Letters to a Young Contrarian 8 & 9

          Seeing as Chapter 8 was not even a full page long, I thought I would have trouble finding a quote to write about. But Hitchens mentions something that stood out to me. He describes how the New York Times has a motto that says "All the News That's Fit To Print". The thoughts I had about this statement didn't exactly follow where Hitchens goes with the rest of the page, but this small quote made me think about the media and what it chooses to show us. What makes a piece of news "Fit to Print"? How do those in charge of the media decide what the general public can and can't see? Surely if there was an uprising or a protest saying that the New York Times is corrupt and no one should ever buy their papers, the newspaper would refrain from writing a story about that. The media revolves around its image; if the public doesn't like the image a newspaper or a magazine puts out, then they won't buy it. I think this quote emphasizes how most media is less concerned with informing our society with truthful information, and more concerned with how much money they make.
          Chapter 9 mostly talks about religion, and I found that Hitchens and I are pretty much on the same page when it comes to religion. I don't really have a religion; I'm not exactly sure what I believe in, but I believe there is some type of universal faith that all humans subconsciously believe in. Hitchens  perfectly summed up my thinking when he said, "I not only maintain that all religions are versions of the same untruth, but I hold that the influence of churches, and the effect of religious belief, is positively harmful". Personally, the thought of going to church and studying the Bible and devoting my life to God never appealed to me. I'm okay with other people actively worshipping a higher power, but I don't think it is necessary to living a full life. People discriminate too much based on religion, and I think Hitchens is right when he says "all religions are versions of the same untruth". No matter what the details of your religion may be, everyone who has a religion is just looking for answers to the tangled web of life. I think if a person just focuses on themselves, their goals, their passions, and the people around them, then they will be fine.