have to show photo ID that you’re over 21 and the shops have to keep video records of buyers. When it was first legalised in Colorado the numbers of users between 12-17 dropped according to a federal report. I could understand if he’d used Colorado as an example of an increase of use by adults. Some studies show decreases in the numbers of youngsters using and others show increases so I don’t think it’s anything like as cut and dried as people like Hitchens like to say.

[@JCMcGee]

Is it...or is it a false equivilence.

[@fredbennett3837]

Prehaps, where this went wrong is that, Peter thought of this as an interview in the more traditional sence. Where he would be invited on as a expert, asked questions, he would then answer and that answer would be acepted as his informed opinion, if not fact. Another question would then be asked. Whereas Alex approached this as a debate, where he would introduce a topic or idea, Peter would express his thoughts on the topic and then Alex would argue a different aproach. Peter may have interpreted Alex's rebuttal as a inaccurate sumation of the point he, Peter, had just made, or as Alex repeating the question. As the debate continued Peter, still misunderstanding of the structure of the podcast, grew increasingly frustrated at what he, incorrectly, pecieved to be Alex's constant mischaracterisation of his thoughts and/or repeation of questions. Thus leading to his outburst. However, this is granting Peter a lot of credit here, he had a bad attitude from the begining; his first words being the rather pessimistic, "So good so far". His refusal to let Alex speak at length barred any clarification from taking place. Plus this relies on Peter being so unaware of his surroundings that he didn't realise the true nature of the podcast as a debate and his arrogance to believe that he wouldn't be challenged even in a regular interview. Or possibly, he was embarrassed he couldn't think of his own rebuttal, so attacked the questions' semantics instead of answering its sentiment. When that didn't work, as Alex simply rephrased the question (which led to the drug discussion lasting for so long) Peter was forced to attack the entire interview and Alex's journalistic integrity. Most likely, he's just a prick.

[@cait1381]

That's exactly how I interpreted all of this. I think Alex was also just trying to rephrase questions to get a particular answer out of him about contradictions in his thinking that Peter did not want to acknowledge. Given, Alex should've phrased it more of a debate but Peter handled this SO poorly.

[@edwardlauder]

It’s amazing how Alex is able to keep his cool during Peter’s awful rant. He called him rude, incompetent and extremely dishonest. What a prat.

[@MarcusCicero1]

He was going around in circles on the drug subject. It was boring me as well. Interview a cranky old man and get a cranky old man. I find millennials irritating as well

[@jazzman2516]

You can tell his mindset was off going into the discussion with “so far, so good”. Utter git. 😂

[@CommanderCodyChipless]

​@@MarcusCicero1if you watch closely, Alex didn't even get to the meat of the point he was trying to get across. I was listening to him try to cross examine the laws and the cultural shifts of something like tobacco and alcohol as well as marijuana. With all of the interruptions from Hitchens, Alex didn't even touch the subject that Hitchens FIRST brought up in his opening where he said that marijuana has correlation that enough damage us already done that is doesn't even need to be counted as a gateway drug. Which, as a viewer I was very curious on that challenge from Alex.

[@louisrobertbrown]

​@@MarcusCicero1Alex is from gen z (he was born in 1999)

[@MarcusCicero1]

@@CommanderCodyChipless I thought Peter explained it quite well. That is the danger of Marijuana shouldn't be diminished by classifying it as a gate way drug. Hitchens certainly should have been more patient whith the interviewer but the older you get the less tolerant you get with stupidity, real or perceived,

[@byebaum]

You have the patience of a saint, Alex. I cannot even imagine being that polite, for that long, with that man.

[@FreeXenon]

Right! I have not idea how people like him do not come out swinging and swearing up a storm.

[@mbvurawn370]

He should not have taken all that. He should have told him I'm sorry u feel that way. It wasn't my intent to waste you time. But you can get the fuck out now. He does not need to sit there and take that man's tirade. Just agree to disagree and throw him out. Just one more example of why you should never meet your heros.

[@l333ky]

What a pompous prick!! No wonder nobody listens to him.

[@azuravian]

​@@mbvurawn370Peter Hitchens is someone's hero?

[@v3g499]

Yeah honeslty i would have thrown the water on the table on his face

[@thomasgladstone6531]

"I don't like you" "That's fine." Alex, you are literally the most agreeable person ever lol

[@leoskyi]

Agreeable yes but mostly professional

[@mathiasrennochaves3533]

That was cold blood as hell lol... But he is actively debating every guest in the most confrontation way. It seems very difficult to see how someone extremely agreeable would do that.

[@leoskyi]

@@mathiasrennochaves3533 "...debating every guest in the most confrontation way." Hmmm are we talking about Alex O'connor ?

[@mathiasrennochaves3533]

@@leoskyi wouldn't you say so? Point me in one interview that he didn't repeatedly challenged the beliefs of his guest even when he agreed with him.

[@leoskyi]

@@mathiasrennochaves3533 playing devils advocate is not what I would call being confrontational. But I see what you mean now

[@JohnWarosa999]

As someone who actually thinks Cannabis should stay illegal, I now no longer think this. All thanks to Peter! Thanks Peter, for making me realise Cannabis should be legal!

[@NonRandomNonSense]

If Peter is correct that Alex treated him badly, I don't understand why he thinks it would be immoral for Alex to air an interview which would show Alex acting badly! If anything, Peter would be daring Alex to release the video because it makes Alex look bad.

[@se7enhaender]

Now I feel stupid for not realising that myself right away. 😵

[@artistsanomalous7369]

@@se7enhaender He clearly thought Alex would edit it deceptively as he'd come to the conclusion that the whole thing had been a trick from the start.

[@susandavorn3249]

Spot on

[@CrypticCode]

@@artistsanomalous7369 I doubt that because even after Alex said he would post this in full he kept at it. I think the real reason is because he knows he is in the wrong and thought he could bully Alex into not releasing it. Most likely realized he was not answering the questions up to his standards so decided to nuke the entire thing, but it back fired.

[@artistsanomalous7369]

@@CrypticCode It's hard to know exactly what he's thinking. It even started to look like Alex was winning him back at one point when he offered to just talk about religion/secularism from then on and not even publish the drugs bit, but then that's when Hitchens just goes and directly insults him pretty much out of nowhere. It's like he'd just decided he'd taken against him and wasn't gonna budge. I guess him being so stubborn and irascible is to do with his age. Though it's also a lesson a lot of adults generally don't seem to have fully learned, that just because you're angry doesn't mean you're right.

[@mysticknight48433]

Hitchens: claims Alex isn't listening to him Also Hitchens: interrupted almost every sentence Alex spoke.

[@patrickmcevoy5080]

Right - it's as though that's Hitchens' entire rhetorical method, to wait until the other person was about to speak, and then interrupt as soon as he opens his mouth. Very annoying.

[@michaelmadcat]

Great call out! I'm 45:30 in now and Hitchens has definitely had way more mic time and has barely let Alex get in a complete sentence without an interruption. If anybody is to blame for the conversation being stuck in place, it's him.

[@sudeeptibandi3984]

That's Hitchens

[@MrDiveDave]

Thats because he was there to lecture the simple minded people not to have a discussion, and one of us simpletons had the nerve to push back and imply they disagree with his holiness opinion.

[@2degucitas]

​@@MrDiveDave He does come off as elitist. And a poor sport.

[@serchtopo]

HAHAHA just the opening: Alex: “Thanks for being here!” Peter: “So far… so good…” Alex (thinking): what a f****ng weird way to say hi, but ok 😂

[@ZekeMagnar]

First thought to cross my mind. Haven't watched the whole clip yet, but for some reason he sounded defensive from the jump. That's definitely not normal.

[@billyjoelbeans]

@@ZekeMagnar eh, I think that's probably a fine, realistic view of affairs. No need to be unnecessarily positive. this might be a hindsight thing. That phrase on its own in this context is completely okay in my eyes

[@getasimbe]

@@billyjoelbeans Nah it's definitely defensive. Not only the words, but also the way he said them

[@joerdim]

my thoughts too

[@fahrenheit2101]

​@@getasimbehardly. Could easily be construed as just an endearing thing to say, jesting about the unlikely possibility of some sort of disaster, to, somewhat contrarily, show that you're not after anything like that, and you want things to be civil Actually wait that is a tad defensive...

[@hko_productions]

Painful interview to watch, but thank you for posting it. Unfortunately, only one person came into this conversation in good faith

[@Pumpkinking64]

Peter is the definiton of bad faith. Thank you for standing your ground, Alex.

[@tobynsaunders]

It seemed like something deeply emotional in Peter was triggered and he then behaved like a child.

[@gyorgyfekete4161]

"Bad faith ..." which one of them (faiths) is good?

[@gyorgyfekete4161]

-(9:58 or so...) Oh, the children again. Let's just keep kids' access to tobacco, alcohol and firearms.

[@tiaisirradiated]

Right before they even began speaking he replied to the thanks with "So far, so good", he was bad faith before the debates even began.

[@ashcross]

Bad faith?? Justify this. You are saying he is arguing with Alex without believing in what he is arguing with Alex about?

[@wiley-harris-anderson]

I like Peter's strategy of waiting until the EXACT moment Alex starts speaking to talk over him

[@thecakeredux]

Yeah, that was wild. Every single time, without fail, Alex waited for Peter to finish, give a small pause to be sure, inhale and Peter would cut him off immediately, often with mere grunting noises. Bewildering, really.

[@Kay-kg6ny]

​@@thecakereduxIt was like something out of a cartoon

[@iDrawWithPencils]

It's infuriating. I hate people that do this

[@BaronSpamedi]

@@thecakeredux lol. Hitchens is a conversation hog. He does that all the time.

[@ralaun2000]

And HE’S the one who continuously said that Alex was rude. Staggering in his unawareness.

[@towelful42]

He writes a book about drugs, but thinks it's unreasonable to ask him about drugs. He starts being angry and rude after about 16 minutes of the interview, then accuses you of behaving badly. Unbelievable.

[@justiceperhay8328]

Right? He writes books and articles on a subject that's so "boring" to him?

[@algorithm007ify]

why keep going on about drugs........though...it was way too repetitive... He needed to move on

[@travisbickle3835]

this tells you that you shouldn't read his book

[@david2869]

Later he says he didn't want to spend 1 minute talking about drugs in the first place! So why agree to an interview?

[@smilloww2095]

@@algorithm007ify Was it though? They only had 2 topics to discuss. Drugs and God. Also, even if it was too long, Peter could have simply said "Hey Alex, why dont we move on to the next subject, Im getting bored of talking about drugs all the time" Or something like this.

[@PAMELADENNISON-x3n]

Listened to the whole interview. The maturity and patience of the host deserves highest praise. It was so inspiring how you conducted yourself with his verbal diatribe... It was more then a bad day for him, his psychological immaturity was very revealing about his character.

[@thevinlanddragon]

I've never seen someone voluntarily go onto a podcast who so vehemently does NOT want to have a conversation.

[@for111]

By his own admission, slogged across London on a bike aswell to have said conversation he didn't want to have.

[@misstrunchbull3953]

​@@for111really???😂😂is he mad?? Lmfao what a slag

[@travtotheworld]

Kanye West on TimcastIRL.

[@Reformpartyofficial]

@@for111m

[@anthony-kelly]

He is also doing it for free. Alex gets a lot out of it and Mr Hitchens gets nothing but an hour in the company of a entitled pseudo intellectual.

[@adamdavis1228]

Hitchens writes a whole book about drugs, admits nobody read it, then gets mad about being given an opportunity to have his ideas broadcasted to a population that probably doesn't know his views.

[@PhoenixdiCorvo]

As an addict, I honestly wanted to hear his views… sadly he showed himself to be a COMPLETE ASS! Not an advocate, he’s actually harmful and not helpful.

[@kyleb7347]

Not to mention that the interviewer was the one person in the world who read his shitty book lmao What an emotionally immature and intellectually stunted toddler

[@cosmolosys]

He even mentioned at the end that he wasted years writing a book. He strikes me as sad and bitter. I feel bad for Hitchens for feeling this way, but the accountability is all his own.

[@RigatoniMadMax]

Who the hell wants to read a book about why we shouldn’t legalise drugs. Who is a book like that aimed at?

[@IDC-z7i]

@@RigatoniMadMax like any subject it's aimed at people with critical thinking who want to see a different opinion than theirs or people which already agree to that idea

[@UnsafeSpaceAmir]

He did the exact thing to me! I read his book when it came out, asked him questions about it on Twitter, he - without ever having met me or ever engaged with me before - immediately told me I haven't read his book. Wanting to continue the conversation, I welcomed him to challenge me on his book by asking questions you'd only know if you had, to which he surprisingly agreed. He proceeded to ask question after question, each of which I answered (without him ever acknowledging, only moving on to the next). Then he asked an ambiguous question, which I responded to, he claimed that I was wrong, and blocked me as a result. He's a child.

[@garymitchell5899]

Hitchens NEVER blocks on twitter. You are a liar.

[@gownerjones]

Any chance you could share your twitter handle? I would love to see this conversation.

[@imranmeco3393]

Well of course you didn't read his book! He is undoubtedly and objectively correct, so the only reason why someone might possibly disagree with him is either because they didn't hear his arguments, or they're too stupid to understand their correctness!

[@arcticwolf6402]

Hahahah that's so funny. 😂😂😂

[@garymitchell5899]

@@arcticwolf6402 It didn't happen

[@nosenseofhumor1]

I hope that this goes totally viral and garners tens of millions of views, he certainly deserves it. “You bore me?” Who is trying to entertain you? You are a publicly facing person with controversial opinions and you owe us an explanation or you should be removed from the public eye entirely. Unreal!

[@largefam3109]

The way this man consistently cuts you off mid point, takes half of what you said, answers it badly, and then throws a tantrum about it is just astounding

[@xbudzix]

This was the most painful part of the "interview" to watch for me by far. Just let him finish the question once Peter, please.

[@iemy2949]

Ya, some serous projection Peter was demonstrating calling Alex rude.

[@dralford1]

Peter Hitchens has embarrassed himself by exhibiting the most ill-mannered and ill-tempered behavior I've seen.

[@obiwanduglobi6359]

@@iemy2949 Projection: the propaganda alligation was another example.

[@iemy2949]

@@obiwanduglobi6359 ya fr.

[@amosdeanludwig3135]

The display of Alex’s capacity to remain level headed alone is inspiring enough to post the interview

[@gabeitch9142]

Yeah dude i think id cry

[@AngreeBadger]

If you started the video from 50:00 minutes onward, it's almost like alex is reasoning with an angry chair

[@AmCLihigma]

Youve got me dead right now 😭

[@SebastianHasch]

Best comment I've read so far 😂

[@doymon]

Fucking brilliant

[@jacksonsmith5490]

A chair with absolutely zero political influence.

[@james_thomps]

🤣🤣🤣

[@morethanyoudo2]

Every time Alex starts to say anything, he's interrupted. I'm happy this was uploaded. Keep it coming Alex. You were very nice to this man who was very rude to you

[@sjr1179]

This was so much more absurd than I could have possibly imagined. The more composed and genuine you were, the more irate he became. It was such a grossly disproportionate response and the level of projection in claiming such maltreatment from you despite staying 15 minutes just to berate you whilst you attempted to reason with him and explain yourself is utterly INSANE

[@salthin]

His rudeness is astounding. I had a passive increased respect because he had the hitchens name, but I was terribly mistaken. He plays victim immediately after being uncomfortable, and in accusing you of manipulation, manipulates you and us, the audience. It's like he was trying to find drama. Like he was waiting for anything that he could twist into being a slight against him.

[@Gee-xb7rt]

He doesn't have any respect for Alex, it was off to a bad start from there, he is obviously a "respect has to be earned" boomer.

[@Loots1]

Respect is earned not given out by last name, you dont sound very wise

[@theunclejezusshow8260]

He became totally abrasive towards any true gentleman like questions Alex asked

[@lenbones7940]

when are these old boomers gonna learn that we all know things are the way they are everywhere due to the terrible choices and actions of there generation and most if not all current strife is still caused by them not getting out the way but doubling down on there awful ideas .. we were taught to respect our elders but when we've come to realize such a large age group are and have always been nothing more then pompous asses who think there opinions matter when there lifes have been spent just talking like they know better and being I favor of laws and bans that show how little real world experience or thought has been used... they should all just start wearing white wigs so they'd look exactly how they sound and at the very least the value of us enjoying there mockery might count toward the net negative to the world they've thus been..

[@jaebird3077]

I didn't even know Hitchens had a brother. I had never heard him talk and he certainly didn't leave a good impression on me with this discussion.

[@all-caps3927]

Alex is consistently one of the most respectful atheist debaters when God is the topic, and overall one of the most understanding and open-minded debaters period. When dealing with people like Peter Hitchens sometimes their arrogance and ignorance is out of your control. I'm sorry this is how it ended up Alex - it's frankly embarrassing for Peter.

[@gabbiewolf1121]

Isn't Peter Hitchens Christopher Hitchens' brother?

[@voice4voicelessKrzysiek]

@@gabbiewolf1121 Yes, according to Wiki

[@all-caps3927]

@@gabbiewolf1121 yes he is

[@ericsonofjohn9384]

You say that like Christopher Hitchens isn’t just as arrogant

[@AUTUMN-DARK]

@@ericsonofjohn9384 yeah but charm goes a long way 😂.... This guys just a droll suck fest

[@jaytheblonsky9000]

Thank you very much for sharing this experience with us. I feel more connected to you because I have experienced this with friends, relatives, and strangers. These situations are more common than we think.

[@Sans-ih2el]

Every time insolent people get on my nerves, I watch this video. Alex's patience and calm demeanor in the face of a childish tantrum is truly commendable.

[@Urb4n0Ninj4]

it makes me SO MUCH MORE ANGRY that Alex is trying every conceivable way to placate this man-babies desires, but he JUST KEEPS WHINING. "YOU BROUGHT ME HERE UNDER FALSE PRETENSES" "I explained at the beginning..." "WELL IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE AN HOUR" "It wasn't intended to be an hour" "WELL ONE MINUTE WAS TOO MUCH" "Then why didn't you say so at the beginning?" "YOU LAUNCHED RIGHT INTO IT" "I asked you if you were ok with the topic" "WELL I HAD TO BIKE HERE IN THE HEAT". My god, if Christopher could see his brother now he'd fucking disown him.

[@c0k375]

@@Urb4n0Ninj4 I think his brother would not disown him. I think his brother would of put him in his place more than Peter did.

[@Urb4n0Ninj4]

@@c0k375 You think Chris would have acted to Alex the way Peter did? You're delusional.

[@SporkyMcFly]

​@@Urb4n0Ninj4 Christopher Hitchens is a world-renowned asshole in the sphere of discourse. He would go on tantrums to disprove the idea of God and speak in a less controlled tone to this lesser copy of him. If Alex had brought up the Iraq war (or whichever one Christopher supported) this would have looked eerily similar. One thing I would think would be entirely different, however, is that Christopher would not walk out and claim to be there on false pretenses, because he enjoyed debate.

[@jackkingsby116]

I was getting so upset at how he couldn't get a word in. Clearly someone who likes to hear his own voice.

[@daminox]

Hitchens: writes book about subject Also Hitchens: gets mad at anyone who wants to discuss that subject with him because the subject bores him

[@zeroglitch1310]

Hitchens: Writes book about subject Man: Reads book and disagrees with his point Hitchens: You obviously didn’t read my book. Otherwise you’d agree with me.

[@jessiebrinklow1595]

​@@zeroglitch1310 Absolutely right he is bored with himself. Peter Hitchen is unbelievably arrogant. Reminds me of another pain that I know personally who is just completely impossible to talk to.

[@sirhumphreyappleby6498]

@jessiebrinklow1595 - hate to tell you, but Alex is also unbelievably arrogant. Hitchens is a bellend, but Alex did want to interview him. He should have taken the hint about 15 minutes in that Hitchens did not want to discuss drugs. Alex didn’t mention the book, Hitchens did. When he said “he’s made his arguments in his book, this isn’t the venue to discuss them and people can read the book if they want his opinions” should have been Alex’s cue to move on. But no, we had to listen to follow up after follow up, including the inane Portugal thread. I can’t stand Hitchens, but when Alex went to Portugal, it was clear he had an agenda and he wanted to press it. His passive-aggressive, smug attitude tells me he knew exactly what he was doing. Did Hitchens handle it well? No. But Alex is not blameless here.

[@sbeast64]

It makes no sense whatsoever. Maybe he just realised he was losing the argument?

[@zeroglitch1310]

@@sirhumphreyappleby6498 that’s not arrogance that’s being an interviewer. You know what I do when I’m having a conversation I don’t like? I change the subject. Or let the other adult I’m talking to I’m done talking about it. I don’t sit there and fume until I can’t take it anymore and explode at the interviewer

[@helmanticus8624]

If my sole income consisted of getting 1 million dollars for any time Peter Hitchens ever says to anyone “I agree”, “You’re right” or “You have a point”, I would die in abject poverty.

[@user-os9ge2we2b]

Alex was such a weasel

[@helmanticus8624]

@@user-os9ge2we2b Even if that were true, it would still be irrelevant to my point.

[@MensHominis]

⁠@@user-os9ge2we2b People questioning other people’s claims in a calm manner tend to have this supposedly “weasely” effect on those who blindly follow said other people.

[@crawford1083]

One of the many virtues of @ClarkeMicah is he is not a fence-sitter or a lame-arsed liberal or "cuck-servative" as my 26yo son refers to fence-sitters and "oh yes you have a good point there" merchants. On drugs, few have better overall perspective than @ClarkeMicah, so AO'C's attempts to justify places where legalising or decriminalising have b een a "success" wi be pointless. To his credit AO'C has done a vid on Christopher Hitchens and his bullshittery that so many leftoid cream their jeans over...

[@amicellnandan3245]

@@user-os9ge2we2b Explain it then? Bet you wont

[@se7enhaender]

The fact that his very first words were "So far, so good." is just pure gold. He already sounds bored and passive aggressively "stand-off-ish", like he's just waiting for a reason to be pissed. 😂

[@zacharycates5485]

You hit the nail on the head! He came in already wearing "I'm being attacked!"-tinted glasses, so everything he saw looked like an attack.

[@yoyo-lf3ld]

His an old man lol its to be expected

[@martingarreis]

​@@yoyo-lf3ldnope

[@bigzed7908]

@@yoyo-lf3ld I've talked to old men about subjects we disagree on and I've had run ins with absolute tools and true gentlemen. This is just disgraceful, I agree with some of the things Hitchens is saying but God damn, way to go off the rails and not fight the argument. He seems like a person who's mad the world isn't going his way, grow up... And if I were Alex I wouldn't have been even closely as patient as him. Cheers!

[@Nikolajnen]

@@yoyo-lf3ld exactly, probably dealing with chronic pain which makes him cranky too

[@chuckgaydos5387]

You should apologize to Hitchens for offending him and beg him for another interview. Tell him you want to talk about God. Then when he sits down, ask him, "When Jesus starts his thousand year reign, do you think he'll legalize drugs?"

[@kamil.g.m]

funniest comment i've read in years

[@obad.iah.]

As a Christian, this is hilarious 😂

[@shirarohfritsch]

😂

[@pmeosullivan]

Excellent suggestion!

[@rAndomlight1069]

😂😂😂😂

[@Risera5762]

It's insane how unprofessional Hitchens was here. From the start he obviously didn't want to be there and insisted on interrupting and verbally abusing you throughout the interview. Props to Alex for being calm and well-mannered throughout the interview even when being lied about and threatened. Consider it a blessing that he never wants to talk to you again. Earned a subscriber here. Fantastic professionalism on your part.

[@Alkalineko]

Am I a bad person for taking pleasure in the fact that he'd bicycled across London just to be disappointed? because that's what it feels like to watch the lesser Hitchens debate.

[@JK_Vermont]

I stumbled across this 11 months later, and legend has it that Hitchens is still storming out

[@arsenypogosov7206]

good one

[@ivankaramasov]

That made me laugh out loud😂

[@Father-klovkoski]

He reminds me of an angry hobbit. It could easily be his 2nd career.

[@indeed8211]

you're a clown mate what you wrote didn't even make any sense

[@negligent_omnicide]

This comment is perfection. 😂 Well done.

[@subliminal_donkey]

I like how, even in spite of the disagreement, he still gave you the full hour he promised. 40 minutes of drug debate and 20 minutes of him throwing a hissy fit. The man cares about the algorithm

[@resir9807]

Truly, he was so boring for the first half that he decided he had to make up for it in the second, and he delivered

[@jassonsw]

@@resir9807 In spades 😂

[@NR-py3to]

Even in the first 40 minutes the lesser Hitchins was rude, answering questions before they were finished, and misconstruing points made to him. I can see why he's not taken seriously

[@calimar41]

@@NR-py3to He turned hypocrisy into a form of art, really.

[@crazydragy4233]

Anyone pointing that the rant started only 40 minutes in must be less sensitive than me, I raised my eyebrows at the derailment before the 30 minute mark of the video

[@esztiszep6334]

He doesn't let you speak more than 3 words at once, talks about drugs for an hour, winds himself up in the process and then freaks out over having had to talk about drugs for an hour. This was painful to listen to and your patience is admirable

[@johnbr59]

It was painful to listen to because of Alex's lines of questioning

[@7PlayingWithFire7]

Wasn't even an hour though. Was 40minutes. Of a 2 hour schedule interview.

[@PNWAscents]

Fundamentally, I disagree with you Alex on most things. Yet, you are smart, insightful, and eager to learn and kindly debate. This is why I watch you. This dude is nuts.

[@mslaur13]

First time I've come across Alex, amazed at how he handled it and how supportive the chat is!

[@nemomeimpunelacessit8121]

Don't let a guest mistreat you like that, Alex. The thoughtful questions and the counter-arguments you put forward are what make this channel enjoyable to watch. All I have to say about Peter, is that he proved once again that Christopher was the better man.

[@koshka02]

true. was never a fan of Peter Hitchens to begin with. Always enjoyed reading/listening to Christopher Hitchen's polemicist works in Vanity Fair and in oral debate / interview. CH was just on another level entirely.

[@williamauld4083]

Christopher was no better or worse than Peter. Both were/are egotistical, ungodly people. Peter just showed that he is an awful ,self centred, opinionated fool. Same as his brother was. Neither of them are worth wasting time with. Both were/are far removed from truth.

[@archbishoprichardforceginn9338]

Peter needs to Remove the Branch from his 👁 as Jesus said. In Peter's case Jesus would have said," Remove the Hole Dam Tree from Thine eye"

[@jamesnordhoff3536]

@@williamauld4083stop listening to what other people tell you and and do some real questioning and research for yourself maybe you won’t have such a nasty obviously religious opinion

[@ahtech1990]

@@williamauld4083 sure

[@TK-sn3rx]

Hitchens certainly seemed more unhinged here than the supposedly unstable marijuana users he vehemently warns us about.

[@fenderhow]

What WAS petey smoking before the sperg fest, anyways?!?!?

[@paaklapi]

His outburst came completely out of the blue. I didn't think his reaction to or characterisation of Alex was remotely justified.

[@freedomafterspeech]

I don't condone his outburst but it's nothing like as erratic as someone unhinged by drugs

[@evemaria37]

I think this dude should smoke some weed and relax. He seems to have anger management problems.

[@lenorabarclay275]

@@freedomafterspeechnever seen anyone unhinged on cannabis.

[@dohpam1ne]

This is fantastic content. You get publicity, you get good content for your channel, and you come out of this looking like a saint for your patience while Peter ends up looking like a complete tool. Good stuff. I like how the first thing he says, in response to you thanking him for being on the podcast, is "so far so good." What bizarre and obnoxious behavior.

[@cursed_multicel]

I was already primed to hate the guy after reading the thumbnail and Hitchens' wikipedia article, but I didn't expect his very first sentence to confirm my detestation. What an extraordinary jerk.

[@michaelmcaree6296]

Yeah the video started with him actively disliking the interviewer. So why did he come on the show? To blow hard about how smart he was, to make the young man look foolish. Then he had to retreat to silly arguments like "sure, drug decriminalization might have had an effect on decrease in drug deaths. Or it might have been global warming," as though he had made a clever retort. That Alex ignored that and didn't bother to make fun of it is, I think, what really started the down turn in Peter's temper. This guy (whom I had never heard of before) appears to be a "gotcha" debater, unaccustomed to having someone calmly and detachedly talk with him on the subject of his book. I thought it was especially sad that Peter had to keep going on about how Alex had not prepared, and then had to remind himself that Alex had read his book, only to follow up "yeah but you didn't understand it." He did that at least three times in his post-interview rant, forgetting and then remembering each time that "you know nothing" was not a good attack in this case.

[@chinkasuyaro8983]

@@michaelmcaree6296 If you think Alex has demonstrated patience, imagine growing up as his brother! Edit: I should probably mention, since you hadn't heard of him before, that the famous author/debater Christopher Hitchens was his brother.

[@arogueburrito]

No way! No way Christopher and this idiot are brothers@@chinkasuyaro8983

[@aabrightlove]

@@chinkasuyaro8983 I see Peter's brother got the brains in the family

[@StormPTheGamer]

Alex handled this like a BOSS..NEW SUB RIGHT HERE

[@2shabbs]

"So far, so good." The opener of a man ready to leave.

[@fang_xianfu]

I dunno, his delivery of the line struck me as something his brother would've said. Christopher said a lot of that kind of thing, but it was usually in good spirits. Christopher said those things as jokes - Peter, not so much.

[@cosmicmuffin322]

Exactly. Christopher would have said it in jest. His brother oozes self-pity and childish petulance. Not to mention a repulsive lack of good manners.

[@randomdaveUK]

​@@fang_xianfuChristopher had a very different outlook on life to his brother. Without immortalisation in an afterlife one is very aware that you treat others with respect because this is it, why waste energy reducing others unless they themselves look set to cause harm to others. Peter thinks he's right, convinced of that, and obviously felt this was beneath him. From the start.

[@TheAusugn]

Thats what i was thinking too

[@christinelouiseonpaper]

“So far so good.” ….What a STRANGE first response to the opening of the Podcast?

[@priley91390]

This is a masterclass in dealing with an angry, irrational, and incorrect person. Alex, you handled this with grace, patience, logic, and correctness. I respect you tremendously for being kind while also standing up for yourself. Anyone, whether or not they agree with your positions on this topic or any topic should see that Hitchens was being cowardly and ridiculous. Thank you for posting this.

[@ghevisartor6005]

i think that 1 minute of that is already enough, why would i be wrong? after 1 or 2 attempts to calm him down dont work gtfo who the fuck are you with that behaviour.

[@uncatila]

Alex must be a sis male.

[@gabrielmccavanagh3458]

He definitely handled it way better than I would’ve.

[@georgehatzimanolakis1904]

A masterclass in being a wimp. Do not take the OP's comment as the correct response. Do not let old people talk to you like that. That senior did not deserve to talk like that. No wonder he didn't want to talk about the royalty, he would end up exposing his royalty complex

[@SeanusAurelius]

It's not a masterclass at all, it's a poor interview.

[@WattaYog]

Love how he accused you of not listening to him while he interrupted and presumed the whole time. You are such a great example of patience and curiosity. Thank you!

[@marioluigi9599]

Yes Hitchens did go over the top, but I actually understand why he got so angry over it. The subject hit a real nerve in him and you should appreciate that, rather than just calling him a loony. Now Alex has an interest in the subject because he is a drughead himself, but he KNOWS that Hitchens absolutely despises drugs and what they do to society. It was because of the decency of his manners that he stayed there for 45 mins enduring Alex interviewing him about drugs, waiting relentlessly for the topic to move on. Really, he would have much rather only spent 5-10 mins on it. No more than that. So I get how it frustrated him. Alex was just being relentless for him

[@marioluigi9599]

I think Alex should have known better and not caused an elderly gentleman to become so aggravated over this crap. Hitchens is really bitter about the subject, because like he said, he highly regrets having wasted years of his life on it. Alex, having read his books, knew that and should been more respectful to him by swiftly moving on with the subject. He DEFINITELY shouldn't have tried to spend a whole hour on drugs with somebody who is so resentful against them. Just because Alex is a drughead, doesn't mean he should use Hitchen's time to make arguments for drugs and to try to convert more people to becoming drugheads. That's really what made Hitchens angry. I get it. It was insolent that his time was abused in that way by Alex for his own druggy motives.

[@stevewebber707]

I get the impression that to Peter, listening becomes equated with agreeing with him. At least in his head.

[@MenchieExtrakt]

@@marioluigi9599”elderly gentleman” 🤓

[@MenchieExtrakt]

@@marioluigi9599Alex told him the interview topics beforehand. Peter wrote an entire book about anti drugs, so clearly it’s a topic he wants to talk about. So it’s weird for you to say that Peter wouldn’t want to discuss this topic.

[@rocketroomba930]

if alcohol is legal, weed should be as well. Alcohol is objectively worse.

[@Boris_V]

Maybe, but alcohol is believed to be in the top 3 of the most dangerous drugs by many. Does that mean that all drugs less dangerous than alcohol should be illegal?

[@rocketroomba930]

@ probably yes. if alcohol was harder to make, or first popularized in the 1900s, it would probably suffer the same if not more stigma than weed

[@patrickgreen3559]

Hitchens took 17 minutes to leave. Let that sink in.

[@edwardcatt2399]

That’s nothing. We once had to call the police to evict an irascible and impecunious aunt who was vociferously demanding dinner after showing up ‘randomly’ to be invited to stay for dinner for a fortnight and had since come to expect it . . . 😂

[@louiseyvette2261]

What's the significance of 17 minutes?

[@ProgressIsTheOnlyEvolution]

@@louiseyvette2261 Yeah I was thinking the same thing 😊

[@patrickgreen3559]

@@louiseyvette2261 If one is genuinely appalled at another's behavior, it wouldn't take them 17 minutes to leave. Hitchens comes off as a conversational narcissist throughout, unwilling to face scrutiny on his positions, which is why he had to take this amount of time and repeat himself to try and frame Alex as a villain. For reference, I re-listened to the final 17 minutes and pulled this tally of these rough categories: Run it - 4 Don't run it - 12 False Pretense - 12 This has been on nothing but drugs - 17 I've been here for an hour - 10 Bad manners - 22 I don't like you - 5 I'm bored - 6 A lot of the final 17 minutes was muffled as well. There's likely other phrases he said that fit into one of these categories which I've missed, or another category I could create which he repeats the same quip over and over. For example, something about his book and how Alex hasn't read it, or doesn't understand it, not listening to answers, etc. The icing on the cake is at 46:39 when Hitchens says "this isn't because you've got the better of me". Petulance at it's finest.

[@moatasemkassab4517]

I bet he took longer than 17 minutes to let his drugs _sink in._

[@RyanC232]

Your guest was disrespectful and combative from the beginning. Your patience is that of an industry professional interviewer. The class you displayed was great to see even as you defended yourself. Please keep up the good work and check people who won't let you finish a single sentence.

[@Pheer777]

Yeah what kind of response to being welcomed onto the show is “so far so good”?

[@LUSCIOUSDUNCAN]

im seriously getting short of breath watching him leave and my heart is racing 😣

[@gillespaling7039]

@@Pheer777 It's a Peter Hitchens trademark.

[@jpmzd8586]

So biased

[@MeekEarth700]

Maybe count the number of times you said the word decriminilisation might be a clue?!

[@MichaelIbsenGuitar]

Peter Hitchens: writes an entire book on drugs. Also Peter Hitchens: "omg how could you ask me to speak for an ENTIRE hour about drugs" ???

[@mums_poop_sock]

He said a minute was too long.

[@thekwjiboo]

​@mums_poop_sock I had to scratch my head when he was like "I've spent my whole life talking about drugs" then was offended that Alex wanted to talk about drugs.

[@garymitchell5899]

@@thekwjiboo The kid admitted right at the beginning that the agreement was to speak about several topics in the interview

[@t3hpwm3r]

@@mums_poop_sock I think that was one of the craziest counter points he made

[@thekwjiboo]

@@garymitchell5899 sure, but that's totally different from the petulant "A minute is too long" complaint I was replying to.

[@Belief_Before_Glory]

"If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you but answer, "He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone." -Epictetus "Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?" -Marcus Aurelius

[@MarlboroughBlenheim1]

Hitchens was utterly insufferable, like a small child having a tantrum, interrupting, complaining and so on. Utterly rude. Angry man. Alex, you came across well. He came across terribly.

[@LeanAndMean44]

I have never seen a child with such awful behavior.

[@GuilielmusPro]

Just like Christopher

[@Earthad23]

He doesn’t like smug young arrogant know it alls.

[@cliveadams7629]

Sadly I cannot help thinking that the wrong brother died. Oh well, it is what it is.

[@SumriseHD]

Usually when someone says stuff like "a small child having a tantrum" it's a bit over the top. It isn't here.

[@dexterrity]

This should be used as a case example of a narcissist meltdown.

[@guydebord3904]

I think a lot of people will scream "armchair psychologist", but as someone who suffered for 4 years under a narcissistic abuser, you're spot on.

[@MrMusic238]

@@guydebord3904 Narcissism if very easy to diagnose through observation if you've experienced it first hand I find.

[@davidbutler9323]

100%

[@johnemery8170]

Yup!

[@davadoff]

No evidence of narcissism I can see. That word is so overused. Please don’t so casually use it.

[@92Vreid88]

I'm sorry this happened to you Alex. You handled it incredibly well and I admire you for how well you handle uncomfortable situations.

[@Jesse_Carl]

Don't be sorry, be thankful! What other interviewer could have handled the situation so smoothly and provided us with such an immaculate piece of content? This was a beauty Alex!

[@rfmiv72]

I watched this entire interview. Alex O'Connor you are a very gracious and patient person. Peter Hitchens is a bombastic and abrasive person. He wasn't bored, he as frustrated by his hypocritical biases being pointed out to him. And eventually he felt that his only option was to bail on the interview and try to misdirect the focus onto blaming Alex, which is a form of gaslighting. A truly pathetic performance by Hitchens, and he knows it based on his prolific tweeting. I bet when Christopher was alive, family dinners at the Hitchens household must have been quite a spectacle.

[@StrangerToEarth]

God, I miss Christopher Hitchens every time I see his pompous grating little brother

[@stevenaustin8274]

Yes Christopher’s dumber brother ! he’s lived off the fame of his sibling for many years now

[@barnaclefelching4079]

Imagine if he'd been around for the last eight years, what a colossal loss

[@nachtschimmen]

So do I; why so much attention is paid to his halfwit ur-conservative, ultra religious and stupid brother remains a mystery to me. I always thought he was an idiot.

[@BruceWayne-ri4wr]

His brother was a godless piece of crap Peter hitchens is a very stoic Christian man which is what all of the people in the West used to be we need more men like this not this pompous little borderline homosexual guy like Alex who's literally a beta male extreme we need men Peter hitchens is a man He's an old school Englishman the way England was when they conquered the world we need men like that back

[@Dylan-co2cl]

Christopher was a condescending up his own arse prick, too.

[@adamoconnor8958]

I'm really impressed with how well you handle yourself when someone is being that rude. It takes a lot of self control and emotional intelligence to stay so calm and collected in a situation like that.

[@Ficojepet]

it doesn't

[@marcuskissinger3842]

@@Ficojepetcool

[@JD83000]

No. Peter Hitchins isn't remotely intimidating. He did well not to laugh in Hitchins face.

[@JamesBrownMagician]

Imagine how the podcast would have gone if Peter stopped for even a moment to listen to what he was actually being asked and responded. Thank you @cosmicskeptic for a masterclass on human decency and interview integrity xx

[@DemiGod-j9h]

Lmao he threw the pillow 🤣 on the chair in anger as his last scorn . 🤣😂

[@thepictureofdorianyates4840]

A posh accent and a brother's surname doing all the intellectual heavy lifting here

[@AussieDangerDave]

100%

[@atheosmonde]

No hes quite an intelligent person@@AussieDangerDave

[@calebbuchanan754]

​@@atheosmonde and this interview is meant to be evidence of that?

[@kobusyssel2840]

He's a highly educated idiot

[@bpbpbpbpbpbp]

@@atheosmondeOh okay lol. Thanks for clarifying?

[@melovekittie]

“My good nature was abused” WHAT? My jaw was absolutely dropped so many times at what he said about how good of a person he is after being unable to handle a simple conversation, getting angry at every turn, and hurling insults.

[@rvosta2450]

Classic narcissistic.

[@BostonRedSoxForever]

That man is clearly confused, since I'm still looking for his good nature that he has talked about.

[@nerdtalkvanwilliams6227]

Everyone here prefer Christopher?

[@david2869]

And of course, he had to interrupt Alex at almost every word.

[@michaelevans4110]

​@@nerdtalkvanwilliams6227 Peter's way more honest and moral.

[@seanlarochelle4173]

This was so cringe. Amazing to see you operate in real time realizing how ridiculous this situation was. Impressive how you held your cool and carried a respectful position through the entire episode.

[@Robobclart]

*cringeworthy.

[@FreethinkingSecularist]

@@Robobclart Ah, it appears there's been a slight oversight in your correction. You see, the evolution of language is a captivating journey, marked by the ebb and flow of colloquialisms that become embedded in our contemporary lexicon. The term "cringe," while originally a verb, has metamorphosed into an adjective within modern vernacular, particularly among younger demographics. Thus, saying "this was so cringe" is not only syntactically acceptable in today's parlance but also offers a succinct portrayal of a sentiment.

[@RandomTask]

british english only

[@Awad-z3m]

Daaaaaame Alex for real bro your patience is absolutely incredible the way you managed that is mind blowing, u had man standing fully exposing himself and still can't just stfu and leave if that's how he felt, to be honest I would of went shenai shenai on him, but you honestly showed me another path I'm geniuenly proplexed by his behaviour towards you but truly blown away how u tamed him just genius work

[@suz1132]

This was a difficult watch. You handled yourself with grace and patience, Alex.

[@syedalirizwan-ok7qm]

Yeah you can see at 48:50 how pissed off he was but he didnt lash out and acted very gracefully.

[@bosshogg3279]

“My good nature was abused” has got to be one of the richest statements I’ve ever heard. Particularly after repeatedly hurling insults at Alex and constantly cutting him off throughout the interview. Also, perhaps the interview would have been less circular if PH didn’t constantly cut off Alex to repeat points/rants he’d already made. Hitchens repeats himself a lot while talking over AOC - as PH did most of the talking maybe he should take some of the blame? I think PH’s ideal interview would be him alone on stage, giving a hour long lecture after which the host will say “you sir are a genius”

[@specialforces101]

Your point about law and smoking is immaterial if it wouldn't be enforced. I'm afraid Hitchins shows you up as a dimwit.

[@rorke6092]

LOL. I wonder how Alex feels about being AOC

[@emmacurtis2270]

😂

[@Bonaboms]

​@@specialforces101please elaborate, as it sounds very much like nonsense Alex was impeccable in his questioning, am usually impressed with his composure faced with ignorant and/or rude guests/opponents, but here he is downright Incredible The point of the law being on "paper" is to bring consumption to the surface so fewer die as a result of overconsumption and mainly to greatly limit the black market and as a result: gang violence

[@richardlankas2050]

😀😀😀

[@joshhoward8848]

The weirdest part of the interview was the beginning when Alex introduced Hitchens and he said "so far, so good" like he was just eager to find something to complain about.

[@billguthrie2218]

Yah, Inoticed that too. Like Peter was primed and ready to make the interview implode.

[@jpa_fasty3997]

It was a joke. Don't read too much into it. He was being funny. Obviously with the way he ends up being with alex, it doesn't seem like a joke. But this is the sort of thing he says regularly

[@dohpam1ne]

@@jpa_fasty3997 he probably says it regularly because he's primed to throw a tantrum in those situations as well, he just doesn't usually get asked actual questions about his positions so he doesn't storm off like a 5 year old

[@scaryperi3051]

He mentioned having ridden his bicycle to the interview--perhaps he needs to change the seat?

[@jpa_fasty3997]

@@dohpam1ne Well yeah it's super easy to be uncharitable, but I'm telling you for sure that he was making a joke. He has a cantankerous public persona that he plays up to for humorous effect. At the end of the interview he's being a genuine cantankerous git... but at that point he was joking.

[@thomasthompson6378]

I only just saw this video today, but it seems very clear indeed that Mr. Peter Hitchens was somehow intimidated by the questions that were asked of him. The surprising thing is that Mr. Hitchens is a man of considerable intellect and he's quite good at defending his view of things. But it also seems as if he has a very serious anger management problem and he would do himself a great favor by consulting with a good therapist about that issue.

[@htwa]

The reason the drug discussion took so long is that he cut you off so frequently and would not entertain any of your responses, just immediately shut them all down without any thought. You were persistent but there’s nothing wrong with that. If he really hated the subject so much he could’ve communicated it like an adult, “can we please move on the next subject, I don’t wish to discuss drugs any more” but instead he chose to personally attack you.

[@murph8411]

Hitchens was very disingenuous repeatedly suggesting correlation without any evidence and then when Alex provided correlations between things like the reduction in harm post governments changing how people using are treated Hitchens decided it was up to Alex to prove the causation link. This after Hitchens decided that one person’s book about their son developing schizophrenia at the age males usually do develop or show signs of it was evidence that cannabis causes schizophrenia and anyone caught possessing it twice should be incarcerated. In other words if you agree with Hitchens moral framework you don’t need to prove any causation but if you don’t you must prove your case to his satisfaction before he’ll even consider it? Personally I just can’t shrug the feeling off that Peter is more opposed to lower class people who he seems to think stupefy themselves with cannabis to such an extent they lose the ability to read (his books probably) and end up sitting around all day sponging off of society while not contributing to it. Opposed to the people who, in Hitchens own words first started using cannabis while at university in the 1960s perhaps that were of a better class and didn’t fall foul of these problems so easily? The kind of people who study Art, philosophy (like Peter) and other such subjects that contribute so much practically to society?

[@Kmlavery]

“I’ll start tweeting now.” A true example of good natured restraint

[@BlueVelvetBear]

😂

[@izabelarivera5211]

Perfect example of hurt ego talking. He wasn't prepared enough to discuss it in enough depth. Tried to turn it around. What an unhinged person. Well done Alex. Beautifully done. Extremely mature and professional.

[@lrvogt1257]

Yes. I felt that as well. Alex was actually prepared and Hitchens came up short.

[@dbeagan1]

Yes, good points.

[@millagy_21]

Alex is such a gentleman, admire how rational his thoughts are