NFT collection’s price takes a nosedive as creator’s racist cartoons circulate

The Jungle Freaks NFT collection has lost approximately 80% of its commercial value overnight after a series of racist cartoons drawn by one of its creators. circulated on social media. The project is the brainchild of famous Hustler magazine cartoonist George Trosley, and is curated by his son George III Trosley.

Many participants in the NFT sale expressed dismay after Trosley's offensive illustrations came to light. Even Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wood, who has recently taken an interest in compiling various NFTs, responded saying: “I heard about some of the disturbing previous cartoons of the artist. Upon learning of this, I immediately sold the NFTs as I fully denounce any form of racism. I have donated the funds from the sale of NFT to LDF and Black Lives Matter. "

Elder Trosley later tweeted which some have amounted to an unapologetic, stating:

"The illustrations that I was hired to draw, some over 40 years ago, have been taken out of context as the current generation may not understand what was happening in journalism and the world during my time at Hustler magazine." .

Your child separately said“My father has told me how embarrassed he is by the cartoons that many have seen. This project and the NFT space as a whole have given my father the opportunity to redeem himself. This community, from day one, has been focused on inclusion. "

Twitter user and self-assigned person of color, or POC, Ricefarmer.eth tweeted:

“Today I have blocked more than 50 accounts, some of them my own followers. As a POC, I will not support anyone who stands up for Jungle Freaks and their behavior. "

This isn't the first time in recent months that an NFT project has faced backlash for offensive content. In June, a project known as Misfit University drew criticism from survivors of domestic violence when released a series of NFTs featuring avatars taped over their mouths. The creators of the project finally apologized and bought the offending assets from the affected users.

Even the NFT OpenSea market has not been immune to controversy, albeit of a different kind. In September, the company confirmed that one of his potential customers was profiting from insider trading. Nate Chastain bought eleven NFTs that he knew were going to make the front page of the market and downloaded them at a huge profit once they did. Opensea carried out an investigation and Chastain subsequently resigned as a result.