Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

The Hitch is dead.

Options
24567…12

Comments

  • Options
    #32
    Wacker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,057 ✭✭✭Wacker


    I'll be raising a Johnny Walkers Black in his memory tonight.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP51NnoVErA


  • Options
    #33
    5uspect
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 10,515 Mod ✭✭✭✭5uspect


    A true great, he will be missed.


  • Options
    #34
    Daftendirekt
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,312 ✭✭✭Daftendirekt


    RIP, Hitch. Haven't read any of his work, but he's been on my Amazon wishlist for as long as I can remember. Always enjoyed hearing him debate, though.


  • Options
    #35
    [-0-]
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,981 ✭✭✭[-0-]


    RIP Hitch.

    I never had a JW Black, and also saved one of his finest books.

    I will be indulging in both relatively soon.


  • Options
    #36
    kelly1
    Registered Users Posts: 5,026 ✭✭✭kelly1


    I'm genuinely saddened to hear this news. All I can say is, God have mercy on his soul (as I would say about anyone who dies).


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #37
    checkyabadself
    Registered Users Posts: 471 ✭✭checkyabadself


    Tonight I have a reason to crack open a recently acquired bottle of Johnnie Walker Double Black. I'm deeply saddened to learn of Christopher's passing. His articles in Vanity Fair, Slate and particular his many books helped me come to terms with atheism in a religious family that was very hostile to any criticism of religion.

    His prose was second to none and he put what I felt and thought into words that I could never have hoped to.

    I'm buoyed by the fact that he always claimed to live his life to the fullest and when told by someone that he burned the candle at both ends, he said it produced a lovely light.


  • Options
    #38
    muppeteer
    Registered Users Posts: 445 ✭✭muppeteer


    Sad day.
    Every time I read one of his essays I used to curse him and thank him in equal measure.
    The curse for when I was forced to reach for the dictionary when I came across another beautiful word I did not understand, and the thanks for the extra education while reading another insightful piece.


  • Options
    #39
    Vomit
    Registered Users Posts: 512 ✭✭✭Vomit


    Wow, all this talk of knocking back whiskey to remember a man who drank himself to death.


  • Options
    #40
    MagicMarker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 32,865 ✭✭✭✭MagicMarker


    Vomit wrote: »
    Wow, all this talk of knocking back whiskey to remember a man who drank himself to death.
    I know, one shouldn't need an excuse to open a fine bottle of JW Black.

    If I wasn't poor I'd be getting a bottle myself.


  • Options
    #41
    Elliemental
    Closed Accounts Posts: 924 ✭✭✭Elliemental


    Vomit wrote: »
    Wow, all this talk of knocking back whiskey to remember a man who drank himself to death.


    It was probably more the smoking. Anyway, Hitchens lived his life. He shouldn't be condemned for it.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #42
    vibe666
    Registered Users Posts: 13,016 ✭✭✭✭vibe666


    checkyabadself wrote: »
    I'm buoyed by the fact that he always claimed to live his life to the fullest and when told by someone that he burned the candle at both ends, he said it produced a lovely light.
    i'm very much saddened by his passing, but had managed to keep a dry eye despite everything i've been watching and re-reading from him today up until i read that. :o

    he will be sorely missed. :(

    i think it's time to head over to the kindle store to buy a copy of one (or more) of his works. http://www.amazon.com/Christopher-Hitchens/e/B000APSKR0/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1


  • Options
    #43
    Sir Digby Chicken Caesar
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 23,556 ✭✭✭✭Sir Digby Chicken Caesar


    :(

    think i'll watch the four hoursemen tonight


    --edit

    I wonder how long it will take for the stories that he accepted jesus on his deathbed

    a week?


  • Options
    #44
    Vomit
    Registered Users Posts: 512 ✭✭✭Vomit


    Elliemental wrote: »
    It was probably more the smoking. Anyway, Hitchens lived his life. He shouldn't be condemned for it.

    If it was the smoking, then it would more likely have been throat or lung cancer.

    I just can't shed too many tears for Hitchens. He supported the Iraq war and defended Bush for probably no other reason that in his jaded mind he just wanted to see the Muslims get a hiding. Everything for him became about religion once he gave up on being a serious political commentator. He even called the situation in Northern Ireland a fight between people who can't decide which type of Christian they want to be.

    I think alcohol and cigarettes are poison, and I won't risk my health by having one drop to remember this man.


  • Options
    #45
    MagicMarker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 32,865 ✭✭✭✭MagicMarker


    Vomit wrote: »
    If it was the smoking, then it would more likely have been throat or lung cancer.

    I just can't shed too many tears for Hitchens. He supported the Iraq war and defended Bush for probably no other reason that in his jaded mind he just wanted to see the Muslims get a hiding. Everything for him became about religion once he gave up on being a serious political commentator. He even called the situation in Northern Ireland a fight between people who can't decide which type of Christian they want to be.

    I think alcohol and cigarettes are poison, and I won't risk my health by having one drop to remember this man.
    Cool story bro.


  • Options
    #46
    Sir Digby Chicken Caesar
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 23,556 ✭✭✭✭Sir Digby Chicken Caesar


    did you ever even read or listen to his arguments in favour of the iraq war?

    he never convinced me but he was the only person in favour of the war I wouldn't just dismiss out of hand.


  • Options
    #47
    The Mad Hatter
    Registered Users Posts: 4,718 ✭✭✭The Mad Hatter


    Vomit wrote: »
    I just can't shed too many tears for Hitchens. He supported the Iraq war and defended Bush for probably no other reason that in his jaded mind he just wanted to see the Muslims get a hiding.

    That's quite a statement, given that his reasons for supporting the Iraq war were more clearly articulated and consistent than anyone else I've heard supporting it - that is to say, in order to free people from the rule of a tyrant. He also supported making war on North Korea, so your muslim comment doesn't really fly.

    I have disagreed with the Iraq war since the beginning, but Hitchens was its most coherent defender. It's interesting that he passed on on the same day that the troops withdrew.


  • Options
    #48
    Wereghost
    Registered Users Posts: 324 ✭✭Wereghost


    I was shocked by the apparent suddenness; thought he had been doing as well as could be expected.

    I'm a relative newcomer to Hitchens, but a copy of God Is Not Great currently adorns my desk. Anyway, here's an amusing if somewhat strident video of the man in action:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL8MDnuUsE4


  • Options
    #49
    Vomit
    Registered Users Posts: 512 ✭✭✭Vomit


    Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »
    did you ever even read or listen to his arguments in favour of the iraq war?

    he never convinced me but he was the only person in favour of the war I wouldn't just dismiss out of hand.

    Ah you couldn't dismiss him straight away. Great, tell that to the over 1,000,000 dead.


  • Options
    #50
    Undergod
    Registered Users Posts: 2,858 ✭✭✭Undergod


    I don't know a lot about the man, but the waterboarding debate won him my respect.


  • Options
    #51
    Zillah
    Registered Users Posts: 17,371 ✭✭✭✭Zillah


    Well this is last ****ing thing I expected or wanted to hear today. Some how I thought he might be able to beat the odds, especially that he had so many excellent people working on him.

    Bye Hitch :(


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #52
    Soul Winner
    Registered Users Posts: 2,534 ✭✭✭Soul Winner


    Sorry to hear about Christopher (the Hitch) Hitchens. Was only reading trough his book (Hitch22: A memoir) a few weeks ago. He was a very prolific writer whose vocabulary is to be admired as one of the widest I've ever read. Very sad what happened to his Mum, reading that story in his book brought a tear to my eye. His Dad died of the same affliction. To the Hitch: A great orator and I believe a person whose heart was in the right place. RIP sir.


  • Options
    #53
    Beruthiel
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 42,362 Mod ✭✭✭✭Beruthiel


    Vomit wrote: »
    he just wanted to see the Muslims get a hiding.

    Really?
    So what do you say to the fact that Hitchens was constant in his condemnation of the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine?

    As for supporting Bush, here's what he had to say about him:

    George W. Bush is lucky to be governor of Texas. He is unusually incurious, abnormally unintelligent, amazingly inarticulate, fantastically uncultured, extraordinarily uneducated, and apparently quite proud of all these things.


  • Options
    #54
    Sarky
    Closed Accounts Posts: 31,967 ✭✭✭✭Sarky


    Vomit wrote: »
    Wow, all this talk of knocking back whiskey to remember a man who drank himself to death.

    One does not "knock back" good whiskey. The rest of your argument is now invalid.


  • Options
    #55
    Zillah
    Registered Users Posts: 17,371 ✭✭✭✭Zillah


    Apparently Salman Rushdie tweeted "Goodbye, my beloved friend. A great voice falls silent. A great heart stops" when he heard the news.

    I think this is the saddest a celebrity death has made me.


  • Options
    #56
    Vomit
    Registered Users Posts: 512 ✭✭✭Vomit


    Beruthiel wrote: »
    Really?
    So what do you say to the fact that Hitchens was constant in his condemnation of the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine?

    As for supporting Bush, here's what he had to say about him:

    George W. Bush is lucky to be governor of Texas. He is unusually incurious, abnormally unintelligent, amazingly inarticulate, fantastically uncultured, extraordinarily uneducated, and apparently quite proud of all these things.

    I put it down to being a jaded alcoholic flip-flopper. I remember him telling a booing audience that Bush is "smarter than everyone in this room".

    Hitchens was all over the place politically. In his latter years he focused more on religion for that reason.

    The man ended up as nothing more than an intellectual juggler- a clown who did tricks for his new audience - the atheist community. A community who seem to overlook anything and listen to anyone who advocates an atheist agenda, as long as they speak cleverly on the subject. That's how he reinvented himself and sold more books.


  • Options
    #57
    Beruthiel
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 42,362 Mod ✭✭✭✭Beruthiel


    Go away Vomit. Your trolling is substandard and not welcome in this thread.


  • Options
    #58
    robindch
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 24,399 Mod ✭✭✭✭robindch


    ^^^ Vomit, if you've nothing positive to contribute to the thread, then keep your hands in your pockets.


  • Options
    #59
    Vomit
    Registered Users Posts: 512 ✭✭✭Vomit


    Ahh, trolling... right.


  • Options
    #60
    The Mad Hatter
    Registered Users Posts: 4,718 ✭✭✭The Mad Hatter


    Vomit wrote: »
    I put it down to being a jaded alcoholic flip-flopper.

    He was never jaded, and he was never a flip-flopper. I really don't think you know what you're talking about.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #61
    fisgon
    Registered Users Posts: 1,747 ✭✭✭fisgon


    Beruthiel wrote: »
    Go away Vomit. Your trolling is substandard and not welcome in this thread.

    I don't agree with Vomit, but I agree even less with him being told to "go away" for expressing an opinion that is contrary to the consensus. Especially as we are talking about Christopher Hitchens, who was no respecter of consensus.


Advertisement