Christopher Hitchens on the U.S. Free Press (1983 - Part 6)

[Yowzoe]

Free thinker, clear thinker, critical thinker--he's been an inspiration for so many of us.

[benehan]

he had such a boyish face its great

[SaltedSlug85]

LoL. Did he purposely ask him a different question to not let him answer the question about Israel?

[Laprevraven]

It is a very sad day indeed.....Oh look a nickel!

[lafontaine13]

Hitchens has inspired me to raise my children as free thinkers, and redouble my efforts to ensure they are as well read as possible

[qtutoringhelps]

Brian Lamb's age must be fixed not variable.

[lafontaine13]

@qtutoringhelps its bizarre isnt it?

[RaminHAL9001]

Same Hitchens I always knew (vicariously through his work). Even back then, his opinions on the first amendment were as solid as ever. The only difference is he is not nearly as eloquent as he was in later years -- which means as ineloquent as I am now, I am not hopeless, and perhaps maybe, just maybe, could become the respectable speaker Christopher Hitchens was nearer the end of his life.

[chulo4lyfe]

@RaminHAL9001 It's not just about the knowledge he has. He has a mindset that will not be matched by another. Not to the exact, or in my opinion not even close.

[karangmail15]

oh hitch!!! as the other comments note, drawing and playing tick-tack-toe with that smirk on his face at 4:03

[FloridaRaider]

damn if Hitch had put the cancer sticks down back in the day

[steerpike66]

Libel laws in Britain are way too stringent and favour the libelled. That's why the UK is a centre of libel tourism.

[john84753]

this is when he was polite.

[thetawaves48]

so, does he ever get to reply to the egyptian?

[burgundypoint]

@thetawaves48 Of course not. Speaking poorly about Israel was illegal back then... now it's just frowned upon.

[AnonymousWhitePerson]

He is embellishing his accent here.

[gregory06]

3:58 playing tic tac toe

[Freethinker12341]

wait, he says around 3:23 that no other country has the kind of freedom that the US press has. what about Canada and Britain, etc? is America really that much freerer in terms of its press? or was that way back in 1983?

[thefilmarchive]

@Freethinker12341 He addressed this question with regard to Britain a few years later: watch?v=GD1F_iLBrxU

[luckywood]

@Freethinker12341 don't know about Canada but as regards Britain he's definitely right. Just google "UK libel reform"

[johnthepalm]

@Freethinker12341 Yes, US has a freer press than the countries you mention. In Canada, for example, hate-crime laws have impugned main-stream journalists such as Mark Steyn (who works for Canada's largest news magazine, Macleans) for quoting opinions others found offensive, these laws are enforced through the Human Rights Commission, which is an extra-judicial body, designed to subvert due process.

[TheEthanwashere]

wow fucking morons calling in to suggest censorship...

[paragshah2112]

im sure hitchens would modify what he said. its all op-ed propaganda now, thanks to rupert murdoch and the bourgeoisie takeover, and consequential abuse of this so-called free press for the nefarious ends of the complete demoralization of wesstern society.

what a truly free press would propagate is that the oligarchs are nothing, NOTHING without 'we the people', and we must leave them only one choice: the guillotine, or the gallows. start with the bilderbergs and end with newscorp!

[Tsatsiki84]

This guy is just amazing. Hes cristal clear intellect is so inspiring!!

[ZiggyOsiris]

lmao he's drawing!

I had always thought he was taking notes or something when he was writing on his note pad.

[DeenMoriarty]

Honestly, I don't really know if I can imagine the Hichens of the aughts saying something like "that's very human and that's very understandable." Not so readily at least, and not about someone he's disagreeing with. I don't think he's a bad guy or anything these days but it's pretty surprising seeing him as he was a couple decades ago.

[chubbm]

Hitchens did this the year I was born! I'm now working in journalism (in Australia) thanks to his influence on my mind and life.

[bongoloid77]

@chubbm well done!

[AmandaFeetJeansFan]

that guy with gray hair DOES NOT AGE

[nikmills]

Bright kid.



[ph03n1xamb1t]

@nikmills

Priveleged too

[BEARARMZ]

i would have gone back in time in this tv special and tell him "christopher, stop smoking and cut back on your drinking"

[fluffterkyns]

Where's his answer to the last caller? The question about US aid to Israel and US media support for Israel? He looked very keen to answer, twinkling eyes and all.

[Justen1980]

i would've watched this if I had cable back in 1983, and if I wasn't 3 years old

[christo930]

How does anyone "deserve" to practice medicine? I want MY doctor to get into medical school on his merit, not because he "deserves" it because he really wants to be a dr. I have to really disagree with Hitch on this one.

[sford5006]

@christo930 wow you're dumb. To deserve something means to have legitimately earned the right to something. Second, plenty of people here in the US get into med school because of political reasons and not because they deserve it.

[christo930]

@sford5006 That isn't the way I took it.

[JOHNINCOLUMBUS]

Israel ownes the American politicians.

[Somuchbetter123]

This is compelling, but he didnt factor the whole story...the medicine in the united states- I cant explain the whole thing on a comment. Heres the link: youtube.com/watch?v=jAngBy94Qt­A&feature=related

[DeenMoriarty]

Jesus he looks incredibly English.

[TheLydianRocks]

@DeenMoriarty yeah um thats kinda the thing that happens when you have english parents....geez

[DeenMoriarty]

@TheLydianRocks I mean, more so than he does now. Or did a few years back. It's the most English I've seen him.

[johnowensjr1234]

Our press isn't as free as hitchens makes it out to be. The concentration of corporate ownership makes it extremely hard for dissenting or independent voices be heard.

[DeenMoriarty]

@johnowensjr1234 This was slightly different in 1983.

[ExtravaganzaBullshit]

Does anyone know where Part 7 is?! I'm dying to hear how he responds to the Egyptian caller.

[Setzer]

@ExtravaganzaBullshit I don't know I was looking for Part 7 as well. Finally we got a good question and we don't get to hear the answer.

[ExtravaganzaBullshit]

5:51 - holy hell!! Hottest glare ever seen.

[noldorian86]

oh the bitchez he must have had

[novatrek]

thats before I was even freakin born man. He looks pretty good back then, skinny too.

[sweetmonkeylove1]

@novatrek I see we watch similar vids captain douchebag. lol

[TribeVoice]

If anyone can survive cancer, Hitchens can. Remember he was recently waterboarded which is not something the vast majority of people would have the strength to volunteer for. And he has a strong will to live and good constitution, so I think he'll beat this.

[redryan20000]

3:11

not even canada? O.o

[jimmbo13]

I see him on CSPAN in 1988, and then 1983, was he on in between then?

[shawndimery]

He looks so much like his brother Peter here

[pestlett]

Does anyone know if they managed to sidetrack the Egyptian caller's question, or did he manage to answer just before the end?

[procommenter]

During fits and conniptions I insult my dog mercilessly by calling him Obama.

[petey1892]

It will be a sad day when Hitch leaves us.

[SethHesio]

@petey1892 The odds are stacked against him, but I really hope he survives cancer.

[Justjames283]

@petey1892 leaves us and goes where? into the great abyss? I would surely hope not but that is indeed his position. I will hope for something better.

[petey1892]

@Justjames283 Hope away, James. Whatever gets you through the night on this cruel old ball of mud is my philosophy. But I agree with Hitch. I was in that abyss in say, 1856, and to that abyss I shall return. You really think you're gonna go float around in Neverland for all eternity? And more importantly, would you really want to?

[ebeatworld]

@petey1892 I'm even a Christian. But I very much appreciate this guy. He and I obviously differ. But I agree, it will be sad when we lose this great thinker.

[AceofDlamonds]

@ebeatworld

Same here. I also think he's one of the best theoretical decision-makers I've seen.

[godofthisshit]

@petey1892

Isn't he getting healthy now?

[OdinLowe]

@godofthisshit

Well, he has a 5% chance of survival; don't hold your breath. It really is a tragedy, however.

[godofthisshit]

@OdinLowe

He's taking new experimental treatment right?

[OdinLowe]

@godofthisshit Last I heard was he was not sure he was a potential candidate but that thanks to his connections, if he had the right genetic make-up he'd be able to get the new treatment. I hope he is able to, although I've heard nothing especially recent from him about it

[lumpfish99]

@petey1892 today is that day....RIP.

[EpicTrollQueen]

@petey1892 Ur premonition is dead on. :(

[TheBukowskilover]

@petey1892 and it is,my friend..

[RAMSEY1987]

@petey1892 it was very sad

[BeeryUSA]

@petey1892 It has been a sad couple of days. I think it will continue so, because I fear we won't see his like again.

[shubhamkilla2]

@petey1892 *Sigh* He left us.

[TheNatealator]

@petey1892 The day has come, and it is sad :(

[chansetwo]

Hitch is right. The reason we have freedom of the press is precisely so that Americans can speak out against the government. It is when the most is at stake, like in times of war, that this freesom is most important.

[resedoton]

He seems more lively here.

[0ptikz]

Is this the last part?

Dammit, I wanted to hear what Hitch had to say about Palestine.

[MinisterAilingTongue]

Hitchens doodles?  3:57

[iParadox1989]

@MinisterAilingTongue He takes a lot of notes, but I think he was getting bored in that instance.

[MinisterAilingTongue]

Say it Hitchens! 2:34

Whether it's the Iraq War or the War of 1812, somebody always accuses those critical of sitting governments' policies in wartime as threatening national security.

[AnonymousWhitePerson]

@MinisterAilingTongue,

You sir, are a disingenuous fraud and a peasant brogue.

I rebuke you.

[MinisterAilingTongue]

@AnonymousWhitePerson You know nothing me, you mangy git.

[MinisterAilingTongue]

Lack of intellectual composure becomes a rather tedious, predictable business in talk radio/T.V. doesn't it?

[AnonymousWhitePerson]

Why, English is a scourge, a Plague, a pestilence, much like typhus, dysentery, and cholera.

This sentence was not written in English.

[MinisterAilingTongue]

@AnonymousWhitePerson You are a jackass.

Definition:

jackass: DONKEY; especially: a male donkey.

I think that's an English noun, and I believe that it is the only accepted definition.

If you, other sophists, and the unwashed masses don't like the English language, then learn how to develop a wit and proper sarcasm AND don't speak, write, or listen to that which you despise when you can help it. Otherwise, don't burden everyone else with the stench of your bile, the root of your crass ramblings.

[Vostoek]

Thank you very much for the upload. And the little biography in the description is wonderful!

[altosax1st]

I dislike the constant insistence on "unity" that some individuals such as the caller have. The idea of a republic is based on an assumption that people will disagree.

[AnonymousWhitePerson]

In short, Hitchens is a Sophist.

[MinisterAilingTongue]

@AnonymousWhiteSchmuck Definition: sophist (noun)

1 : philosopher

2 (capitalized) : any of a class of ancient Greek teachers of rhetoric, philosophy, and the art of successful living prominent about the middle of the fifth century b.c. for their adroit subtle and allegedly often specious reasoning

3 : a captious or fallacious reasoner

I must assume you mean to say that Mr. Hitchens meets the second definition. I believe you are in error.

[AnonymousWhitePerson]

Christopher Hitchens tends to have little or no actual substance.

His image (especially earlier) hinged mostly on bourgeoiseie pretension cloaked in gossamer upper-class mien and affectation.

[scotty123123]

@AnonymousWhitePerson

You meant to write "bourgeois pretension". Don't use french words when you can't understand them. 

[AnonymousWhitePerson]

@scotty123123,

English is Linguistic Feces.

A Phrasal Dungeon.

[MinisterAilingTongue]

@AnonymousWhitePerson Mien was my favorite word in high school.  I still don't understand, whenever I complimented a girl on a "mien so nice", she just stared.

[member2798]

Wow, this is the youngest I've seen him.