November 22, 1963: Hunter Thompson Coins ‘Fear and Loathing’

‘No matter what, today is the end of an era,' wrote the gonzo journalist.

In the evening November 22, 1963, Hunter S. Thompson coined his immortal phrase “fear and loathing” in the aftermath of JFK’s assassination. In three words, the gonzo journalist had captured a mood that would never go away. In a letter to his friend novelist William Kennedy (“Ironweed”), Thompson wrote:

“There is no human being within 500 miles to whom I can communicate anything — much less the fear and loathing [emphasis added] that is on me after today's murder….

“The killing has put me in a state of shock. The rage is trebled. I was not prepared at this time for the death of hope, but here it is. Ignore it at your peril….

“No matter what, today is the end of an era. No more fair play. From now on it is dirty pool and judo in the clinches. The savage nuts have shattered the great myth of American decency. They can count me in — I feel ready for a dirty game…

“The only hope now is to swing hard with the right hand, while hanging on to sanity with the left. Politics will become a cockfigh…