Reactions to Stephen Hawking's death slammed as 'ableist' — here’s why

Yahoo ^ | March 14, 2018 | Erin Donnelly

[C19fan]

As the world mourns the death of famed physicist Stephen Hawking, many are calling out tributes that contain “ableist” language and what one disability rights blogger described as “inspiration porn.” Among the social media posts honoring the A Brief History of Time author, who died March 13 at 76, are references to his use of a wheelchair and ALS diagnosis. Several tributes and obituaries have praised Hawking for “overcoming” his disease, while others claimed that death has “freed” him from his wheelchair. But those comments perpetuate demeaning stereotypes, advocates and members of the public, including model and deaf activist Nyle DiMarco and actress and YA author Melinda Salisbury, argued.

[C19fan]

How about calling Hawking overrated. The only reason people know him is because he lived his life in a wheelchair with a synthetic voice and he knew how to play the media. He never won the Nobel Prize and I doubt 99.99999% of the people thinking this guy is equivalent to Newton and Einstein have any clue what Hawking Radiation is.

[Godebert]

The fact that Hawking was never awarded the Nobel Prize is a plus factor as far as I’m concerned. It is just another trophy awarded by the left to it’s most favored comrades.

[wbarmy]

I guess the old movie was right; there are people who would complain about the new rope they were being hung with.

[FreedomPoster]

Apparently some of the Nobel people now admit Obama’s Peace Prize was a mistake.

Nobel secretary regrets Obama peace prize
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34277960

We at Free Republic knew that within about 15 minutes of the announcement, maybe less. But it’s nice he’s come around after 9 years.

[Telepathic Intruder]

Surviving so long with ALS sort of made him a celebrity. But he was also a great scientist who made discoveries bridging quantum mechanics with general relativity. Do we consider Kip Thorne, John Wheeler, Roger Penrose, or Richard Feynman great scientists? Only if you can appreciate their work. Otherwise, they didn’t get the public attention as much.

[Haiku Guy]

I knew somebody a school to whom I was not as good a friend as I should have been, and she said the thing that bothered her most was that people would not talk to her, but would talk to the chair.

When you spent time with her, you could see she was right. All day long, everybody she met, including total strangers, would talk about how inspirational she was or ask about her disability. Hawking managed to get people to see him and not the chair, hear him and not the voice synthesizer. That is no small feat.

Now, five minutes after he’s gone, it is all about the chair.

Next time you see somebody with a severe disability, ask her for help with the bus schedule, talk about baseball, compliment her on her shoes, or say just about anything that does not have to do with her disability. Talk to her, and not the chair.

[Hot Tabasco]

Well said.....

[Godebert]

In an amusing anecdote, Mr Lundestad relates how he found Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who won the award in 1994, watching an episode of the Tom and Jerry cartoon in his hotel with other Palestine Liberation Organisation members. "It was made very clear that they intended to watch until the end," he said.

Haha....

[Moonman62]

Weren’t Thorne and Feynman students of Wheeler? I think Wheeler may be the most underrated, if Hawking isn’t the most overrated.

[exDemMom]

The political correctness Nobel prizes are those for “peace” and “literature.”

The science Nobels are for genuine breakthroughs. A little bit of politics comes into play when more than one scientific team does similar work; the scientist(s) from the more prestigious university will get the prize. But I have never heard of a case where a science prize was awarded for bogus work.

[kearnyirish2]

They lost all credibility, and were openly political, with Otoken’s “participation” award. Nobel Peace Prizes are meaningless to anyone under 70 at this point.

[cameraeye]

“...admit Obama’s Peace Prize was a mistake.”

If President Trump succeeds in disarming NK, how could he not have it too?

[MagnoliaB]

Agreed. I really don’t care what an atheist has said and done in their life.

[FreedomPoster]

So spot on. And funny as could be.

Note that's a parody account.

[rightwingcrazy]

There seems to be a job position for “Official Senior World Scientist”. Lately, it was passed from Einstein to Feynman to Hawking. The ideal candidate is highly respected by peers in their field, but, more importantly, can be portrayed by the media with a charming persona and picturesque lifestyle. The position’s now up for grabs.

[Vaquero]

I liked Hawking. He was one of the best at presenting physics to the non physicist and piqued my interest in the subject.

That being said a number of physicists of his generation were better. ( many current theories not being proved or disproved for generations from now…if ever)

Leonard Susskind a former plumber from the Bronx, took him to school on ‘lost information’ in black holes.

[kearnyirish2]

The position has been filled...by Al Gore.

[knarf]

..... and NOW he is a Bible believer.

[rightwingcrazy]

“The position has been filled...by Al Gore.”

The job does require that you pontificate about matters in which you have absolutely no expertise. He excels at that, but falls short in the charm and respect departments.

[montag813]

Overrated physicist. Philanderer. Atheist. Lefty propagandist. Jew-hater. Good riddance, Hawking.