Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson complained on Christmas Eve that Santa Claus had “misgendered” Rudolph, the most famous of his eight reindeer.
“Santa doesn’t know Zoology,” Tyson tweeted, explaining, “Both male & female Reindeer grow antlers. But all male Reindeer lose their antlers in the late fall, well-before Christmas.” (RELATED: Neil DeGrasse Tyson Drops Bomb On ‘The View’ — Says ‘I Don’t Object’ To A Space Force)
“So Santa’s reindeer, which all sport antlers, are therefore all female, which means Rudolf has been misgendered,” Tyson concluded.
Santa doesn’t know Zoology:
Both male & female Reindeer grow antlers. But all male Reindeer lose their antlers in the late fall, well-before Christmas.
So Santa’s reindeer, which all sport antlers, are therefore all female, which means Rudolf has been misgendered. pic.twitter.com/fkHqhJM7dY
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) December 25, 2020
Tyson’s assessment, while technically correct, did not impress everyone.
Sir, Santa is a fictional character.
— Chloé S. Valdary ???? (@cvaldary) December 25, 2020
Next you’re going to tell me he doesn’t fly all around the world in one night, come down all our chimneys, and leave presents for good little boys & girls.
Bah humbug. A lump of coal for you.
????????????#MerryChristmas https://t.co/90lw7SmyHn
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 25, 2020
Yes, the problem here is the “misgendering” of the FLYING F^CKING REINDEER.
Put down the eggnog, NDT.
— Amy Curtis (@RantyAmyCurtis) December 25, 2020
The amazing thing about this tweet – and it has to be deliberate, so I sort of respect the hustle – is it gets progressively more obnoxious the further along you read. About midway through you say to yourself “wow there’s no way this could get more obnoxious” then bam, punchline. https://t.co/QuHNsMikzG
— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) December 25, 2020
“I’m a thief of joy because someone told me that made me cool when I was 12.” https://t.co/HnzjFcvUWu
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) December 25, 2020
This guy must be fun at Christmas parties. https://t.co/5M13nG2BFd
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) December 25, 2020
Otherwise though the glowing nose part is excellent science
— Ron Coleman (@RonColeman) December 25, 2020
Tyson also evaluated the science behind Rudolph’s glowing red nose, saying that it was actually advantageous in fog to be guided by a red light.
Santa Knows Physics: Of all colors, Red light penetrates fog best. That’s why Benny the Blue-nosed reindeer never got the gig. pic.twitter.com/RddOficvWx
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) December 25, 2020