Difference between revisions of "799: Stephen Hawking"

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(He doesn't "ask them to watch a movie", he mentions that "he thought maybe they could go to a movie later". No question mark.)
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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
{{w|Stephen Hawking}} is a renowned theoretical physicist, and quite possibly the world's smartest human being. He is almost completely paralyzed due to {{w|amyotrophic lateral sclerosis}} and communicates with a {{w|Speech-generating device|speech-generating device}}, as shown in the first panel. In this comic, he asks [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] if they want to go see a movie, but they take it as a scientific declaration that they '''should''' go see a movie and have it published in a newspaper. In the final panel, Hawking is shown hanging his head in sadness since all he wanted to do was see a movie with his friends.
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{{w|Stephen Hawking}} is a renowned theoretical physicist, and quite possibly the world's smartest human being. He is almost completely paralyzed due to {{w|amyotrophic lateral sclerosis}} and communicates with a {{w|Speech-generating device|speech-generating device}}, as shown in the first panel. In this comic, mentions to [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] maybe they could go to a movie together later, but they take it as a scientific declaration that they '''should''' go see a movie and have it published in a newspaper, which portrays it in hyperbolic tones, vastly exaggerating and misinterpreting his actual intent. In the final panel, Hawking is shown hanging his head in sadness since all he wanted to do was see a movie with his friends.
  
 
This can be taken as a satire of sensationalism of science in popular media, particularly in emphasizing the viewpoints of well-known and popular personalities in science. A similar theme was used in [[1206: Einstein]].
 
This can be taken as a satire of sensationalism of science in popular media, particularly in emphasizing the viewpoints of well-known and popular personalities in science. A similar theme was used in [[1206: Einstein]].

Revision as of 23:11, 18 June 2016

Stephen Hawking
Guys? The Town is supposed to be good, and I thou--' 'PHYSICIST STEPHEN HAWKING DECLARES NEW FILM BEST IN ALL SPACE AND TIME' 'No, I just heard that--' 'SHOULD SCIENCE PLAY A ROLE IN JUDGING BEN AFFLECK?' 'I don't think--' 'WHAT ABOUT MATT DAMON?'
Title text: Guys? The Town is supposed to be good, and I thou--' 'PHYSICIST STEPHEN HAWKING DECLARES NEW FILM BEST IN ALL SPACE AND TIME' 'No, I just heard that--' 'SHOULD SCIENCE PLAY A ROLE IN JUDGING BEN AFFLECK?' 'I don't think--' 'WHAT ABOUT MATT DAMON?'

Explanation

Stephen Hawking is a renowned theoretical physicist, and quite possibly the world's smartest human being. He is almost completely paralyzed due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and communicates with a speech-generating device, as shown in the first panel. In this comic, mentions to Cueball and Megan maybe they could go to a movie together later, but they take it as a scientific declaration that they should go see a movie and have it published in a newspaper, which portrays it in hyperbolic tones, vastly exaggerating and misinterpreting his actual intent. In the final panel, Hawking is shown hanging his head in sadness since all he wanted to do was see a movie with his friends.

This can be taken as a satire of sensationalism of science in popular media, particularly in emphasizing the viewpoints of well-known and popular personalities in science. A similar theme was used in 1206: Einstein.

The title text continues the joke, with innocuous comments by Hawking interpreted as important revelations.

Those of you feeling bad for Steven Hawking might feel good to know that he has a healthy social life in reality, and has even dabbled in a brief acting career (typically as a cameo appearance).

Transcript

[Stephen Hawking is facing a pair of people. His voice appears in a square machine readable font.]
Stephen Hawking: I thought maybe later we should go see a movie.
[The two people are running.]
[The front page of a newspaper appears instead of a third panel.]
Name of the paper - The Times
Main headline. - Physicist Stephen Hawking Suggests We See More Films
[A picture of Stephen Hawking is in the center of the page.]
Picture's caption. - Smartest Man Alive
Secondary headline. - What Does He Know That We Don't?
Large quote in article body. - Is this a warning?
[Stephen Hawking is sitting alone, looking depressed.]


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Discussion

Seems about right for celebrity idolatry. Davidy²²[talk] 20:36, 10 November 2014 (UTC)

Stephen, if you reading this I apologise for everyone's insensitivity.

I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait (talk) 08:52, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

How is this insensitivity?!141.101.98.185 11:04, 7 February 2015 (UTC)

More generally, this comic is a comment on the way religious people quote prophets out of context. ——172.69.63.127 20:32, 9 September 2020 (UTC)

Holy shit he died 3 years ago wtfffff how has time passed that quickly Beanie (talk) 14:02, 23 April 2021 (UTC)