Pinko Magazine Hedonism + Activism

Went to Vanity Fair’s premiere last night of the Chicago 10, a film about the legendary protests and violence at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Though I disagreed with many of the choices (especially the choice to involve Ethan Hawke in any way, particularly in anime form) it’s important to see. Our moment in history really does parallel 1968 in many ways and the film captures that nicely. Go.

Less appealing than the film was the appalling spread at the after party. This is Vanity Fair, so you’d expect some good eats. Maybe some brie and crackers, some mini-crabcakes, or a delicious tuscan bean dip, right? Wrong. The spread wasn’t a spread at all. We got pigs in a blanket. Just pigs. In a blanket. No dijon. Just Frenchs. Vanity Fair. Dreams shattering. Pigs. Blanket. Sigh.

Pigs in a blanket were a surprisingly apt metaphor though, as the panel discussion on Chicago 10 was “moderated” by the scarf swaddled enfant terrible Christopher Hitchens. For those not familiar with Mr. Hitchens, his God is Not Great book has been all the rage. For those of you who are familiar with Mr. Hitchens, it may not come as a surprise that the panel was mostly incoherent and entirely offensive.

In 60 Minutes Hitchens managed to declare that the surge was working; that there was no opposition to the war in Iraq; and that anyone who supported Barack Obama because of his initial opposition to the war was simply wrong. Denying all reality Hitchens espoused (and the panelists didn’t object) the idea that the U.S. Military is some sort of harmonious body where racial discord was left on China Beach, completely ignoring military use of “youth culture” to win over poor-lower class people of color. He told one woman to shut up and sit down. He told another gentleman that he “didn’t need to hear from MoveOn.org.”

As a guilty liberal Jew I don’t mind being abused every now and again, but I felt bad for the other panelists, most of all the fabulous Suchin Pak from MTV News (omg I totally met her) who wasn’t sure why she was there and seemed to regret it increasingly as the panel went on.
Also I felt a little embarrassed: by the end of the night that I had taken the bait. Maybe I shouldn’t have told one of the panelists I thought he was complicit in a racist tirade. Perhaps I shouldn’t have told those Irish journalism school students following Mr. Hitchens around like puppies that if they liked him so much, maybe they should go to Iraq and get killed and then Hitchens could write about them. (See link here for more on my reference to Hitchens apologist essay about a fan of his who, moved by Hitchens writing, went to Iraq and was then killed). But I couldn’t help it. I was so hungry.

On a positive note, I met Eve Ensler and she was very nice. She didn’t say “vagina” once, and she too seemed dismayed at the lack of a good crab cake. Hitchens, bad. Chicago 10 good.

[Editors note: On further review I was struck by how much Chris Hitchens looks like Clinton strategist Mark Penn who looks like actor Larry Drake. Perhaps Drake, who played retarded Benny on L.A. Law, is multiplying?]

About The Author - Ben Wyskida is a writer, activist, conscientious hedonist and political communications strategist living in Brooklyn. - Visit Ben's site.