Last Updated on 2022-07-08 by Joop Beris
8 years ago today, December 15 of 2011, the world lost Christopher Hitchens. Although there are probably some people who didn’t mind to see him go, especially those in religious circles, I do miss him. Readers of my blog will know that I admire him, though not always agree with him. It saddens me that we will not see new works from his hand nor hear his sonorous voice dissect invalid arguments anymore.
When I say that the world lost him, I do mean that quite literally. Intelligent and sharp witted, erudite yet at times bludgeoning, he was a staunch defender of free speech, an anti-totalitarian and someone not afraid to butcher a few holy cows. Despite sometimes harsh words, there was always a twinkle in his eye and there was always a certain charm about him. The world needs people like that: those not afraid to speak out against tyranny, those not afraid to say harsh truths. In the 8 years since Christopher Hitchens died, I’ve often wondered how he’d speak about certain topics now. Topics like the rise to power of a Donald Trump, the global climate crisis, women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. The following gallery shows you what I mean and includes some of my favorite quotes.
I’ll leave you with Christopher Hitchens delivering a speech on free speech. After 8 years, I still miss this.