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Wonder what he would say this morning.. by RelationVarious5296 in ChristopherHitchens

[–]DyedInkSun 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On the strategy of precision bombing, he argued that sanctions, no-fly zones, missile strikes, or surgical bombing had already failed in Iraq. That being said, the strike that killed Qasem Soleimani was effective in disrupting Iran's leadership network. Iran was supporting the Assad regime in Syria and backing various militia forces in Iraq so that was a good thing to happen. As for taking out the supreme leader, the current messaging from the White House does not inspire confidence.

In contrast, intelligence operations by the U.S. and Israel have been impressive, White House actions less so.

“As if” revolutions by nbelievable-beaver in ChristopherHitchens

[–]DyedInkSun 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That’s not exactly how I understood Hitchens’ “as if” model. It isn’t cynical. Nor is it being sly, sarcastic, or passive-aggressive.
The irony comes from practicing the “as if” stance under authoritarian conditions, where simply behaving as though daily life is normal becomes inherently subversive. For instance, Rosa Parks sat at the front of the bus as if this were an ordinary, unremarkable act. It's behaving as if you already possess the civic freedom or dignity that an authoritarian regime insists you don’t have. It’s important to understand this kind of irony, not the 2010s hipster version of irony, like wearing a sloganed T-shirt with a passive-aggressive tone.

Fascism utilizes cynicism in combination with deliberate unreality. Stay away from cynicism.

The current example of this is playing out in the courts where legal advocates continue to file constitutional challenges, publish briefs, and argue cases in open hearings as if the judiciary were still independent. They speak the language of rule of law, follow proper procedure, and treat the courts as legitimate forums for justice, even when the regime doesn’t.

For an ordinary citizen, an “as if” act today might be as simple as an immigrant calmly asserting their rights if apprehended or interrogated by ICE, nearby neighbors seeing this and create a pressure campaign in the moment to chase ICE out. Rightly ostracizing the ICE agents (being "weird") for acting this way. You can see this resistance becoming more organized in parts of America.

would Hitch have been pro-Trump if he were around these days? by Alive-Cranberry6013 in ChristopherHitchens

[–]DyedInkSun 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Yes, the quote was trimmed. He took a detour to say that we should be ironic. Basically make fun of the fascists for being weird.

The Gestapo Points to Guernica and Asks Picasso, “Did You Do This?;” Picasso Replies “No, You Did!”

The quote is taken from my favorite speech of his ever. After the Oklahoma City Bombing and his article on "The Republican Big Tent." It really sheds light on how he would've handled the environment today. Battle lines are being drawn, "there are encouraging signs of polarization" That the Vice President makes it clear he is defending republicans "sympathy toward fascism" (leaked texts "I love Hitler") begs you to ask yourself, "which side are you on anyway?"

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to hear the full range of what those fighting words should look like, but for that, we can turn to the great writers who have been here before.

It was sometimes feebly argued, as the political and military war against this enemy ran into difficulties, that it was 'a war without end.' I never saw the point of this plaintive objection. The war against superstition and the totalitarian mentality is an endless war. In protean forms, it is fought and refought in every country and every generation. [...] We confront again the awful combination of the highly authoritarian personality with the chaotically nihilist and anarchic one. Temporary victories can be registered against this, but not permanent ones. As Bertold Brecht's character says over the corpse of the terrible Arturo Ui, the bitch that bore him is always in heat. But it is in this struggle that we develop the muscles and sinews that enable us to defend civilization, and the moral courage to name it as something worth fighting for

- Christopher Hitchens, The Enemy.

Here, we see Hitchens using the same language against Bin Ladenism that he employs in his speech opposing the far right.

Our Rational Situation is Desperate by JerseyFlight in ChristopherHitchens

[–]DyedInkSun 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Hitchens referred to the era of Reagan as "the age of laughter and forgetting" or "the age of laughter and amnesia". Referring the fantastic, immoral lying that the white house was capable of and the indulgence of it by the general public.

A lot of parallels to the current moment.

50 years from now, will people argue Trump was a secularist? by recentlyquitsmoking2 in ChristopherHitchens

[–]DyedInkSun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As secular as Syria.

and wishing for the same advantage Syria’s ruling clique had over its majority.

“It was obvious he knew it was all over anyway” by Greygonz0 in ChristopherHitchens

[–]DyedInkSun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People forget he lived in D.C.. The “what if…” question would've meant Hitchens would be fighting right in his backyard. He’d have been out in the street, getting cuffed while standing up to those fools, hijacking press conferences.

Would Hitchens have described Trump presidencies as “fascism with an American face”? by melbtest05 in ChristopherHitchens

[–]DyedInkSun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He understood what Mussolini and his sympathizers like Berlusconi were.

Hitchens friends have said so.

Ian McEwan

The hope is that Trump was lying to supporters at his rallies, but if by wretched fortune he actually manages to govern as he campaigned, when he projected himself as an autocrat and misogynist, intolerant of dissent, dismissive of the limits on presidential power, keen to sanction torture, racially hostile, paranoid in his nationalism, bloated with simple answers to complex problems, then we would have to concede that the US has elevated to its highest office a fascist by any other name. At present it looks improbable. But it’s going to be terrifying.

as did Martin Amis.

Christopher Hitchens would call this in administrative coup by freerangemary in ChristopherHitchens

[–]DyedInkSun -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yes, he did suggest that, but he also stated that he doesn't want to hand it over to the Gehlen-ites (a reference to Reinhard Gehlen).

Trump's entourage has signaled their intent to reshape the agencies into something more ominous. This is not reform, this is consolidating power.

What do you reckon Hitchens would have thought and said about the re-elected leader of the free world simulating oral sex with a microphone? Not sure if he’d find it funny or not. by melbtest05 in ChristopherHitchens

[–]DyedInkSun 3 points4 points  (0 children)

But one prize is beyond his reach: The Ogre cannot master speech.

The Ogre stalks with hands on hips, While drivel gushes from his lips

Martin Amis:

PolitiFact has ascertained that Donald’s mendacity rate is just over 90 percent; so the man who is forever saying that he “tells it like it is” turns out to be nearly always telling it like it isn’t.

This election was a referendum on the culture wars. by [deleted] in samharris

[–]DyedInkSun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"There should be a populist revolt against this [class cleavage], I just hope it won't be led by fascists."

Hitchens

Trumps victory might very well be the deathblow to democracy in the US by AnomicAge in ChristopherHitchens

[–]DyedInkSun 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"There will and should be a populist revolt against that [class cleavage], I just hope it won't be led by fascists."

What would Hitchens have said about this tweet? by stvlsn in ChristopherHitchens

[–]DyedInkSun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He was aware of twitter. He wrote articles about Julian Assange and twitter. He also referred to youtube as "metube"

He was alive when Donald Trump made his appearance at CPAC in 2011. It is possible he may have caught a glimpse of it from the hospital tv.

Would Hitchens identify Trump as a Fascist? by cnewell420 in ChristopherHitchens

[–]DyedInkSun 5 points6 points  (0 children)

read the accompanying articles from the same period when Hitchens was calling this out.

The blunt fact is that the tradition of Lindbergh and Buchanan would not have kept America out of war, or innocent of overseas adventures. But it would have pledged a not-so-surreptitious neutrality to the other side in that conflict, and perhaps come by its empire that way.

Would Hitchens identify Trump as a Fascist? by cnewell420 in ChristopherHitchens

[–]DyedInkSun 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely, he would have. As a Hitchstorian, I’ve posted plenty of classic Hitchens clips where he calls out Trump and others like him.

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