Shooting of the Day
Out of context: Reply #2373
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- fadein112
"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 short list 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"- "Where I miscalculated was that I genuinely believed the Tweet would be helpful to anyone trying to save lives in America"fadein11
- what a dick.fadein11
- i don't like a lot of his science talk, more tv in many aspects. but hes 100% right. Its a call for large perspective and no knee jerk party/media hysterics.********
- These things in the large picture are small, but why does the news make them seem so bigger than they are? Special interests? Pay and what sell ads. Why the********
- 10 o clock news always teases its biggest tragedy. Need to see it from a bigger perspective. If largely we could see it for it is********
- and the news didn't sell you would see less demand for it. If anything we could learn we have 2 polarized individuals acting in the same weekend to opposite end********
- s both young and clearly feeding off selective views and information... one thing is learning algos are effective giving you more of what you want********
- i think clearly the issue here is far less guns and more information, communication and the messaging and polarization of media for ad bucks********
- Funny how the same people shrieking over this tweet would be sucking neil’s Dick if he tweeted this about an Islamic attackGnash