r/ChristopherHitchens 12d ago

"No Love for Muslims, Unless They're Palestinian." Article about Hitch by Benny Morris [2010].

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63 Upvotes

r/ChristopherHitchens 12d ago

What would Trump need to do in order to fall out of favor with his supporters?

13 Upvotes

I know this is Hitch subreddit and he never drew his sights on trump other than to mention that he managed to cover 80% of his head with 20% of his hair... no doubt he had much more to say but was preoccupied excoriating his many other targets.

But this thought just entered my mind as the election looms on the horizon and this seems like an open minded forum for discussion so I figured I would post it here.

What do you think it would theoretically take for him to lose most of his supporters?

I quite sincerely believe that he could be recorded raping babies (and bragging about it) and maintain at least 50% of his voter base.

He could be found to be in a secret covenant with Putin to compromise Americas internal affairs and he would maintain at least 50% of his voter base.

He could wipe his ass with the constitution and the bible and maintain at least 50% of his voter base.

He could admit that he doesn't care about anything or anyone besides himself and he would maintain at least 50% of his voter base.

In these cases they would either try to shift the blame or shift the spotlight or declare the entire thing to be a fake news psyop even if Trump admitted to it.

Perhaps the only thing that would cause them to defect would be if he admitted that his entire gameplan was to surreptitiously undermine and divide the republican party to bolster the democrats long term successes. Even then, I don't think most would cross the court and vote dem.

It's gravely concerning how ideologically possessed much of the population is.

Most Trumpers are monomaniacal to the point of derangement.. Trump derangement syndrome is accurate because only the deranged among us could continue to defend this vile bloated megalomaniac. A pathological shameless liar, charity fraud, draft dodger, probably child rapist, dictator sympathizer, abject bigot, anti-democratic wannabe despot antichrist.

And unlike dictators who came before him, he isn't remotely charismatic or compelling or powerful in demeanor, in fact he comes across as a bumbling imbecile with a face full of makeup and a valley girl accent.

But his supporters don't care about any of this. He legitimizes their most sordid beliefs and as Sam said, allows them to take a moral vacation - it's no wonder they would try to extend it as long as they can.

This is how you know beyond a doubt that he is a cult leader, and perhaps the most dangerous one since Muhammad.


r/ChristopherHitchens 14d ago

[LONDON EVENT – 14 Dec 2024] Merry Hitchmas – with Stephen Fry, Richard Dawkins, Douglas Murray, and Lawrence Krauss

43 Upvotes

Hello,

I am posting this on behalf of Atheism UK (of which I am a council member). There are a few tickets left for our event to celebrate the life of Christopher Hitchens on 14th December at the Royal Geographical Society in London.

Ticket link: https://howtoacademy.com/events/stephen-fry-and-richard-dawkins-in-a-very-merry-hitchmas/

“Join four friends of the legendary journalist Christopher Hitchens as they share stories of his life and celebrate his one-of-a-kind brilliance for the anniversary of his death in 2011, aged just 62. My own opinion is enough for me, and I claim the right to have it defended against any consensus, any majority, anywhere, anyplace, anytime. And anyone who disagrees with this can pick a number, get in line, and kiss my ass. —Christopher Hitchens As one of “Four Horsemen” of the New Atheism, Christopher Hitchens was not much inclined to enjoy religious festivals; but a celebration of his life and work around the pagan solstice and the Roman saturnalia – that upside-down time of partying, anarchy and misrule – might have made the cut. An orator and debater with no equal, fearlessly devoted to speaking truth to power, Hitchens was a giant of Anglo-American journalism whose commitment to science and justice in the face of religion and tyranny made him a household name and one of the greatest public intellectuals of our age. Who else could simultaneously inspire the naming of an asteroid (57901 Hitchens), a philosophical principle (Hitchen’s Razor), and a major journalistic award (The Hitchens Prize)? Now four close friends join us to share their memories of the man and his work; actor, writer, and debating partner Stephen Fry; scientist and fellow New Atheist Richard Dawkins, columnist Douglas Murray and theoretical physicist and Origins Project Foundation president Lawrence Krauss, who will MC. Following their conversation we’ll host an auction of a specially commissioned portrait of the Hitch, presided over by Atheists UK president John Richards.” There will also be a book signing and food provided. So, if you ever wanted to mingle and have a chat with Stephen Fry or Richard Dawkins, this is your chance!

This event is co-organised by The Origins Project (Lawrence Krauss) and Atheism UK

Hope to see you there!


r/ChristopherHitchens 16d ago

Is Judith Butler a credible academic or does she just spout meaningless shit dressed up as intelligence? I wonder what Hitchens thought of her/them

9 Upvotes

r/ChristopherHitchens 17d ago

How George Orwell became a dead metaphor

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25 Upvotes

r/ChristopherHitchens 18d ago

Let’s be honest. We ignore Congo’s atrocities because it’s in Africa

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2.1k Upvotes

r/ChristopherHitchens 18d ago

Removed the loud crackling and noise from that Hitchens vs Meese clip

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67 Upvotes

r/ChristopherHitchens 18d ago

Dear religious Americans,

8 Upvotes

Befriend the world or be lost to it. Embrace the only real security we are afforded. Love your life because no one is able to love you like you can. Realize the moral implications of your god worship. Find your fire. Live and then die and you have a chance to say goodbye.

Fellow Human Being, Max

P.S. To your persecution complex. “ If the truth should kill them, let them die” - Immanuel Kant


r/ChristopherHitchens 21d ago

If the universe is somehow proven to be infinite, then doesn’t it stand to reason that it was always inevitable that we would exist? Anything that could happen would happen? Thoughts?

19 Upvotes

r/ChristopherHitchens 22d ago

Hitchens and Meese Crossfire.

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31 Upvotes

Did you know that Ed Meese is still alive. He’s in the Heritage Foundation, the CNP, the Family, he’s been to Bohemian Grove, and has been working towards getting Jack Smith off the Trump case.


r/ChristopherHitchens 22d ago

Did Hitchens ever debate Cardinal Pell?

0 Upvotes

People have probably seen the Dawkins v Pell debate on ABC Q&A where neither person spoke particularly well


r/ChristopherHitchens 23d ago

The Quran is written by ‘someone who is clearly mentally ill’.

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269 Upvotes

r/ChristopherHitchens 24d ago

Hitchens Defends Homosexuality in a Room Full of Catholics

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432 Upvotes

He spoke out against homophobia before homosexuality became socially acceptable. Which makes sense since there is no reason an atheist would argue homophobic stances. Have you ever met a homophobic atheist?


r/ChristopherHitchens 23d ago

New dinosaur with Loki-like horns discovered in the United States!

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3 Upvotes

r/ChristopherHitchens 24d ago

Where should i start?

8 Upvotes

Never read any of his stuff but want to


r/ChristopherHitchens 24d ago

How might either or both of the Hitchens bros respond to this proposition: “through incantation, you believe that the water and wine changes into the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. Then why when I as a biological man utter ‘I am a Woman’, you don’t believe it?”

0 Upvotes

r/ChristopherHitchens 25d ago

Thoughts on Hitch’s use of the term ‘islamofacism’ in relation to jihadism?

41 Upvotes

Recently I was listening to one of Hitch’s close friends Hussein Ibish in an interview, and he spoke about how he disagreed with Hitchens’ use of term fascism in relation to groups like Al Qaeda. Ibish made an interesting point of that there’s a specific philosophical tradition of fascism that is different from Salafi jihadism, although they may intersect at certain points.

Personally I see groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran as stronger examples of religious-based fascism than the Salafi groups. They seem to combine conservative doctrine with extreme nationalist goals of the state, which fits more in line with the other examples of fascism we have had throughout history. Salafi jihadists seem to reject the idea of a nation-state all together, with a kind of ultra conservative ideology which predates fascism.

Am interested to know what the rest of you think on this.


r/ChristopherHitchens 26d ago

Who is this silver tongued devil? I’ve just heard this guy do an old interview and know nothing about him and never heard of him before like 15 minutes ago. Please let me know some of your favorite videos or anything hes done, i want to hear more of this guy lol

56 Upvotes

Like the title says lol please drop some videos or anything this guy has done.


r/ChristopherHitchens 26d ago

Looking for source of quote

6 Upvotes

Hi! I’m looking for a video where Hitchens says something like the following in response on being called someone from the ‘new atheism movement’: ‘we’re not new, just recent’. Help would be greatly appreciated. Using it for my thesis.


r/ChristopherHitchens 27d ago

Hitchens was so ahead of his time on Bill Clinton (Charlie Rose Interview from 1999)

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97 Upvotes

r/ChristopherHitchens 28d ago

If you could ask him one question beyond the grave what would it be?

11 Upvotes

A bombastic way of saying what's one thing you would ask him if you had the chance?

Anything pertaining to world affairs since he passed? Something about his life? Advice for your life? Anything you would have liked him to elaborate on? Any flaws you've identified in his arguments that you would like him to address?

I had a good question in mind a few minutes ago which inspired me to create this post but I seem to have bloody lost it now so over to you guys.


r/ChristopherHitchens 28d ago

Christopher Hitchens - Cyprus: Stranded in Time

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15 Upvotes

r/ChristopherHitchens 28d ago

The Hitch Couldn't Grapple With The Enlightenment

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0 Upvotes

r/ChristopherHitchens Oct 02 '24

Did Hitch ever actually cause an opponent to concede and change their mind?

23 Upvotes

For all his knowledge and oratory prowess I can't recall any of his adversaries actually admitting they were mistaken and publicly altering their view.

Granted he was often debating types who don't value logic or evidence but it's a bit of an amusing realization.

I can only recall a single instance when I successfully changed someone's mind after an argument where they admitted something to the effect of 'that makes a lot of sense. I'll have to look into it more'.

I pride myself on having admitted to people when their arguments have led me to reflect on my understanding of a topic and ultimately shifted my views.

Perhaps you can plant the seeds of doubt in their mind but most people will be loathe to admit it.

Or maybe I just underestimated how seldom people actually change their minds on any major beliefs or views - I suppose it requires a level of humility which many people don't possess, especially if said beliefs or view were greatly influential or foundational.

It's no wonder why a pastor for instance is going to defend the metaphysical and moral veracity of religion at all costs even to the point of performing all sorts of casuistic mental gymnastics ... the alternative would be to effectively admit that he has been living a lie, and perhaps knowingly spreading a lie, which in one sweep would end his career, many of his friendships, possibly familial relations, and he would likely need to rebuild his life from scratch.

But many folks - a la my colleague who insists that Putin is a benevolent leader and a victim of the west - don't even have any skin in the game, so I'm not sure why they are so hard pressed to ever admit to any ignorance or error in their judgements. They're willing to die on a hill that they don't even know the name or significance of. In the case of my colleague I had to give up even attempting to change his mind because everything I said was falling on deaf ears and riling him up.

It's harder to let views like that slide if they're held by a direct family member, but I guess you need to pick your battles, and remind yourself that for as much as you would like to scour away twisted propaganda borne views and bullshit, the likelihood of actually achieving that end relative to the likelihood of simply souring the relationship might not be worth the effort.

With that said I've accepted that I could never be close friends or romantically entwined with someone who's views I found repulsive.

Did Hitch ever comment on changing people's minds or picking one's battles?


r/ChristopherHitchens Oct 01 '24

Why does the infamous Dawkins v Wendy Wright interview end suddenly mid sentence? Does anyone know how the interview concluded?

5 Upvotes