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The Buzz Cut: A New Study Describes How SSR’s Suicide Was Used to Manufacture A National Controversy

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Oct 10, 2020

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Image credit: twitter

In The Buzz Cutwe bring you a round-up of all the weird, controversial, and wonderful stories we’ve been reading all week.


A University of Michigan study dropped this week that analyzed how a tragic suicide was quickly manufactured into a whodunnit, wrangled into an avenue for entertainment and manipulation by politicians, the media and right-wing bhakts.

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Republic TV and two other channels are in hot water this week after Mumbai Police found the media giants had been fixing TRP numbers to game the system into getting more ad revenue, which they then used to spread fake narratives around various issues, including the SSR suicide.

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Schitt’s Creek co-creator Dan Levy called out Comedy Central India this week for only censoring a kiss between two men, tweeting “the censorship of gay intimacy is making a harmful statement” against everything the show and its fans stand for.

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A chastity belt, designed to give users the ability to give their partners control over their sexual activity, came into controversy this week when hackers managed to lock these belts in place on active users. Critics say it’s a perfect example of how adult sex toys are often released into the market without adequate R&D that reveals loopholes.

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Late Supreme Court Justice and feminist icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death is still ricocheting in the American conscience, especially among black women who both question and admire Bader’s legacy, feeling fury, sadness and frustration all at once.

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The Covid19 pandemic has a masculinity problem — U.S. President Donald Trump, especially, has been invoking his own strength and purity of character for his apparent ability to kick the novel coronavirus. But, let’s be honest, strength has nothing to do with it, and believing it does may be supremely harmful.

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Who said protests always have to be in-your-face loud? This week, ASMR videos, in all their cringy-yet-comforting whisper glory, joined the #BLM movement.

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After Punjab became the posterchild for severe drug problems in rural India, Caravan Magazine digs into the pervasive problem in a neighboring state, Himachal Pradesh, known for its rolling hills and brooks, and a dangerous drug habit.

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Written By Rajvi Desai

Rajvi Desai is The Swaddle’s Culture Editor. After graduating from NYU as a Journalism and Politics major, she covered breaking news and politics in New York City, and dabbled in design and entertainment journalism. Back in the homeland, she’s interested in tackling beauty, sports, politics and human rights in her gender-focused writing, while also co-managing The Swaddle Team’s podcast, Respectfully Disagree.

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