Neil deGrasse Tyson apologizes after backlash over mass shooting tweet

Neil deGrasse Tyson on Monday apologized for a controversial tweet he sent over the weekend comparing the number of deaths in two mass shootings with statistics showing the number of deaths in 48 hours from other causes.

His tweet faced backlash as the nation reacted to the 29 deaths resulting from mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. 

{mosads}“My intent was to offer objectively true information that might help shape conversations and reactions to preventable ways we die,” Tyson said of his tweets in a Monday in a Facebook post.

“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.”

Tyson’s tweet on Sunday offered data on how many people die due to medical errors, the flu, suicide, car accidents and homicide via handguns on average in 48 hours across the U.S. 

“Our emotions respond more to spectacle than to data,” he had tweeted.

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.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) August 4, 2019

The scientist faced quick backlash from people on social media who said the tweet was tone-deaf and normalized gun violence and white supremacy.

Dismissing and normalizing gun violence and the rise of white supremacy will give space to fascism to rise. Thousands of people die every year from gun violence, we don’t need fascism on top of it. https://t.co/WzCR2b2tdi

— Arriadna (@Arriadna) August 4, 2019

Sunday’s shooting in Ohio was the 251st mass shooting in the U.S. in 2019, according to data supplied by the Gun Violence Archive. There have been more mass shootings than days in 2019.