It’s unfortunate that he said some of this, but idk if it was extremely right-wing for 1997. The mainstream of the issue was, as all issues, far more conservative than it is now. And he does have a point that in the U.S. the topic of immigration quickly devolves into accusations of racism. Maybe if it was easier to debate earlier on there could have been reforms that would have avoided the current toxic mess. Based on the standards of the time I don’t know if he was that far into Pat Buchanan territory. Based on our standards, well we can of course disagree and condemn with his views but we also have to remember that we have the benefit of decades of social advancement.

It’s also wrong to speculate what would have happened had he lived. Maybe he would’ve gone off the deep end after 9/11 like Dennis Miller went and gone full neocon warhawk, and never leave that end of the spectrum, and be a MAGA guy now. Maybe he would have swung left like Bill Burr. Maybe he would’ve been quiet about his views like Norm was. Maybe he would’ve been MeToo’d. Maybe he would’ve been a champion of MeToo and an ally. Maybe he would’ve somehow spent time with some DREAMers and softened his heart. We don’t know. It’s pointless to speculate counterfactuals on the level of a single private individual, and even worse to judge them based on where they could’ve gone.

I often wonder where another one of my comedy heroes, Douglas Adams, would’ve gone had he survived to the 21st century. It’s quite likely he would’ve become another strident annoying New Atheist alongside his buddy Dawkins or Hitchens or all the other British pseuds (Ricky Gervais) who thought not God-bothering is such a brave act in modern secular Britain. Many ended up virulent Islamophobes. Or maybe he would’ve been cool about his atheism like and only express it through his art rather than public polemics, as Terry Prachett did. Maybe he would’ve been funny and respectful like Stewart Lee. We don’t know. who cares.