-=Dark_Angel=-, P.I.18 Jan 2003

Come on, Quarton. Stop kidding yourself. Stephen Hawking is the most famous scientist in the world. He does ADVERTISEMENTS on TELEVISION. He is constantly parodied. People are obsessed with him. And why is that? Do you really think it's because he's such a good physicist? Fuck no. 90% of people who recognise Stephen Hawking probably couldn't even tell you he's a physicst, let alone anything about his work.

It's because he lives in a talking, flying wheelchair. He has a robotic voice that is simultaneously comical and terrifying. His face is grossly distorted, and the glimmer of life in his expressions are as hideous as they are reassuring that the wheelchair doesn't control the talking machine. Do you think "A Brief History of Time" sold so well because it was a good book? Of course not. Most people who have it gave up halfway through. IT SOLD BECAUSE IT HAD A PICTURE OF A DEFORMED, GRIMACING PHYSICIST IN A WHEELCHAIR WITH A ROBOTIC VOICE.

Now I am not saying that he is somehow a bad physicist, although you are hellbent on putting those words in my mouth. All I am saying is that his opinion is respected more than it should be in certain areas of physics. Surely you can see that this would be true. It's common sense. You can go on about his work "transcending" his physical problems, and for all I know that's true, because it sounds pretty magical and great, but it has little to do with why he's so famous or influential.

And I did watch "Gangs of New York" with him last night. And I shan't be telling him you said hello.