❌ Why did the UK ban whippits?

It’s Sunday, November 19 — people are talking about the bin Laden letter, the UK’s ban on whippits, 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)

📃 TikTokers are supporting a bin Laden letter

TikTokers praised Osama bin Laden's 2002 letter, sparking a debate about TikTok and radicalization. Is the concern valid?

📃 TikTokers voiced support for bin Laden's 2002 “Letter to America”, causing The Guardian to delete the letter from its site. WaPo said the letter wasn't trending until outrage exploded.

📃 The WSJ thinks the fiasco signals how dangerous TikTok is. Young people are getting their news from the site, and it has strong Chinese ties. The problem is obvious.

📃 But Hot Air had a different take: The number of supporters of bin Laden’s letter proves that many young people are radical “zealots”. Blame woke ideology.

📃 On the other hand, Wired says the backlash is silly: bin Laden’s letter wasn't trending until the outrage started. People are just using the drama to push right-wing talking points.

❌ Why did the UK ban whippits?

The UK's ban on nitrous oxide, aka laughing gas or whippits, sparked a hot debate — is the ban necessary, or is education about the drug more important?

❌ BBC: In England and Wales, it's illegal to possess nitrous oxide (aka whippits). Doctors use it a lot as a painkiller, but young people are abusing it.

❌ The NY Post says the danger is real: A neurologist said whippits are “more dangerous than cocaine” and are very popular with GenZ on TikTok.

❌ The Telegraph thinks whippits are dangerous, but banning them won't help — young people need to be educated about the risks instead.

❌ But The Independent says the ban is silly because the punishments don't fit the crime. Serious complications from whippits are rare.

❌ The Guardian also took issue with the ban, but for a different reason: It’s weird that the UK government banned laughing gas to cut down on antisocial behavior — laughing is a fundamentally social action.

Quick hits

🤖 Sam Altman was fired as CEO of OpenAI for not candidly communicating with the Board of Directors. (NPR)

💰 A 1926 bottle of Macallan scotch sold for $2.7 million at a London auction, setting a record sale price for a bottle of spirits. (AP News)

🤝 WaPo reports that the US, Israel, and Hamas reached a tentative deal that would pause the war in Gaza and lead to the release of hostages. (Reuters)

🏀 Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama recorded 8 blocks in his team's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. (NBC Sports)