🪨 Pet rocks in Korea

Good morning. This is Shades of the Day, the daily newsletter that summarizes and organizes the different shades of perspective in news and culture so that 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. The easiest (and most fun!) way to do that is with the Shades mobile app, where this newsletter’s content is pulled from.

It’s Tuesday, March 19 — here’s what you’ll find in today’s newsletter:

• The new docuseries Quiet on Set

• The prominence of pet rocks in Korea

• 4 quick hits of news from the last 24 hours

- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)

P.S. You may notice that we’ve updated our branding. We’re preparing to release the biggest-ever update to the Shades mobile app, which includes a new look and feel, plus social community features. If you want to be a beta tester for the new app, email me at [email protected] and I’ll get you access.

🎬 Quiet on Set

A docuseries stirs debate over alleged abuse at Nickelodeon.

🎬 Variety: The series “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” alleges abuse and sexism at Nickelodeon under Dan Schneider. Drake Bell opens up about his abuse by a dialogue coach when he was 15.

🎬 Yahoo says “Quiet On Set” reignites scrutiny on Nickelodeon's past. Nickelodeon responded, saying that they've made numerous safety changes to protect kids on sets.

🎬 The Daily Beast thinks Nickelodeon is horrible, but it's really an industry-wide issue. Children are treated as commodities and are often hyper-sexualized — it's unacceptable.

🎬 But a Redditor on r/Television calls the series biased. It pushed a narrative, rather than let the facts speak for themselves. It also unfairly targeted Dan Schneider.

🪨 Pet rocks in Korea

South Korea's latest craze is pet rocks. What makes them so popular?

🪨 Pet rocks are the perfect low-maintenance pets — and they've become very popular in South Korea. The WSJ attributes the trend to the country's overworked adults — rocks offer comfort without the hassle.

🪨 Korea Joongang Daily points at something else: Loneliness is causing the pet rock trend. Pet rocks are therapeutic companions for Korea's lonely hearts.

🪨 But maybe KPop stars are behind the trend? A Redditor on r/KpopThoughts says K-pop star Jeonghan's pet rock caused the companions to spike in popularity.

🪨 By the way, Rarehistoricalphotos.com reminds us that the pet rock craze hit the US hard in 1975 — even Ronald Reagan had one!

Quick hits

👑 A video of Kate, Princess of Wales, shopping with Prince William has sparked debate and conspiracy theories online.

📉 Shares drop and Yen declines as the Bank of Japan moves away from negative interest rates.

🗳 Ohio's GOP Senate primary puts Trump's influence to the test as Moreno and Dolan vie for the nomination.

🏛️ Congress and President Biden reach a deal to fund the government and resolve disputes over DHS funding.

Thanks for reading. If you have any feedback about our newsletter and what changes you’d like to see, please share it here — or you can email me at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!