🕹️ Extremist gamers?

It’s Thursday, March 14 — people are talking about the death of Nex Benedict, the government’s action against extremist gamers, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly. Here at Shades we believe that seeing multiple points of view is the best way to stay informed.

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- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)

⚫ The death of Nex Benedict

The death of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teen in Oklahoma, was ruled a suicide.

⚫ AP News: Nex Benedict, a nonbinary Oklahoma teen, died shortly after a bullying incident at school. After an investigation, Nex's death was ruled a suicide.

⚫ Hot Air was outraged: Shame on activists for distorting the facts for their agenda. It's unclear if Nex's death had anything to do with their gender identity.

⚫ But Vox argued that Nex's identity can't be ignored: Nex's tragic death underscores the toxic anti-trans climate in Oklahoma.

⚫ @Okla_OAG on X had a different take: Bullying played a role in Nex's death. Oklahoma should double down on its anti-bullying efforts.

⚫ Either way, some aren't satisfied with the autopsy results. Newsweek said that GLAAD called for further transparency and criticized Oklahoma's response.

🕹️ Extremist gamers?

The feds are working with gaming platforms to combat extremism, sparking a privacy and safety debate.

🕹️ The US government is going after extremist gamers. The Intercept questions if targeting gamers can effectively combat extremism, or if it's a misguided approach.

🕹️ NYU Stern: Good, it's long overdue. The link between violent extremism and the gaming community is well known. We have a duty to stop hate from spreading.

🕹️ A Redditor on r/KotakuInAction says no way, it's overreach. Gamers are generally really chill — this DHS probe is a serious privacy violation.

🕹️ Hasan Piker also doesn't like it. The US government has a terrible track record of identifying extremism. He says “they're much better at finding vulnerable teenagers with mental disabilities to take advantage of”.

Quick hits

🎵 Bands withdraw from the South by Southwest festival in protest of US Army and defense contractors' sponsorships.

❄️ A severe snowstorm in Colorado has led to school and office closures, highway shutdowns, and flight cancellations.

📱 The Senate debates the future of a House-passed bill that could lead to a TikTok ban, with national security and free speech at stake.

🇭🇹 Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned after gangs united, causing a shift in power dynamics.

Thanks for reading. If you have any feedback or want to share your thoughts or ideas, please email me at [email protected].