Hunter Thompson quote:

[kentuck]

"Coming of age in a fascist police state will not be a barrel of fun for anybody, much less for people like

me, who are not inclined to suffer Nazis gladly and feel only contempt for the cowardly flag-suckers

who would gladly give up their outdated freedom to live for the mess of pottage they have been

conned into believing will be freedom from fear."

- Hunter S Thompson

[colsohlibgal]

1. Loved Hunter

He was out there a bit but mostly on the mark and so entertaining, he was one of a kind.

I have almost a complete collection of his books.

[samnsara]

2. we need more gonzo news!

[thucythucy]

3. My favorite Hunter quote: "When the going gets weird

the weird turn pro."

Advise to live by, that.

[bigtree]

4. why is he lionized here?

...he was creepy from every angle, but his words are supposed to inspire?

His obsession with guns was revolting enough for me.

Thompson on Letterman: “Yeah, I’m not teasing though. I used to like to kill, but when I realized that I was hunting in order to kill, I quit because I was not hunting for the meat, I was hunting because I like to kill.”

Was it the contradictions in his life which attract? Does viewing his deliberately offensive ramblings with a jaundiced eye redeem him, or is there some other more compelling mysticism in his perversions that I'm missing?

[kentuck]

5. There are poetic outlaws..

...and I suppose he was one. With all his faults, there was some redeeming quality there somewhere.

[Doc Sportello]

9. Yes, you are missing a great deal

But by putting your biases out there ("compelling mysticism in his perversions" - talk about rambling and senseless, not to mention judgmental) it's obviously not worth trying to educate you.

[bigtree]

11. how arrogant of you

Last edited Thu Mar 18, 2021, 11:15 AM - Edit history (1)

...I'm not in some shell. I have over 60 years life experience, including reading Hunter Thompson's ramblings.

If you think attacking me for my revulsion at his perversions and general hatred is 'bias,' then so be it. We bring that 'bias' here to this Democratic board in hopes we can find understanding and support for progressive change.

Presenting Hunter Thompson as some paragon of logic for a community of progressives begs the question of how selective we need to be about Mr. Thompson's open and admitted "flaws" to fully appreciate some bit of wisdom he offered.

You're right about one thing, best not to try to 'educate' me on all of that.

[Doc Sportello]

18. How judgmental of you

Repeating your claim about what you call his perversions just demonstrates what I said was true.

And I won't try to educate you because it would be pointless. For any others out there, however, Thompson is considered one of the greatest writers of the late 20th Century. His work is best defined by a Faulkner quote:
"The best fiction is far more true than any kind of 'journalism’ and the best journalists have always known this.”

[bigtree]

19. what are you defending here?

...his writing?

You present here as a prolific reader, but you're as judgmental as anything I've written here. You defend this wildly opinionated writer, who didn't give a damn who he offended, as if his fiction is some kind of talisman against his actual personage - one which he flailed about wherever he chose to piss, like a baboon in a tea room.

But, yeah, I'm judgemental.

“Some things you must always be unable to bear. Some things you must never stop refusing to bear. Injustice and outrage and dishonor and shame. No matter how young you are or how old you have got. Not for kudos and not for cash: your picture in the paper nor money in the bank either. Just refuse to bear them.”
― William Faulkner, Intruder in the Dust

[Bobstandard]

47. I'm confused

Your Faulkner quote seems to lionize Thompson. I’m no Faulkner but I agree with him.

[Bobstandard]

48. I'm confused

Your Faulkner quote seems to lionize Thompson. I’m no Faulkner but I agree with him.

[bigtree]

49. it's because neither Faulkner, nor I, was referring to Thompson.

...I used Faulkner to buttress my own views, and to give the poster more than the misattribution they used to try to make their point.

You want to start debating me based on someone else's distortion of my original query, with your own distortion. No thanks.

[canuckledragger]

35. Oh look

Someone is getting false outraged yet again as their projected arrogance comes back to bite them in the bum.

You could always...not read the thread instead of attacking others for posting it?

[canuckledragger]

37. Oh look. You're still personally attacking others

While projecting that action on those that confront you on your behaviour

All while trying to bully them to do things your way and ONLY your way.

This isn't the first time you've done this either.

Perhaps DU isn't the place for you of you can't get your way all the time?

[bigtree]

41. .

...

[mezame]

10. Maybe...

...I see the statement he made that you reference, is akin to a rather profound self-realization. Yeah, he liked to kill animals with guns. I suppose he got bored with aiming at targets. In our 'civilized' society, paintball is much of the same mindset. Yet when he realized for himself the path he was on would lead to his own self-destruction, a sea change occurred. Our Native American population's ancestors knew this philosophy - they killed animals, but only what was needed and necessary - and they thanked their prey for their sacrifice. Something intuitive snapped in Hunter's brain that made him realize killing for killings' sake was morally wrong, and that's why he stopped.

[meadowlander]

25. I think you're missing the point of that quote

which is that he *stopped* hunting when he realised it was bringing out a part of himself that he didn't like.

Also by modern standards, doing a lot of drugs is hardly a "perversion". It's not like he was a pedophile.

Why do I like Hunter S Thompson:

"Strange memories on this nervous night in Las Vegas. Five years later? Six? It seems like a lifetime, or at least a Main Era—the kind of peak that never comes again. San Francisco in the middle sixties was a very special time and place to be a part of. Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run . . . but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world...

There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda. . . . You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning. . .

And that, I think, was the handle—that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn’t need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting—on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. . . .

So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back."

[bigtree]

26. don't focus on that

...read what I wrote about the contradictions in his rhetoric, and reconciling the abhorrent with something seen as redeemable.

I just used that quote to show the contradictions in it, in him, much like you describe, not to assign some kind of judgement on the sentiment or statement.

By 'perversions,' I mean his deviancy and depravity, the degree to which I'm not obliged in any way to subscribe. I really don't think he meant for me to do so, and it's amusing to find people trying to further aquaint me with what I'm already adverse to, or convince me to accept.

Thompson couldn't give a damn.

[WestofDenver]

45. I think Hunter was another we lost too early

This text was what made me value HT as a person

[Martin68]

27. Interesting bigtree, that you use a quote where Thompson reveals self-knowledge and a

corresponding change in behavior for the better as proof that he is creepy. You sound rather Calvinistic here. Don't you believe people can change for the better and achieve redemption as a result? What creeped Hunter Thompson out was a society where people place material gain at any cost ahead more humanistic and creative endeavors.

[bigtree]

28. well, you misinterpreted my meaning

...no need to belabor it.

I fully described his contradictions and provided an example, almost sympathetically, along with my criticism.

I still fail to see why he's lionized here. He didn't actually redeem any of his deliberate offensiveness, and I don't believe he was trying to. That I refuse to disassociate my distaste for him, personally, from whatever people might find redeemable in his myriad ramblings and hedonism, would probably find agreement from the gonzo fruitcake.

'Calvinist?' Lol. What, are you like 100 years old?

[Martin68]

30. Bigtree, you stated above, "Presenting Hunter Thompson as some paragon of logic for a community of

progressives.." That sounds a lot like setting up a straw man argument. I have never heard Thompson referred to as a "paragon of logic." Logic wasn't his arena unless you consider logic to be the single most important element of poetry, literature, and art. Thompson approached life as a poet and a rebel. He used an artistic eye to see through and write about bullshit, hypocrisy, and anyone with a paucity of imagination. He got to the truth not by logically analyzing and describing events, but by employing metaphor and poetic insight. I fear you judge him as a logician and traditional journalist. That's not who he was, and it is not why he is "lionized."

I like this quote from Thompson: "“I have stolen more quotes and thoughts and purely elegant little starbursts of writing from the Book of Revelation than from anything else in the English language — and it is not because I am a biblical scholar, or because of any religious faith, but because I love the wild power of the language and the purity of the madness that governs it and makes it music...”

[bigtree]

32. no, that was my interpretation of the lavish praise for his words

...disassociated from his actual being.

Look at you working to tear me down for finding the man personally distastful, and his life a contradiction to his prose. I'm not obligated to reconcile all of that, and I'm absolutely unable.

But how wonderful for you that you have such regard for him, and are able to separate the offensive from the profane.

I didn't find anything especially profound in his political expressions. I didn't need Hunter Thompson to tell me Nixon was a bad man or George Bush was bad, or the Hell's Angels were violent.

He's not my ideal of a political mentor, certainly not a life model.

He said he wrote because he wasn't suited for much else to earn a living. I think his writing reflected that.

[Martin68]

33. Bigtree, I am not trying to "tear you down." What an odd takeaway.

I'm trying to understand why you dislike Thompson so intensely that you feel compelled to attribute reasons other people like him that are not actually based on fact. I also made an attempt to offer some real reasons (other than "logic&quot why some of us think he is worthy of respect as a writer. I'm very sorry if I offended you with my attempts to understand what you wrote, and answer the question you posed in your first post.

[bigtree]

34. everyone has value

...I'm happy you found some in him.

I found less than that.

[LanternWaste]

40. Reframed as separating the art from the artist?

"no, that was my interpretation of the lavish praise for his words disassociated from his actual being."

Validly restated as separating the art from the artist, no?

Much as I adore the works of Wagner while yet finding his personal life a dishonor to so much I believe in?

[reACTIONary]

43. I'm not much of a fan, either. In fact, I'm only...

... acquainted with his writing second or third hand, as in this thread. I'm going to keep it that way.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

51. It is good when people who kill animals for sport come to understand that doing this

is very wrong, and they stop killing animals for sport.

Changing for the better is always a good thing. As truth is gathered, we rearrange.

[treestar]

53. Can we not consider that one particular quote

Is it lionizing him just to find one of his statements worth discussing?

Think of what is said rather than just who said it. If he said that the earth revolves around the sun it wouldn't be wrong because he might have other faults.

[joshcryer]

54. His late commentary was needed.

After the elections were stolen in 2001 this site was created. Many of us read his articles, about Bush, about 9/11, about the Iraq War, all that. We have fond memories of that and not of his gun nuttery. He also went off his rocker at the very end. But if you go back and read the stuff he was contributing it was really good.

He was no saint, but he did have his own special breed of morality toward other humans, and he hated Nazi/KKK/racists, etc. Despised them and saw their resurgence.

[lagomorph777]

6. "flag-suckers"

Or in Trump's case, "flag-fucker."

[spanone]

7. ⭐️K&R⭐️

[Hortensis]

8. An expert on authoritarian oppression pointed out that 99% go along with it,

that collaboration is overwhelmingly the norm. People get used to avoiding eye contact with authorities and other displays of submission, like getting used to doing without or accepting abuse. It's those who find meaningful ways to resist who are unusual and therefore worth her study.

As for Thompson, sounds good, points for saying it even though untested.

What would I do if I were alone in the world? Something. I'm not alone in the world, though, and not made of the stuff who'd sacrifice the safety and wellbeing of my children and grandchildren in hopes of someday regaining the freedom others tossed away like yesterday's fast food bag.

[CaptainTruth]

12. I love his writing. I know he's not for everyone...

...but he really had an ability to cut to the core of issues without holding back.

I can only imagine how he would have eviscerated Trump & today's GOP. I'm sure it would have been brutal.

[GopherGal]

13. Is there any comparison to Borat?

I've only read a little of Hunter S Thompson (he was a little before my time), so maybe I'm off base here, but Borat's twist on journalism seems to expose the hypocrisies of conservative culture, which I imagine Thompson would have done.

[Tommymac]

16. Thompson held no prisoners no matter where you were on the Political Spectrum

His writings always make me think - his anger at the world in general, and unique writing style, always shined through.

As did his childishness, narcissism and pettiness.

I'd recommend reading his tome about The Hell's Angels, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Fear and Loathing on The Campaign Trail, and perhaps sample his two volume set of letters and essays to really understand where he was coming from.

Let me say my opinions on his writings have changed as I have grown and experienced the world on my own, but they were and still are humorous and biting.

Also, the Fear and Loathing movie totally SUCKED. One of the worst films I've ever seen. t took the gonzo out of gonzo and was just simply not funny and did not display any depth of understanding of what Thompson was really all about.

[BobTheSubgenius]

14. Hunter pulled no punches.

A very singular journalist. I wonder if he would have had a better chance of being Sheriff back then, or now. That would have been weird. Or gonzo.

[pecosbob]

15. You buy the ticket you take the ride

What made Thompson different from most journalists of his era was that he usually was a participant in the events he covered, the crazier the better, a 'method' journalist, if you will. In a way he always reminded me of a less talented William Burroughs or Charles Bukowski.

[Tommymac]

17. Yup. He chronicled and also shaped an era.

I can't imagine the 1960's and early to mid 1970's without him.

Gonzo journalism became a 'thing' - he was the first to grasp it's power.

[SergeStorms]

22. That was the core of "Gonzo" journalism.

He immersed himself in whatever event he was reporting on, because to him that was the only way to truly understand the nuances of it's existence. He became part of each story. I can only speak for myself, but that style of journalism appealed to me. You could live vicariously through Thompson, and not have to experience the beatings of The Hell's Angel's to find out what living with them was like. Thanks, Hunter!

[themaguffin]

20. His comments from being at the Goldwater RNC are chilling & similar to MAGA rallies.

Then it came to me. Yes. In 1964, at the Goldwater convention in San Francisco, when poor Barry unloaded that fateful line about “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, etc…. ” I was on the floor of the Cow Palace when he laid that one on the crowd, and I remember feeling genuinely frightened at the violent reaction it provoked. The Goldwater delegates went completely amok for fifteen or twenty minutes. He hadn’t even finished the sentence before they were on their feet, cheering wildly. Then, as the human thunder kept building, they mounted their metal chairs and began howling, shaking their fists at Huntley and Brinkley up in the NBC booth— and finally they began picking up those chairs with both hands and bashing them against chairs other delegates were still standing on.

[reACTIONary]

44. Wow! I'd really like to have seen that! So I ...

... found the speech on line (retro CSPAN) and watched all 47 minutes of it. It's a pretty ritualized performance. He gives forth a short sound bite bromide. The crowd claps and hoots. Then quiets down for the next platitude. Rinse and repeat. The fateful "no vice" line is at about 44 min in. The applause and horn blowing does go on for a bit longer. That's about it. The "no virtue" part is back to normal.

I was a bit disappointed. 47 minutes and no excitement. A waste of time.

[themaguffin]

50. oh, interesting. I never thought that it would be online, though I am not sure if

I could sit through it.

I started a book last year called Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus and it's worth reading, though I will admit it gets a little tedious with some details on party bureaucracy stuff.

I read the author's previous book Nixonland which was very fascinating.

[SergeStorms]

21. 'Kingdom of Fear'

Thompson's penultimate book, and a scathing examination of what this country has become. His final book, 'Hey Rube' continued this examination, exploring the Bush "doctrine", and the downward spiral of dumbness in America.
I was always a fan of the good "Doctor", from his first book about The Hell's Angel's, to his very last. He helped form my political outlook, and brought so much joy and cynicism into my life. I was deeply disturbed by his suicide, feeling that he still had so much to say about our American way of life. There will never be another Hunter S. Thompson.

[bahboo]

29. well said and totally agree....

his take on the trump years would have been something else...

[Mr.Bill]

23. A writer unlike any other.

Last edited Thu Mar 18, 2021, 06:12 PM - Edit history (1)

To me he was on the level of Mark Twain or Earnest Hemmingway. I still have all my old Rolling Stone magazines with his writings. I often get them out and read them. In today's world, those writings are actually at times my way back to sanity.

For those not familiar with him, I would recommend The Great Shark Hunt. It's a collection of excerpts of his writing over the years, all the way back to when he was a sportswriter. His analysis of Muhammed Ali makes Howard Cosell sound like a child.

[YorkRd]

24. Hunter Thompson and E Jean Carroll were close.

Wonder how that would have worked with Trump?

[malaise]

31. Great quote

Rec

[DownriverDem]

42. Fear and Loathing

on the Campaign Trail '72 was my introduction to Hunter. Interesting.

[flying rabbit]

46. K&R nt

[calimary]

52. And another K&R. Thank you Hunter T!