Christopher Hitchens was an author and journalist who took sensitive subjects and pushed them into deeper debate and awareness, both as a speaker and as a writer. He style was forthright and he pulled no punches when it came to expressing his ideas and criticisms. Hitchins didn't step lightly, and told it as it was - in this sense he made people take notice by making points and statements that were concise and understandable. There was no rambling or ambiguity.

Behind his arguments and philosophies was a solid wealth of knowledge and life experiences that he combined with down-to-earth wit and humour. A touch of aggression and passion from time-to-time let others know that here was a man with deep belief and complete confidence in what he thought was right, or more often, what was already proven by science or revealed by the consequences of real events.

If you have the power of communication and use it to expose and question things, there is likely to be resentment and dislike if the views don't reflect your own, or your own firm beliefs are unquestionably undermined by home-truths and facts, and start to publicly collapse. Hitchins was often strong in opinion but had the courtesy to respect the point of view of others by acknowledging them with either humour, or reassurance that he understood that an argument had two sides. However, if reason and common sense were stubbornly blinkered, there would be a different approach (controlled, but a little 'heated' some might say) and this aspect was eagerly anticipated by his audiences as it often produced the most interesting and heart-felt exchanges.

Christopher Hitchens died in 2011 aged 62. His legacy consists of the many books and articles he wrote during his life, along with many interviews, debates, documentaries, and presentations as video or audio. You may not agree with his opinions, or dislike what he represented, but as a communicator, his approach was refreshing and inspirational to many people.

Embe Aitch July MMXX - See video playlist for references

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