Neil deGrasse Tyson's Mass Shootings Tweet
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Overview
Neil deGrasse Tyson's Mass Shootings Tweet refers to a Twitter social media post by public scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson comparing data from school shootings and various other causes of preventable deaths. The comments received negative criticism prompting an apology from Tyson.
Background
On August 3rd and 4th, 2019, mass shootings occurred in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, respectively, killing more than two dozen people.
On August 4th, public scientist and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson tweeted,[1] "In the past 48hrs, the USA horrifically lost 34 people to mass shootings. On average, across any 48hrs, we also lose… 500 to Medical errors 300 to the Flu 250 to Suicide
200 to Car Accidents 40 to Homicide via Handgun Often our emotions respond more to spectacle than to data." Within 24 hours, the tweet received more than 264,000 likes, 76,000 retweets and 71,000 comments (shown below).
Developments
Online Reaction
The tweet drew criticism from people online, writing that Tyson's comments were insensitive and an unfair comparison. For example, Twitter[3] user @BFranklin2017 tweeted, "No one person caused 500 medical errors. No one person caused 200 vehicle deaths. No one person committed 200 suicides. No one person killed 40 people with a handgun. One asshole with a high powered rifle killed 20 people in El Paso. See the fucking difference." The tweet received more than 25,000 likes and 2,000 retweets in 24 hours (shown below, left).
YouTuber and podcaster Ethan Klein tweeted,[4] "Neil says it's all good guys! Apparently we don't need to worry about mass shootings because it kills less people than the Flu." The tweet received more than 42,000 likes and 4,900 retweets in 24 hours (shown below, center).
Gun control advocate Shannon Watts tweeted,[5] "Cold take, Neil. 200+ Americans died from gun violence in the past 48 hours. And you list causes of death that are researched, regulated and also happen in other high income countries. Our gun violence crisis is preventable and senseless and driven by a special interest." The tweet received more than 24,000 likes and 4,600 retweets in 24 hours (shown below, right).
Twitter[10] user @caseyspivey compared the tweet to a scene from the comic book Watchmen in which the character Dr. Manhattan says, "A live body and a dead boy contain the same number of particles. Structurally, there's no discernable difference. Life and death are unquantifiable abstracts. Why should I be concerned?" The post received more than 76,000 likes and 15,000 retweets in 24 hours (shown below).
Tyson's Apology
On August 5th, Tyson posted an apology on Facebook. [2] He wrote, "My intent was to offer objectively true information that might help shape conversations and reactions to preventable ways we die. Where I miscalculated was that I genuinely believed the Tweet would be helpful to anyone trying to save lives in America […] So if you are one of those people, I apologize for not knowing in advance what effect my Tweet could have on you. I am therefore thankful for the candor and depth of critical reactions shared in my Twitter feed."
Yesterday, a Tweet I posted in reaction to the horrific mass shootings in America over the previous 48 hours, killing 34 people, spawned mixed and highly critical responses.
If you missed it, I offered a shortlist of largely preventable causes of death, along with their average two-day death toll in the United States. They significantly exceeded the death toll from the two days of mass shootings, including the number of people (40) who on average die from handgun homicides every two days.
I then noted that we tend to react emotionally to spectacular incidences of death, with the implication that more common causes of death trigger milder responses within us.
My intent was to offer objectively true information that might help shape conversations and reactions to preventable ways we die. Where I miscalculated was that I genuinely believed the Tweet would be helpful to anyone trying to save lives in America. What I learned from the range of reactions is that for many people, some information –-my Tweet in particular -- can be true but unhelpful, especially at a time when many people are either still in shock, or trying to heal – or both.
So if you are one of those people, I apologize for not knowing in advance what effect my Tweet could have on you. I am therefore thankful for the candor and depth of critical reactions shared in my Twitter feed. As an educator, I personally value knowing with precision and accuracy what reaction anything that I say (or write) will instill in my audience, and I got this one wrong.
Respectfully Submitted
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Media Coverage
Numerous media outlets covered the reaction to Tyson's tweet, including CNN,[6] Deadline,[7] New York Daily News,[8] CBS[9] and more.
Search Interest
External References
[1] Twitter – @neiltyson's Tweet
[2] Facebook – TweetStorm
[3] Twitter – @BFranklin2017's Tweet
[4] Twitter – @h3h3productions' Tweet
[5] Twitter – @shannonrwatts' Tweet
[6] CNN – Neil deGrasse Tyson is facing backlash after tweeting about shooting deaths
[7] Deadline – Neil DeGrasse Tyson Apology Slammed Following Tweet On Shooting Deaths
[8] New York Daily News – Neil Degrasse Tyson’s ‘disingenuous’ apology trashed day after he posted tweet ‘diminishing’ mass shooting deaths
[9] CBS – Neil deGrasse Tyson faces backlash for controversial tweet about recent mass shootings
[10] Twitter – @caseyspivey's Tweet
