CLEVELAND — Editor's Note: The Neil deGrasse Tyson interview above is from 2019
Here are two things I never thought I would write about in the same story: Steak-umm and Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Of course, I remind myself that this is 2021 and anything can happen.
So the story begins on Sunday as Tyson, an astrophysicist, planetary scientist, author, television host, and science communicator tweeted the following: The good thing about Science is that it’s true, whether or not you believe in it.
Seems simple enough. Tyson, who has 14.5 million Twitter followers, received 22.4K Retweets, 3,607 Quote Tweets, and 128.6K Likes for his one sentence statement.
It was one of those quote tweets that has people talking all over social media.
At 10:40 p.m. on Monday night, Steak-umm responded with three simple words: "log off bro."
What in the name of Philadelphia is going on here? But wait, there's more.
From 'log off bro,' Steak-umm suddenly got philosophical. "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," the company's Twitter handle added.
But then, Steak-umm needed a dynamite-drop in to make sure it reminded everyone that the company is in the business of selling food!
To be clear, I don't have a rooting interest here. I like Steak-umms and I've enjoyed watching Neil deGrasse Tyson talk astronomy from time to time.
But I am here for the ongoing Twitter battle that has continued since Monday night. Steak-umm, for its part, is not backing down a bit.
If you're wondering if someone unauthorized took over the Steak-umm account, the answer appears to be...no.
Even if you try to bring some punny humor into the game, Steak-umm is still holding firm.
According to Newsweek, Steak-umm gained widespread recognition last year on social media after it posted a lengthy Twitter thread about coronavirus misinformation. In a series of tweets in early April 2020, Steak-umm took to social media to offer advice regarding misinformation "in times of uncertainty."
In a statement from Steak-umm's social media manager, Nathan Allebach to Newsweek, he says the company's presence online is ultimately to "generate community, make memes, and sell frozen beef sheets."
Mission accomplished!
And this isn't even the first time that Steak-umm has targeted Tyson. Check out this drop-in from 2018 that resurfaced.
In the meantime, Tyson hasn't directly responded to Steak-umm, but did put this nugget out on his Twitter site after the controversy began. It linked to an essay he wrote in 2016 called "What Science Is, and How and Why It Works."
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Editor's Note: The below video previously aired last month