Conference Las Trauma Vegas


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Conference Las Trauma Vegas

Conference Las Trauma Vegas

Hunter S. Thompson’s book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the story of two antiheroes, self-confessed freaks and misfits of their generation on a journey in search of the American dream. It is a commentary on American politics, the death of hope of a generation and the acid culture of the 60s and 70s. Almost 40 years on, reading Thompson’s most heralded book is still a strange and wonderful adventure.

The Story

Raoul Duke (Thomson) has been hired by Sports Illustrated to cover the “Mint 400” which is “the richest off-the-road race for motorcycles and dune-buggies in the history of organized sport - a fantastic spectacle in honor of some fatback grossero who owns the luxurious Mint Hotel in the heart of downtown Las Vegas.”

Equipped with a red Chevy convertible and a battery of drugs and alcohol, Duke and his overweight Samoan attorney, Doctor Gonzo (Chicano activist Oscar Zeta Accosta) set off in March, 1971. They return later that month in the “White Whale” (a Cadillac convertible) and another sizable store of illicit substances, to report for Rolling Stone on the National District Attorneys Association's Conference on Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.

40 Years on and Fear and Loathing is Still Kicking

Almost 40 years later, the book carries with it a bravado that is impossible to ignore. It invokes a visceral reaction - the language is obscene, the content even more so. The reader is drawn into the drug haze of these two grotesque but lovable misfits like they have been lassoed by a cattle herder. This is a book that people either love or hate.

Fear and Loathing is a dark but humorous commentary on the death of the American dream. Laila Nabulsi, Producer of the film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, said Thompson was the first to acknowledge the death of hope of his generation, “In 1971 he already saw that final nail on the coffin of the sixties.”

Unfortunately the resonance of such a work is lost in the 21st century. The magnitude of the changing landscape of American politics at the time is wasted on the present-day reader because they are not aware of the issues of the time, such as the decline of the counter-culture movements of the 60s, the ongoing Vietnam War and the succession of Nixon administration. An understanding of these issues is important in order to comprehend the nuances of Fear and Loathing.