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Culture War Roundup for the week of August 10, 2026

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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j1ye6n30no

(Non pay wall link)

Tragic end.

I feel bad for the dude - honestly a hearty laugh is all I want when people violate social norms like this and show us how frankly evil our institutions can be.

Sure I can blame the dude for every lie told but it only permeates my life several levels deep … the association of someone like Arday and my life only really touches when the walks start crumbling down.

What gets me mad is the institutions.

It’s their fault! Every step of the way someone, anyone, could have stepped in and stopped folly.

But things snowball and here we are.

I don’t even know what I’m supposed to learn from this, and I don’t know how I can help make the world a better place than I left it. People used to change the world I feel like, and I’m only changing the people around me … which is something!

I’m 100% reading the biography about this.

Obviously unfortunate.

Morbid thought but it's a surprise this doesn't happen more often.

There's been multiple waves of cancellations now since the Justine Sacco situation. You'd assume quite a few suicides from people who just couldn't or refused to pick up the pieces. Maybe embarrassing cases aren't publicized.

some that come to mind.

  1. Nautica Malone. case from 2025. he exposed himself to a barista at a "bikini cafe" (like a hooters but a coffee shop) while going through the drive-through, she recorded him and put it online. he was immediately doxxed after the video went viral and it turned out he had a wife and kids. he killed himself within 24 hours of the video being posted. a TMZ article on the case claims he left a note which reads, "I apologize. I love you queen. I made a mistake and I don't think I'll be able to face you and the babies. I don't know why I drove though like that. My mental has been fucked up. I am not a monster. I apologize and I love you forever. If I am in critical condition please pull the plug."
  2. Ed Piskor. case from 2024. comic book artist killed himself after being MeToo'd. he left a suicide note which expresses quite a bit of resentment towards the cancel mob.
  3. Lee Sun-kyun. case from 2023. a famous korean actor killed himself after a media storm about him going to hostess bars and using drugs. apparently being caught having an affair or doing drugs is a way bigger deal for a korean celebrity than it would be for an american one.
  4. Kim Sae-ron. korean actress who had a DUI incident in 2022 and killed herself in 2025. I don't follow korean stuff enough to know the details, but I think the korean tv/film industry blacklisted her. one article said it was hard for her to find work even outside of acting since her reputation was so bad that no one wanted to be seen associating with her.
  5. Kimura Hana. case from 2020. a japanese wrestler was mobbed on social media because people didn't like how she behaved on a reality tv show ("Terrace House: Tokyo"). according to this nyt article, she tweeted "Every day, I receive nearly 100 honest opinions and I cannot deny that I get hurt." hours before killing herself.

this bbc article on Kim Sae-ron also mentions two more korean celebrities who died by suicide -- apparently due to being unable to cope with how much hate they were getting on social media -- Sulli and Goo Hara.

there was also that actor from glee, Mark Salling, who killed himself after getting caught with child porn in 2018. he was facing 4-7 years according to his wiki page.