If only Christopher Hitchens was alive today. We desperately need an influx of common sense. The public sphere in America has turned into a swamp, a habitat for the shallow and biased, a place where emotion is exchanged and where there is no room left for rationale or critical thought.
America needs a new Hitchens
We desperately need a new Christopher Hitchens. Someone who doesn't shy away from speaking the truth, no matter how "controversial" it is and no matter how much it dismantles the left vs right paradigm. No, Christopher Hitchens was not a centrist and he was not a right-wing commentator either.
He was his own man. An eloquent, left-leaning genius without a chip on his shoulder.
In an article for Slate magazine, Hitchens wrote: "One of the many problems with the American Left, and indeed of the American left, has been its image and self-image as something rather too solemn, mirthless, herbivorous, dull, monochrome, righteous, and boring. "
It seems things haven't changed that much since. Except, the right-wing is now stronger than ever. It is practically experiencing a resurrection of sorts. Is there a publicist or a public figure or a journalist that can criticize the American left and the American right, without picking sides? Not really.
Hitchens and religion in today's context
Christopher Hitchens did not consider himself an atheist, he considered himself an antitheist.
Since the far-right is experiencing a a renaissance and because conservatism and religion go hand in hand, the American Society has been taking steps back when it comes to public criticism of religion. The most prominent atheists of today are sworn leftists and, since the American society has become deeply divided into two echo chambers, real critical thought regarding religion and its influence on politics and society as a whole, is practically non-existent.
Christopher Hitchens passed away 6 years ago and the fact that we don't have anyone to take his place (even though we can't expect someone to fill his shoes) is enough of a reason for concern in itself. What has American journalism reduced itself to? Why is everyone so busy taking cheap shots at Donald Trump, while ignoring what really matters?
What are the public intellectuals of today doing? Where are they? Why do they not speak out against what is happening with the United States of America?
Christopher Hitchens is a personification of moral, objective, aggressive journalism that we lack today.