He may not be everyone's idea of a hero, but he sure is mine.
Why is Hunter S. Thompson my hero? No, it isn't his reckless lifestyle, ample consumption of bourbon and cigarettes, wildly enthusiastic use of fast vehicles and powerful firearms, or confusingly potentially-lethal quantity of mind-altering substances. Sure, those are all admirable on some level, but there are hundreds (if not thousands) of deadbeats on Hollywood Boulevard pursuing that heavy dream.
Thompson is my hero because of his vision and his writing. Because of the relentless and ruthless dedication to the truth.
After his coverage of the 1972 Presidential election forRolling Stone, McGovern's campaign manager called his reporting "the least factual, most accurate account" of the election.
His writing reflects the same kind of hopeless optimism and grim resignation that we see today in "The Daily Show."
He covered a time when America was recovering from slap after slap in its patriotic face. Our country had surged forward as the best country in the world after World War II, and then stumbled into a mess over the Vietnam War.
What a mess. What a disaster. What a heartbreak.
"And that, I think, was the handle—that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn’t need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting—on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. . . .
So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back."
- Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1971
I think it's the feeling of growing up. Of realizing the people you hoped were good and right are doing things like awarding defense contracts to buddies and ordering drone attacks on civilians.
And even more than that, it's the realization that no matter what kind of a love-filled cultural revolution you're trying to lead, it's never going to be powerful enough to stand up against the relentless tyranny of bad people.
God, that's depressing. It's enough to make a person want to fill up on bourbon and crack open a briefcase of drugs.
But he never stopped rallying in an ocean of apathetic people who didn't believe in the system, who were suspicious of voting, who felt intimidated to even go to the polls.Hunter S. Thompson was one of the most patriotic human beings ever in the history of ever.
Good.
So all that leads us to the Hunter S. Thompson American Dream Clean Getaway Club Subscription Box (which is probably the longest name for any subscription box, and almost certainly one of the best).
Of course I think you should buy it.
But honestly, as with all our products, I invite you to take it or leave it. I want you to live whatever life is best for you, and if that means saving the $25 every other month for something that's more important to you, hey, do that.
At the very least, though, I humbly ask you --implore you -- in the name of Hunter S. Thompson,VOTE.
If you need to register to vote, you can do that here.
Thanks for being on this adventure with us.
