Famous TV personality and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson was subject to criticism and ridicule on social media today, for unflinchingly asserting that Science is “true, whether or not you believe in it”. The Twitter account of “Steak-ummm”, a company that sells meat steaks, was the ringleader of the criticism, asking Tyson to “log off bro”.
log off bro https://t.co/sf4zLm33Jm
— Steak-umm (@steak_umm) April 13, 2021
The Steak-ummm account further clarified, explaining the irony of Tyson’s proclamatory attitude towards Science, when it is meant to be a sober process of finding the truth. This attitude leads to more skepticism regarding science and presents the concept of “Science” as more of a dogma, according to the Steak-ummm account.
the irony of neil’s tweet is that by framing science itself as “true” he’s influencing people to be more skeptical of it in a time of unprecedented misinformation. science is an ever refining process to find truth, not a dogma. no matter his intent, this message isn’t helpful https://t.co/sf4zLm33Jm
— Steak-umm (@steak_umm) April 13, 2021
The Steak-ummm account did not pass up the opportunity to market their products in the wake of their deGrasse criticism going viral, reminding people that they are, “a brand selling products” so everything they do is “based in self-interest” in order to grow their business.
The account further criticized Tyson’s tweet, questioning the TV astrophysicist’s “respect for epistemology” i.e. the philosophical study of the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge. The Steak-umm Twitter account also accused Tyson of posting “ridiculous sound bites” in order to gain “clout”.
nope. science itself isn’t “true” it’s a constantly refining process used to uncover truths based in material reality and that process is still full of misteaks. neil just posts ridiculous sound bites like this for clout and he has no respect for epistemology
— Steak-umm (@steak_umm) April 13, 2021
This isn’t the first time the Steak-ummm Twitter account showcased its disagreement with Neil deGrasse Tyson. Back in 2018, in reply to a typical Neil Tyson tweet, the Steak-ummm account simply wrote, “who cares”.
who cares
— Steak-umm (@steak_umm) November 2, 2018
Neil deGrasse Tyson : A History of Annoying Tweets
A major reason as to why criticism against a seemingly beloved TV personality like Tyson went so viral, is because Tyson has a notorious history of “annoying tweets” or pedantic tweets about everything under the sun. Sometimes, the tweets have cross certain boundaries, forcing Tyson himself to apologize.
This tweet from Tyson regarding deaths from gun violence in the United States led to his widespread condemnation, forcing Tyson to apologize.
In the past 48hrs, the USA horrifically lost 34 people to mass shootings.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) August 4, 2019
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.
Tyson has engaged in pedantic behavior on Twitter, often tweeting about the inane and trivial details behind popular expressions or idioms, or stuff in the popular culture like movies, music, TV etc.
A Blue Moon, the second full moon in a calendar month, occurs on average every two and a half years. So “once in a blue moon” is not entirely rare. I’m just saying.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) July 20, 2019
The song “Fly Me to the Moon” also references Jupiter Mars & the Stars:
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) July 19, 2019
Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
And let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars.
FYI: Due to its axial tilt, Mars does actually experience Spring. Jupiter, not so much.
Regardless of what Pink Floyd ever told you, there is no “Dark Side of the Moon” — all sides receive sunlight. Lunar days last a month. But there is, however, a permanent Far Side & Near Side. pic.twitter.com/oRxPPrQx9W
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) July 18, 2019
In “The Martian” (2015) the Rocket gets rattled by a raging wind storm forcing them to launch from Mars without Mark Watney. But at only 1% that of Earth, the Martian atmosphere is so thin, 100 mph winds would feel like a gentle breeze. pic.twitter.com/WQNcQ1J2bc
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) February 25, 2020
Dear @Disney, You got it right the first time. Water crystals have hexagonal “six-fold” symmetry.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) July 22, 2019
You still have a few months to fix your #Frozen2 Movie Poster, unless the sequel takes place in another universe, where water crystalizes to different laws of physics. pic.twitter.com/eb2oILhim0
Neil deGrasse Tyson, the ‘science communicator’, has often attracted mockery for his tweets on the platform. In this instance, his tweet served as the basis for the American brand’s brand recognition campaign.
