Christopher Hitchens on free speech, pt 2 of 3

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Uploaded by on May 26, 2007

Excerpt from a Canadian symposium. Hitchens makes a brilliant historical case for the defense of free speech and the importance of open, honest discourse.

he was invited by the University of Toronto's Hart House Debating
Club to voice his opinion on the subject of the evening's debate: Be It
Resolved: Freedom of Speech Includes the Freedom to Hate.

Following a formal debate among four students, Hitchens explains why it is an intellectual duty to defend the right of people we may disgree with. Even revisionists like David Irving has a right not be imprisoned in Austria for his views about the Holocaust.

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News & Politics

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  • @jst1998

    Ironically, your comment here conflicts radically with what Hitchens advocates for in this video. One of the points Hichens aptly and effectively makes is that you should beware of falling into the false consensus of majority. You seem to have fallen into a consensus that the Iraq War is wrong simply because it is a broad consensus. I consider myself a liberal who is against war in general, but I don't discount Hitchens opinion and I feel I need to hear his case.

  • @thegreatestbak

    THe point about David Irving also makes this point abundantly clear.

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  • The first 45 seconds of this video are unmitigated awesome. The quote about "my own opinion is enough for me..." is my favorite Hitchens quote. And anyone who disagrees with this can pick a number, stand in line...and kiss my ass. LOVE IT.

  • The joke about samuel johnson's dictionary and respectable ladies of london: those women had to already know what the indecent and "bad" words were before they were able to say the dictionary didn't include those words. In other words, they applauded him merely not bringing up something unpleasant which everyone already knew. Hypocrisy.

  • @harmonysolo the joke starts about 4:10.

  • Does anyone have a reference for this Canadian Law?...what happened?...did it pass?...was it repealed? Thanks...and thank you Christopher!

  • Bravo Christopher!

  • @thegreatestbak and @jst1998

    If you haven't listened to the Galloway/Hitchens debate about the War in Iraq than you haven't heard it defended. The Bush administration was hideously bad at defending the war. Hitchens is the only one I've seen do it well.

  • @jst1998 if u were an iraqi woman being beaten every day you might not agree

  • @equallyeasilyfuqyou which joke?

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