The world is in a state of disarray following the mass shootings that occurred this Saturday. Two shootings took place, one in Ohio and one in El Paso, leaving at least 31 people dead across the two cities.
Many celebrities and citizens took to social media to express their heartbreak, one of the most moving, from The Late Late Show host, James Corden.
However, one celebrity seems to have missed the mark with his response. Neil deGrasse Tyson, one of the most well-respected icons in the science world, posted a tweet that left users feeling a little disappointed.
Tyson decided to use the tragedy to give context to a variety of other tragedies that may have been overlooked during the same time period. But, it was not well received.
One user responded to the tweet saying, “This is a bad take; it’s tone deaf, and cold.” While another said, “I genuinely love you Neil, but I have to ask how someone so smart can say something this dumb.” Some felt as though Tyson was deterring from one tragedy by highlighting others, which we’ve seen before.
Since the controversial tweet sparked attention, Tyson has issued an apology, stating, “My intent was to offer objectively true information that might help shape conversations and reactions to preventable ways we die,” in his apology posted on Facebook. “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.”
The tweet currently has 79.3k comments, a fair few strongly condemning Tyson’s standing.
