What it all means …
OK. So Christopher Hitchens’ Mirror piece about Saddam’s trial is incontrovertible in its anecdotes, and moving in its sentiment. Indeed, there is nothing banal about this evil man.
Evidently Hitchens still believes we need to be reminded. He says “Now would be an excellent time for the BBC to screen the video of Saddam’s seizure of power. It is one of the most chilling sequences ever filmed.” Yes, I’ve seen it. But one thing troubles me (it always does). I think, don’t we need to reminded of one extra salient fact? Rather, don’t we need to be told for the first time. When this video was made, our “conservative” friends were dismissing oppostion to tax-payers support for Saddam because one had to “live in the Real World” and deal with such men. (That’s if it was mentioned at all). This is also the banality of evil. Monsters like Saddam come about through such “pragmatism”. (Frank Sinatra accompanies this reminder…)
For some reason, a line in a Bill Hicks’ routine always comes back to me. He goes through facts of the Waco tragedy and concludes that: “The whole government, including the ATF, FBI, right up to Janet Reno and including Clinton are, ummm, liars and murderers“.
The truth of this never gets under our skin. Hicks had to guffaw theatrically afterwards to dispel the solemn implication. It’s easier to point at foreign monsters. But there are Adolf Eichmanns in every society; some of them even have a wonderful prose style.
Other Splinters posts of interest:
- Most wanted
- Farzad Bazoft
- Just gross
- Can you guess what the C. stands for?
- In the background BBC Radio 4 was on in the bac…
