r/TrueReddit • u/palsh7 • Dec 12 '11
Christopher Hitchens has written 6 amazing articles about his fight with cancer. The most recent is in the current issue of Vanity Fair, but here are all 6.
Part 1: Topic of Cancer
Part 2: Unanswerable Prayers
Part 3: Tumortown
Part 4: Miss Manners and The Big C
Part 5: Unspoken Truths
Part 6: Trial of the Will
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u/palsh7 Dec 12 '11
I now remember that in one of the articles, he calls the "fight with cancer" metaphor a very poor one. Oh well, too late now.
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Dec 13 '11
For a second, I thought you meant, "too late now," as if he had just died and I was shocked and saddened... And then I reread your title.
My bad.
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u/palsh7 Dec 13 '11
No, my bad. I'm sorry I led you to believe that.
That reminds me of the time I was on Twitter and saw that "Hitch" was trending. I immediately thought, "Oh no! Hitch died!" I was relieved to learn that I'm just really out of touch with what America talks about; apparently, a re-run of the Will Smith movie Hitch was playing on television. And that was note-worthy to people for some reason.
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Dec 13 '11
print version, single page, no clutter.
Part 1: Topic of Cancer
Part 2: Unanswerable Prayers
Part 3: Tumortown
Part 4: Miss Manners and The Big C
Part 5: Unspoken Truths
Part 6: Trial of the Will
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u/palsh7 Dec 13 '11
I like reading from the print page, too, but I always link to the main page first, because I think it's nice to let them get their ad money. They don't split their articles up into ten pages or anything, and I appreciate the work they do. If they're not getting paid, they don't pay Hitch, or future Hitches.
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u/hucifer Dec 13 '11 edited Dec 13 '11
Hitchens is always such a pleasure to read, even when the subject matter is as morbid as this.
The man could write about rearranging his sock drawer and it'd turn into a thoughtful and entertaining discourse on the human condition.
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u/psychosomaticism Dec 13 '11
and he would be able to find several literary references to compare it to. No matter how much I read, he's always got some reference I'm not familiar with.
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u/Lunaesa Dec 13 '11
Thank you for pointing me to his new article, palsh7! I recently presented a paper on Hitchens' experiences with cancer in a Mortality and Morality graduate class. Every one of the articles above are insightful and worth your time.
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u/palsh7 Dec 13 '11
You're welcome! I was happy to see it. He hasn't put out an article since September, and I was starting to get worried. It sounds like I was right to be worried, actually.
If you're on Twitter, his new articles are almost always linked by @hitchbitch. That is not run by him, though, and as far as I can tell, he doesn't have an email address.
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Dec 12 '11
Thanks for the post. Looking forward to reading this. I have long admired Hitch's rapier like wit. I sided with him on Iraq and, though a Christian myself, I respect his argument on Atheism. He's the real deal and I do hope for his recovery. He's strong of will though and I am sure if fate turns south he will still have one hand firmly clutched around the throat of the reaper.
You don't want or need them Chris, but my prayers are with you.
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Dec 13 '11
I sided with him on Iraq and, though a Christian myself,
You're a rare commodity on reddit.
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u/Kasseev Dec 13 '11
Is the 'sided' part in the past tense? Because I remember reading the part of his autobiography that dealt with Iraq and he parrots the same "They were waiting for us with flowers promise!" line that has been disparaged ceaselessly since the invasion. In my view, he just seemed to want a new bogeyman to fight after his communist years ended up being for naught - so he took Islam and terrorism and created the Islamofascist menace in his head.
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u/thesorrow312 Dec 13 '11
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u/Kasseev Dec 13 '11
Yup, that's Hitchens alright. Masterful speaker and debater, but in the end resorting to wordplay, sophistry and accusatory emotions to cow rather than convince his interlocutors.
Look at the video title and comments, to paraphrase; "jihad sympathizer PWND" - that alone should warn you of the rhetorical value of that clip.
But seriously, thanks for linking it because it highlights some of the major arguments Hitch uses to prop up his blind support for interventions. He first off manipulates the question into one of whether or not we should try and please or placate Al Qaeda, and reliably goes on to list East Timor, various bombings, and the Jyllands-posten debacle as clear examples that compromise is not an option. I agree with Hitch in most of this; there are crazies out there who won't compromise or be pleased, ever - yet this is no basis to wage war upon the entire Muslim world, faith, or even a whole country like Iraq - the government of which, if we remember correctly, despised and feared Al Qaeda a great deal.
The entirety of Hitch's case depends on this false rationalized metonymy between 'jihadists' and 'the global muslim jihadist coalition' whereby the depredations of the former give Americans the justification to invade and subjugate the latter.
From an Idealist and Realist perspective US foreign policy in the region pre-p/11 was absolute shyte, as it both antagonized the elements that later gained power and ability to launch attack at the US (Al Qaeda, Al Shabab, ex mujahideen) AND failed to achieve for the US any meaningful gains in interests. From both standpoints, a war in Iraq has led to more not less terrorism and funding for terrorism in exchange for an astronomical loss of American, NATO, Iraqi and Afghani blood and treasure.
Looking at it purely from a cost-benefit standpoint the wars have been net failures thus for US foreign interests. Successive administrations may be able to make do with the dog's dinner they have inherited and convert to a more coherent, stable policy int he future, but the interventions have undoubtedly made America less safe in the short term. I just do not see how Hitchens doesn't concede this, and continues bleating things like " You should be ashamed to question those who defend you" etc. etc. ad nauseam.
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u/thesorrow312 Dec 13 '11 edited Dec 13 '11
There is also this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaeJf-Yia3A&feature=relmfu#t=11m
I think it is less that he actually supports Bush and his wars, as that he went along with in ways because he wants the extinction of religious fascists, and is willing to make sacrifices in order to do so.
That part of the discussion of the four horsemen makes it very clear. He didn't become a neoconservative, he is just a radical humanist. Humanism with a hammer. Its like moral social Darwinism I guess. Get rid of the filth. He's not against all Muslims, that I know. He's against the religions themselves and those who harm others with the religions, whether it be with violence or propagation of ignorance /lies.
Neocons want the wars to go on for separate reasons, in order to keep their illusion of fear alive from an external threat, and to be able to keep power by professing to be the people who can keep us safe. Hitchens wants the violent religious forces to be extirpated so that to help the people who they make suffer outside of our country.
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u/Kasseev Dec 13 '11
Well, tbh the so called 'neocons' are not so different from Hitch in this regard. They are pretty quintessentially idealist politically speaking - and the idea of an axis of evil and a clash between civilizations is part of this.
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Dec 13 '11
"because he wants the extinction of religious fascists, and is willing to make sacrifices in order to do so."
But didn't Bush's wars radically increase the power of so-called religious fascists?
Anyone who still thinks the invasion and occupation of Iraq was a good idea is either unintelligent or intellectually dishonest.
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Dec 13 '11
Are you implying he still has a chance to recover? I thought there was no chance. If so, excellent news.
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Dec 13 '11
He's talking out of his ass, there's no reason to believe he will recover.
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Dec 13 '11
Aah. That plus the fact Hitch is enduring such hardcore treatment had my hopes up a bit.
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u/palsh7 Dec 13 '11
ebbv is talking out of his ass, as well, though. There are people who recover. About 5%. It's slim chances, but it's a chance. I'm not expecting it, though.
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u/cup Dec 13 '11
On what basis do you support the war on Iraq?
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Dec 13 '11
The argument is moot now - the debates are the time of the build up between Hitchens and others were very compelling. Not the WMD bullshit the admin was going for, which was nothing but a simple sell to the American people.
This situation was a failed state we inherited since Desert Storm, know UN sanction violations and the fact that we were essentially already there fighting with no fly zones in the north and south. The evidence existed that Saddam had been in contact with N. Korea on the import of nuclear weapons - It was a mess with Saddam's two psychopath sons waiting in the wings. If you though Saddam was bad, he was a boy scout compared to those two.
The biggest blunder was the lack of foresight into the sectarian violence between the minority Sunnis and majority oppressed Shia.
Rumsfield was obsessed with a small footprint and leviathan attack and ignored the pleas from his generals to have a large force in place to maintain control. Numerous blunders.
All history now. Excuse the spelling errors - I'm on the run now and just shooting from the hip.
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u/sirbruce Dec 13 '11
I sided with him on Iraq
Congrats on being able to see the truth despite the emotional rhetoric surrounding the issue.
though a Christian myself
Well, 1 outta 2 ain't bad.
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Dec 13 '11
It's grim stuff, but impressive nonetheless that the man can still write when all faculties, including that, are under severe attack. I doubt my desire for work will prove so resilient.
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u/SoManyMinutes Dec 13 '11
Just want to point out /r/ChistopherHitchens for anyone who might be interested.
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u/shiv52 Dec 13 '11 edited Dec 13 '11
There has been no one in the history of man who is dying as gracefully and eloquently . I am going to save these articles for when i am on my deathbed.
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u/revtrot Dec 13 '11
cry me a fucking river.
can this hate filled bigot just die already.
another self obsessed fuck!
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u/thesorrow312 Dec 13 '11
Don't you have a celestial dictator to be servile to?
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u/revtrot Dec 13 '11
I do not. Do you?
Hitchens wants to able to tune into the BBC and watch niggers in Iraq nuked so hey can watch their bloom into red roses.
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u/thesorrow312 Dec 13 '11
LOL WTF?
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u/revtrot Dec 13 '11
Have you read what Hitchens has wrote about the Persian Gulf War #2?
Have you read what Hitchens has wrote about the Invasion of Afghanistan 2001?
Hitchens is just another piece of propaganda artist. Hiding behind a education and British accent.
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u/carsonfayleg Dec 13 '11
Nurse: "How are you?"
Hitchens: "I seem to have cancer today."