# What is the straight dope on Neil deGrasse Tyson "Quote Manufacturing" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 19, 2014, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-neil-degrasse-tyson-quote-manufacturing/698926 "2014-09-19T13:46:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-neil-degrasse-tyson-quote-manufacturing/698926/21 "2014-09-19T19:18:24Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > I think Neil deGrasse Tyson was illustrating a lot of people don’t understand the difference between mean and median. Actually I think it is that they understand neither. The opposite side of this is that all the children in Lake Woebegone are above average. Different joke, same point. Not that people do understand the difference between mean and median, which a lot of income inequality discussions illustrates. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-neil-degrasse-tyson-quote-manufacturing/698926/22 "2014-09-19T19:45:36Z")
It _is_ actually possible for every point in a distribution to be above (or below) average… provided that it’s a continuous distribution. But that’s beside the point. The point is that, in most real-world distributions (such as intelligence), the mean and median are usually pretty close to each other, if not exactly the same, and so one should expect that about half the population will be below average, and not be shocked by that fact. ---
**Author:** ![Curious\_Mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Curious\_Mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curious_Mike)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-neil-degrasse-tyson-quote-manufacturing/698926/23 "2014-09-19T20:20:59Z")
Seems to me that these are presented exactly as anyone would present a direct quote, and that he may have inserted the generic “Newspaper Headline” or “Member of Congress” as a way to shield the actual idiots from further embarrassment. Since no one seems to be able to find any similar attributable quote from any newspaper or congressman, these are likely fabricated. Whether or not that is a big deal is a matter of opinion I suppose. I find it to be lazy at best. In trying to show that humans (especially ones of a class that should know better) are just idiots he has fabricated a story when with just a little research he could easily show real examples (Something that John Stewart does on a nightly basis). The other example that has only been mentioned in this thread is the example of the complete misrepresentation of the GWB quote and context. The author of the article explains that there is not a shred of truth to any aspect of Mr. Tyson’s story about the GWB “quote”. Does anyone here want to defend Mr. Tyson in this instance? ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-neil-degrasse-tyson-quote-manufacturing/698926/24 "2014-09-19T20:35:52Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It _is_ actually possible for every point in a distribution to be above (or below) average… provided that it’s a continuous distribution. Yep, what we need to do is vote out all the congressmen average and below and tahdah!, the remaining are above average! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-neil-degrasse-tyson-quote-manufacturing/698926/25 "2014-09-19T20:45:32Z")
From the link above- > [@](#): > > It’s such an easy and basic distinction to grasp that one wonders why it so easily slipped through the fingers of the world’s greatest scientist. If you think you understand something that “the worlds greatest scientist” doesn’t, you probably don’t know as much as you think you do. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-neil-degrasse-tyson-quote-manufacturing/698926/26 "2014-09-19T20:48:53Z")
> [@Curious\_Mike](#): > > The other example that has only been mentioned in this thread is the example of the complete misrepresentation of the GWB quote and context. The author of the article explains that there is not a shred of truth to any aspect of Mr. Tyson’s story about the GWB “quote”. > Does anyone here want to defend Mr. Tyson in this instance? I did a little Googling on this, and it does look like Tyson might have been pulling that out of his ass. The video was from 2008, I believe. So it looks like in 2008 he conflated some events from 5-7 years earlier and embellished a story to criticize a president he didn’t much like. He should have done better. He deserves some criticism for this, and owning up to it would be nice. I just don’t think it’s a career-tarnishing blemish. The Federalist seems to be saying, “After this, how can you trust Neil deGrasse Tyson about _anything_!?” Which is fairly crazy. He can tell some lazy stories to make a political jab and still be right about global warming. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-neil-degrasse-tyson-quote-manufacturing/698926/27 "2014-09-19T20:54:39Z")
> [@Curious\_Mike](#): > > Does anyone here want to defend Mr. Tyson in this instance? Defend the fact that Tyson misattrubtes [GWB’s 2003](http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf) speech dealing with the shuttle disaster " He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”" to just after 2001 while giving a [2008 speech](http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/watch/2008/06/19/george-bush-and-star-names) at [The Amazing Meeting](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amaz!ng_Meeting). Shrug - skimpy research on a small talk 6 years ago fails to ping my outrage meeter. Badly done, of course, but hardly worth disturbing all those electrons just to get the truth out. ---
**Author:** ![Curious\_Mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Curious\_Mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curious_Mike)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-neil-degrasse-tyson-quote-manufacturing/698926/28 "2014-09-21T05:06:16Z")
“What’s the deal? Is this true, false, or other?” Seems like the accusations are true. Though most of the responses here would probably choose “other”. They can’t call the accusation false and they can’t bring themselves to say true. ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-neil-degrasse-tyson-quote-manufacturing/698926/29 "2014-09-21T12:35:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It _is_ actually possible for every point in a distribution to be above (or below) average… provided that it’s a continuous distribution. \*Every \*point? How would that work? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-neil-degrasse-tyson-quote-manufacturing/698926/30 "2014-09-21T13:38:12Z")
> [@RaffArundel](#): > > Is that because you think that it is a statement of fact or because he shouldn’t be telling jokes? I took it a joke, and better with the punchline (the source) otherwise it is just a dumb thing people say. If he’s just telling jokes, if he’s just being a comedian, then it’s OK. I didn’t see the talk, so maybe he is just doing stand-up. I don’t think that’s what’s going on there, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-neil-degrasse-tyson-quote-manufacturing/698926.md?page=1)