The problem is the ratio of quacks to lone maverick geniuses is about 1,000,000,000 to 1.
However, people in general hate science, and hate scientists, and are just passionately in love with the "lone maverick overturns science against fierce opposition" stories...and lose sight of the fact that 99.9999% of the time the wide scientific consensus turns out to be right, and the lone controversial maverick turns out to be wrong.
If he is a genius he will have no problem proving it. That's exactly what Einstein did mathematically. This guy hasn't even run the numbers, just his mouth.
As for people hating science and scientists, I would have expected to find that attitude over on DU, but not among the seemingly more intelligent crowd on FR. Its just not so. In spite of the New-agers trying for 30 years to tear down science, (and replace it with WHAT?) Americans are more in tune with science than ever. We are sick of repressed memories, cold fusion, the entire field of Psychiatry, and junk science in court rooms.
We are in love with DNA, coming around on Nuclear power, and solar power. We've learned to be wary of the loan wolf scientist at all costs.