Posted by:Bill of Right onApril 28, 2005 @ 08:07 AM EST [3 Comments]
One of the ironies of running Citizen Journal is that many writers who submit here are, you know, better writers than I am. One of these people is James Poulos, who's submitted here and blogs on occasion and has swiftly won the attention of the Big Boys in conservative magazine-ing. His latest was featured by the American Spectator (you may have heard of it) and deconstructs the left's cheeky Hunter Thompson revisionism:
The liberal cultural establishment of modern television, film, and music does not belong to Thompson, nor does he belong to it. Within his best pages, Thompson indicted the very sort of people who would grow up to eat coke, swap wives, and spoil their bastard children. And he denigrated the Democratic old guard that they replaced. Thompson turned upon liberalism's empty promises with the same teeth he bared at Nixon.
Geez I wish I could write like that. Congrats again to James.
Suffering from depression for most of my life, when I read that Hunter Thompson killed himself, I whispered to myself "He got out". I can identify with Hunter Thompson. The only reason I am here and he is not, is that I have chosen to treat a fatal disease that is most often misunderstood by the medical community and basically, the world at large.
I think, as a writer, that his words and his work have everything and nothing to do with the disease that he suffered from. I don't think it lessens his work, to write from a core source of his perspective of the world...which obviously, was a most depressive one. What other place can he write from? In fact, some of the greatest works of all time, are creative by artists of this type. Gaudi, the hermit and recluse, created the most beautiful structures in the world in Barcelona, Spain....and as visitors learn about his life - does this lessen the incredible impact of his work? I cry when I look at the Sagrada Familia. I am grateful for Gaudi's mental illness if it generated this kind of beauty.
I clarify for Lokisfur the obligation of the artist. An artists job is to paint the picture of the world as they see it. Make it Universal and Clear enough so the general public can identify. If, in telling stories, painting canvases, making film, creating architecture - an artist succeeds in moving one person to feel relieved, inspired, engaged, affirmed because their piece of work told a little part of this persons' own story - than the artist has done his job. Hunter Thompson simply created work that reflected his life. And because it might be 'depressive' - does not give his legacy any less of a place in the Universe. His work spoke to me....and actually, inspired me to live. For today, I don't have to die that way.
Sadly, Hunter Thompson died a lonely,pathetic, miserable drunk caught in the demonic grip of Alcoholism and addiction.
He traded away any real passion for a noble cause or philosophy long ago. He chose instead to listen to the voices in his head which told him first to cut himself off from the humanity around him, then from his own humanity, and finally from any connection to physical life at all.
Hunter Thompson committed suicide. It is the ultimate act of fear, self-loathing and hatred that a human being can committ against ones own self.
Hunter Thompson lived in a world of hate, anger and regret that even the bottle could not relieve. As smart as he was. As talented as he was. He was still incapable of seeing the preciousness of life and the beautiful gift that he had been given. In the end, every word he ever wrote amounted to telling the world that life itself was worthless.
And sadly anybody who tries to believe that there is a a more honorable and meaningful message to be gotten from his life and death just hasn't been paying attention.
