A rude company has arisen that aims to “commemorate” Desmond “Etika” Amofah by selling NFTs of the deceased YouTuber.
NFTs are not inherently malicious, but there is no shortage of people who aim to quickly cash in on the trend through questionable practices. One such company recently showed its ugly head in the form of a group called EtikaPunks, which are said to be a group of fans of the late YouTuber Desmond “Etika” Amofah who made an NFT collection to “commemorate” him. The products have angered many Etika fans, who have called for the removal of NFTs and the group to stop trying to monetize Etika’s death.
The said group, EthicsPunks, appeared on Twitter fairly recently, with the account created in January 2022. It didn’t take long for the group to gain attention in the worst possible way as they were offering a collection of Etika-inspired NFTs for sale. While it could be argued that this is just a troll looking for outrage clicks, the NFT collect and sell page is actually real and hosted on the Rarible NFT Marketplace. Most notably, one of the products features a bridge in the background, which is particularly obnoxious as Etika is said to have died after jumping off the Manhattan Bridge in New York City.
Non-fungible tokens have taken many forms since their conception and the rise in popularity and the cross-section of the crypto and creative space. We’ve seen a lot of companies promoting NFTs, from a Lil Nas X clip on TikTok, to teasing NFTs in games from Square Enix and Electronic Arts. At the risk of editorialization and to be clear, we are aware that this is most likely a troll or group of trolls looking for indignation bait. However, it also seems fair to say that attempting to use DFTs to monetize anybodyThe death of is one step too far and should not go unanswered.
Whether Etika’s NFTs stay active for long will remain to be seen, but this could easily become one of the most despicable chapters in the NFT trend. That said, if you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or self-harming, feel free to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or local Suicide Prevention and Self-Injury Resources near you. from your place. Mental health is not a simple subject and there is no reason for anyone to face it alone.
