We all by now know the stories of Tiger Woods, ESPN analyst Steve Phillips, and Eric Benet (Halle Barre's ex), who have all "confessed" to "sex addiction", and spent stints in "sex rehab" to cure, and atone for their philandering ways.
But, here's a question for you....Would the same standard be given to someone like Stephen Hawking?
Or Mark Zupan? (star of the documentary "Murderball")
Now, Stephen Hawking is a brilliant man. No doubt about that. His place in history is set, right up there along side the other brilliant minds of science, Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein (And Lt Commander DATA from Star Trek, for those who know the episode of them playing poker)
But, do people know, or, if they do know, do they care that Stephen Hawking divorced his first wife, with whom he had 4 kids, and married his nurse?
Mark Zupan himself says in Murderball that he is an asshole, and would be, whether he was disabled or not.
So, to continue the theme of my last blog, not just of disabled sexuality advocacy, but a question of true equality of the disabled...
Is it fair to put Tiger Woods etc into Sex Rehab, and not ask Mark Zupan or Stephen Hawking to live up to the same standard of interpersonal behavior?
There's a word for that: HYPOCRISY
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Comments
I have NO problem at all, whatsoever puttting Hawking in the same category of philanderer as John Edward or Clinton
Honestly, in the world of quantum physics, Hawking is a nobody. He did not even make the top 20 most influencial physicists of the 20th century, in a poll of fellow physicists. His specialty, black holes (aka "quantum singularities") is a fraction of a fraction of what is considered important in the big scale of things when it comes to String Theory and the Unified Theory of Everything
Agreed. I'm just asking for consistency here. If we're going to impart celebrity status on someone like Hawking, let's treat him with the same respect as we give other celebrities. But, because he is disabled, he gets a pass. Completely. The man is actually quite irrelevant in the world of physics, and would be an obscure little nobody if he weren't living with ALS
True, but it seems to be the extremes. You DO see the bitter, pissed off, angry, cynical disabled person, but their negative emotions are always attributed to their disability. An asshole can't just be an asshole anymore, at least not a disabled asshole. There always has to be a reason for it, and in the case of the media, disability is always the scapegoat for asshole-ishness
I venture the guess that most people know who Hawking is. But, the problem is that, hecause he is disabled and has a brain and knows how to use it, he is portrayed as an angelic guy with a priveledged life, AND he is mischaracterized as some kind of Physics genius, when he really is somewhat miniscule in the actual world of physics. That amuses me more than anything
It's not exactly the same thing, but occasionally I'll hear someone in the gay community going on and on about how so and so thinks they're an asshole . . . so clearly the name-caller must be homophobic. Gotta wonder sometimes, though, could it just be that the gay person IS an asshole? It's not like the two are mutually exclusive.
And yes, of course I'm walking on eggshells . . .
~tossing you a pair of lead boots~ LOL go right ahead, smash those egg shells to smithereens (GREAT f'in band by the way! LOL) Say what ya gotta say. And, you're right, PCness has overtaken this country like the damn plague, and it's sickening me to no end
I try...:-) Not sure how much I succeed (as in, how much of this will be retained after the computer is shut down) but trying is all we can do, eh?
That could be. Certainly there's some of that going on. Lord knows these guys have to have enormous egos. But to not even be in the top 20 of the whole 20th century, and be one of only like 3 physicists that the average person can name (along with Isaac Newton and Einstein), that seems like more than just rampant egos gone amuck
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-411781/Hawkings-nurse-reveals-surprised-marriage-over.html
Apparently she was physically and mentally abusing the imminent scientist...xox
Hmmmm...Hadn't heard that. But, really Im not surprised.
Hell, nothing surprises me anymore
I *totally* agree. My point is that, because Hawking is disabled, no one would "dare" (GASP!) accuse him of being (DOUBLE GASP!) an asshole!
Let's face it, if he wasn't afflicted with ALS, he'd probably be in jail or at least paying gobs of child support (though his kids are adults now). He's really an inconsequencial nobody
Apparently, in some circles it is. And all you gotta do is spend 3 weeks in a Rehab Spa and you've atoned for your sins. And THAT wouldn't even bother me, IF people like Hawking were asked to go to Sex Rehab too
Delinquent child support payments I would suspect. It's just too bad we can't lock people up for being assholes
(of course that probably means I'd be jailed, but that's another story LOL)
Equality means equal responsibility, too . . . Fact is, I agree with your premise.
Fact is, most people will SAY they do too. But when it comes right down to it, the disabled have been given such a strong sense of entitlement, that these days practically everyone is walking around like they're walking on egg shells. It's a complete and utter lack of communication, bred by the catch 22 of ignorance and fear that ends up driving both sides to not do the logical rational thing and actually TALK about what needs to happen, instead of both sides assuming what the other's needs and/or agenda is
Ah don't even get me started on his scientific reputation (again) LOL
Well, presumably in the case of Hawking, their intimacy began before the divorce, so technically, it was cheating, which is what got Tiger et al sent to sex rehab. My contention is simply that, because Hawking is disabled, the thought of sending him to sex rehab is ludicrous to most people, because they don't even want to imagine him HAVING sex (despite the fact that he has like 4 kids)
I give the guy a lot of credit for being a great role model for the disabled, for working through his disease and living as average a life as possible. But, people want to attribute things to him that they shouldn't, just because he has a good brain and is disabled.
I'm willing to bet there are hundreds if not thousands of unsung Hawking types languishing in obscurity, but because Stephen had a couple good theories, he gets more credit than he deserves
Although there may be a little bigotry in your examples I see this as more of an issue with the things that Americans value.
How many female role models in today’s society are from MENSA vs how many are displayed on the cover of Maxim?
Forget role models…how about just notoriety? Linda Buck won a Nobel prize in 2004. Christina Aguilera won a grammy. Who got more press?
I think, sadly, that Tiger gets more press about his indiscretions than Hawkings does, simply because people care way more about sports than they do about science.
True, that may also be the case. But, I wonder if this was, say Gene Roddenberry, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Neil Degrasse Tyson, would they be given the same pass as Hawking has?
Maybe
But, somehow I doubt it personally
...but your point is well taken, there likely is a different standard being applied.
Touche. Okay, so it's probably 50/50 your initial response and mine. The Super Fans would be cheering them on or trying to defend them to the death, the casual fans would be condemning them.
Just like athletes and other celebrities