Talk:Hunter S. Thompson

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New picture proposal

Just commenting that it might be imperative to change Thompson's profile picture to something less awkward and more subject focused. Maybe even a cropped version of the one already being used. Any thoughts? Oman1217 (talk) 10:28, 4 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Brothers

How did this entry devolve so that Hunter’s half-brother, not part of the household, is mentioned, but not the two brothers with whom he was raised? Nicmart (talk) 19:31, 25 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Details of one brother Jim is mention here as he, unfortunately, died from HIV https://www.instagram.com/p/CMDXzlSDiji/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link sailor iain (talk) 22:27, 5 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

Thompson for 1970 Aspen, Colorado Sheriff poster.jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 07:51, 28 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The Saigon Health Insurance Story Isn't True

I've just read Jan Wenner's Memoirs published in 2022 and he disputed as "patently not true" the anecdote about having cancelled HST's health insurance in a war zone. In fact, he says, he raised the question of LIFE insurance with HST before going to Saigon, only to be brushed off by HST. He went on to purchase a policy for him naming Sandy and Juan as the beneficiaries. He health insurance cancellation anecdote, he says, was totally made up for laughs as part of HST's college lecture routine. Wenner asked him to stop telling it but the story lingered. Wenner is a primary source for this material, and has meaningfully disputed what previously appeared as an allegation in the article. As such I have taken it out, and I think it should remain out. ahess247 (talk) 18:30, 11 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Rather than taking it out, we should cite both sources and say what the two have two say differently. We can say "Hunter Thompson frequently stated <yada yada yada>. However, in his own memoirs, Jan Wenner disputed this saying <yada yada yada>. It's not our place to decide among the two parties who is more likely correct. It's a notable story that Thompson told, Wenners rebuttal is certainly relevant, but not as a means of removing the information, rather as a means to add to the information. --Jayron 32 18:48, 11 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Not sure I agree yet but will leave your edit as is for now. I think that entire section is awkwardly constructed and could stand a good-faith rewrite. ahess247 (talk) 21:21, 11 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

My whole point is that what we don't have is any kind of secondary source that has analyzed the story and assessed the likely veracity of either part of it. Instead what we have is two people (each of which may be describing things in their own self-serving way) with different recollections of past events. Wenner has no greater likelihood of telling the true story than does Thompson, and it's not our place to decide that Wenner's version of the story is the correct one. That he denied the claim is a thing worth noting; however to say because he denied the claim, we should assume that Thompson lied, and that if Thompson lied we should remove the text from the article entirely, is a bridge too far. That's putting too much of our own interpretation on the source texts.--Jayron 32 10:54, 12 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I've spent a few hours consulting the source material on this period. There is a lot of inconsistency. HST complains about the matter in letters. Wenner tells it differently. The McKeen biography spins an entirely different take on the episode. None seem to rely on documentary evidence. I've also noticed there are inconsistencies in the accounts concerning where HST went after Saigon. Was it Bangkok? (Wenner) Hong Kong? (McKeen.) Vientane? (Others.) The clearest account of that period appears to be McKeen, but I'll compare with the others. It's clear that Saigon was a turning point in the HST/Wenner/RS relationship, and as a result I think this entire section should be treated differently. ahess247 (talk) 13:38, 12 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]