The Mind of Christopher Hitchens
Wit, PC culture, and the Royal Family
As free speech today continues to be curtailed, bit by bit, and the number of true polemical political commentators dwindling quickly, it would be refreshing, at least for me if not for the reader, to look back on one of Britain’s greatest intellectual exports — Christopher Hitchens.
Picture it, a scantily lit Belfast side street at the height of ‘the troubles’, you underestimate the speed with which dusk swallows the evening light and spits out the by-now routine patrols of paramilitary activity. As a British journalist, you feel as unwelcome here as anywhere. And then, an explosion.
Imagine the late Christopher Hitchens relief, as he shuffled across the feisty city, to find that the sudden warning blast had emanated from a British Army patrol and not from IRA factions. Nevertheless, their unpleasant greeting prompted one of many memorable quotations from Hitchens memoir Hitch-22. When recounting this particular incident, Hitchens reported:
I was abruptly recognized as nonthreatening, brusquely advised to f*ck off, and off I duly and promptly f*cked.
Hitchens’ memoir is full of such gems, as his first foray into personal writing takes us through the author’s journey to becoming one of histories greatest intellectual minds. Looking at the bigger picture of his work, one core theme shines through. The importance of thinking for yourself. Undoubtedly, one does not become a renowned polemicist by impersonating a sheep, but there are lessons for us all in how he lived up to this somewhat unheralded trait.
One of the most fascinating parts of Hitch-22 is his descriptions and anecdotes about Iraq. It is widely acknowledged that Hitchens, inexplicably to those on the left, swung to the right of the political spectrum on this issue post 9/11. In leaving behind the anti-war protesters and rowing in behind Bush’s decision to invade Iraq, Hitchens left behind his previously staunch leftism.
That alone would suggest that he had a very strong argument for doing so, and what better way to develop an understanding of the intricacies involved in the situation, than by seeing first hand the atrocities committed by Saddam Hussein, in particular against the Kurdish population. How moral would it be to just let Saddam be? For Hitchens it would be defeatist, not to mention immoral, not to intervene.
Crucially, he also distinguishes it as a war against Hussein and not Iraq. His descriptions of the mass graves and the warmth, which he saw with his own eyes, that Iraqis greeted the liberating American forces with, dispel the notion of the US as invaders as opposed to liberators. It also demonstrates the satisfaction he gained by going against the ‘comrades’ he had soldiered with on the left all along, in the name of truth. It is this separation of the left-right political allegiance arguments from his own core values and beliefs that facilitated such a move and in turn proved most rewarding.
Unfortunately, due to Hitchens untimely death in 2011, we do not have the opportunity to be enlightened by his take on current trends in the political sphere. Thankfully, YouTube has an abundance of clips demonstrating, above all, his supreme command of the English language, but also, the assuredness and clarity of thought that smoothly dismantled many of his debate opponents.
So, one can only speculate how Hitchens would fit in today’s more constrained world. Controversial in his own time — amazingly, a mere 10 years after his death, the sphere of public discourse has been reshaped beyond recognition— it would be difficult not to see Hitchens falling foul of current censorship. There is no doubt he would have sought to fight back against it. However, it is also likely, that the same fate would not befall him, as did Piers Morgan. No, the strength of his arguments and his charm would ensure it. See it for yourself here.
I wouldn’t try in many arenas but it is possible, from his previous writings to decipher what he would think of the current Royal Family situation. He would certainly cut the BS. Dismayed with the mass public display of grief in the aftermath of Diana’s death, he made a documentary entitled, ‘Diana: The Mourning After’ — he defended this, likely offensive title, by citing how unreasonable it was for people to be so overcome with grief upon the death of someone they didn’t even know. Needless to say, over time, it became the accepted view.
The dignity that was lost that week will never be recovered
He would, no doubt, have applauded Harry and Meghan’s decision to leg it from the castle. Yet, he would scorn the widespread obsession with the Royal soap opera that has engulfed both sides of the Atlantic in recent weeks. The last years of his life coincided with the arrival of Kate Middleton on the scene. Going by his advice to her then, neither would he have been shocked by racism allegations, or in fact, any news of vulgar practices that continue to emanate from Buckingham Palace.
Myself, I wish her well and also wish I could whisper to her: If you really love him, honey, get him out of there, and yourself, too. Many of us don’t want or need another sacrificial lamb to water the dried bones and veins of a desiccated system.
Alas, if you have ‘stayed the course’ of this article, and since most writers are on a near-perennial voyage in search of wisdom, I am much obliged to part with one final Hitchens’ gem of worldly advice:
The four most over-rated things in life are champagne, lobster, anal sex and picnics.
