Quote:
Originally Posted by Gozer
Hitchens was debating against the influential, not the lettered.
I agree he wasn't particularly cohesive, though I also agree with blankall that that's not inherently desirable.
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He wasn't rigorous, and was actually quite a sloppy thinker. Good writer, great speaker, but also highlighted his strengths by taking ugly dates to prom.
All told, I really liked Hitchens, but I can't stand the cult of celebrity that continues to surround him. He was North America's exposure to a public intellectual personality type that is actually very common in England.
Personally, I think he was more of a courageous thinker, than a good one, and I really appreciated his willingness to stick it to those who needed it the most. If it had been accompanied with some humility, I think he would have been more effective.
His brother, Peter, is entirely the same.