Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the most well-known scientists on Earth, but he wants to be known as just that: a scientist. He doesn’t want to be defined by his race or where he comes from, because that doesn’t add anything to the conversation and if anything, can detract from it.
In a lengthy interview with VladTV that covered everything from his humble beginnings to his love of early hip-hop, Tyson explained just how he feels the term “black scientist” can be misconstrued. Vladimir “DJ Vlad” Lyubovny starts talking about how Black people are portrayed in film, and brings up how comedian Eddie Murphy said he was cast in subservient roles until Beverly Hills Cop.
Tyson brings up a counterpoint: The role of Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop was not written for a Black character, and in fact there’s only one reference to Foley being Black in the whole film. In fact, he said, Sylvester Stallone was originally considered for the role.
He then brings up other famous Black actors, like Richard Pryor and Sidney Poitier, who also played roles that didn’t really have references to them being Black.
“The point is the moment you say you’re a Black person, I’m going to cast you as a Black person, I’m going to ask you Black people questions,” he explained. “You have ghettofied the interaction. If I’m a Black scientist to you, then I’m not actually a scientist to you. You have constrained who and what I can be in your mind by even assigning that label.”
He does have a point. We don’t think of Joe Biden as a “white” president. We don’t call Stephen Colbert a “white” talk show host, so why should we call Tyson a Black scientist? Neil deGrasse Tyson – Scientist. There you go.
