Recently, a Hitchens Monument Petition surfaced on the interwebs. The request itself is straightforward enough. It is an appeal to Prime Minister Cameron and Deputy P.M. Clegg of the UK:

Dear Mr. Cameron and Mr. Clegg,

We the undersigned ask you to please commission, on our behalf, a memorial statue in a prime position within the City of London, honouring national treasure Christopher Hitchens for his contributions to the UK and the world.

Please also ensure that the statue is crafted using the famous, iconic picture of Christopher in the trench coat, as seen on the home of this petition at atheist-reference.org

Please ensure the statue is made of tough stuff, as he was, and accept suggestions and/or votes from his many fans as to which of his numerous famous quotes to have on the plaque.

The request itself is harmless enough, and I do commend the good people at atheist-reference.org for the honor they want to bestow upon Hitchens. Surely he is deserving of recognition for his accomplishments, and I would be the first to give his name as one of the most influential people in my own personal life. Reading Hitchens’ god is Not Great was a pivotal point in my life, and he is certainly responsible for that first nudge that got me out from under the umbrella of organized religion and religious superstition.

But something about this whole thing just feels wrong. In a recent podcast by The Thinking Atheist, a caller spoke about a letter he once wrote to Hitchens. In it, among other things, the young man made a comment that was something like “You’re my idol”, to which, in graciously responding, Hitchens politely reprimanded the caller, telling him that he wanted no such thing (paraphrasing). Now, I understand that the monument should not be compared to idols in the biblical sense of the word. The petition is not asking for a sacred cow. I just can’t imagine that Hitchens would approve of such a monument.

In a response the site has posted answering some arguments against the monument:

Christopher neither knows nor cares right now, by his own assertions he no longer can.

I can find no fault in that logic, and it’s a fair statement. But that’s not the point. If my best friend’s mother had just died, I wouldn’t make jokes about it, only to claim that since she isn’t around, there is no harm in it. Part of it is to respect the loss of my friend, but part of it is also to honor her memory.  From what I know about Christopher Hitchens, he loathed the idea of viewing people as idols. But, as the petition’s creators point out, Hitchens’ views on the matter are not of any concern:

Really, this isn’t for Christopher. It’s for us. It’s for the people who loved him despite never having met him, the people whose lives he changed (such as mine), the people who he inspired, and the people who are yet to even be born who might well have better lives living in a better world because of things he wrote and said that had great influence.

We, his many adoring fans want this for us, because we want to know the statue is there and that we can visit it. We want to pay our respects to him in that way, and something I feel Christopher would agree to is that if that’s what we want, then we have a right to try for it!

Fair enough. But speaking only for myself, they do not speak for all of us. I do not need a statue to pay my respects. I don’t need to bow my head before an idol as though – as the site owners themselves make clear is not the case – Mr. Hitchens is somehow aware of the respect being paid. The whole affair of paying tribute before the likeness of a dead figure only reminds me of the very thing Hitchens so vehemently spoke out against. The memory of Hitchens’ life and influence lives on in all of us whose lives he touched. If I want to pay my respects, I have a shelf full of books and playlists full of videos to remind me of how profound his influence was. Yes, you have the right to try for it. I think it’s safe to say that he would also agree that speaking out against something you disagree with would also be within my rights.

They further write:

 It’s surely a victimless offense, and need only affect those who want it in a positive way for themselves, not affecting anybody in a negative way as it need not encroach onto their lives other than make them walk around the monument instead of over where it might be stood if they happen to be going that way.

Now where have I heard that argument before? If it doesn’t affect you in a negative way, don’t worry about it. I have to wonder if they can hear their own words. Just knowing this thing existed would be troubling, and that’s enough of a reason for me to talk about it here. Nevermind how such a statue would be viewed by all the theists whose lives are intertwined in the doctrines and dogmas Hitchens was sworn to destroy. We’re so quick to go on the offensive when holy memorials are erected that we quickly forget that we aren’t the only people involved.

Like it or not, every time I saw such a memorial, I would only be reminded of how much Hitchens himself would detest such a display, and the very direct and succinct manner in which he would scorn those who put it there. We can dance around the fact that he will never know it’s there, but the very existence of such a memorial would only serve to sully his memory in the minds of anyone who was touched by his influence. I can think of no better way to demonstrate how little we learned from him than to erect such a memorial.

This is only my opinion. I’m not asking the site’s owners to take the petition down or to reconsider their position. I’m also not trying to convince anyone else not to sign it. I’m merely explaining why I think it’s wrong, and why I won’t be signing it.

Peace.