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Vaccine Watchdog Won’t Admit The Covid-19 Jabs Cause Period Irregularities Despite 4,000 Women Reporting Problems

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<figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img alt="UK begins bulk manufacturing of new Covid vaccine Valneva ..." height="452" loading="lazy" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fexternal-preview.redd.it%2F_PZrZPOL9t5vlHK6u90JZdUpXVgNpQlfriMrkb4lx9I.jpg%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26s%3D16e01c9f78c28d47c4153da3c3bb60b3285f63cd&f=1&nofb=1" width="736" />
<figcaption>Source: Reddit 
Over 4,000 women have reported period irregularities post-vaccination, however, it is believed there are many more who have not reported their experiences to Yellow Card.</figcaption>
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Thousands of women have been reporting period problems after they received the Covid-19 vaccine and are now being monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
4,000 women have reported changes in their menstrual cycle after getting their Covid jab, particularly among those aged 30 to 49.
Figures obtained by The Sunday Times show that 2,734 repots of period problems after the AstraZeneca vaccine was made to the MHRA up to May 17th, a further 1,158 were related to the Pfizer jab, and 66 were linked to the Moderna vaccine.
The period side effects primarily include heavier than normal bleeding and other irregularities, which are believed to have affected more women who have not reported their experience.
Despite over 4,000 women reporting these issues post-vaccination, doctors have said that there is “no increased risk” of period problems after the jab so there is no reason to add it to the growing list of side effects.
Victoria Male, a reproductive immunologist at Imeprial College London, said: “It’s definitely true that not everyone will be reporting any menstrual changes they have noticed to Yellow Card [the MHRA’s scheme for people to report suspected side effects] simply because not everyone knows that it exists and that they can file a report.
“Lots of people have contacted me to tell me about changes in their periods following vaccination.
“The kinds of things they are telling me about, mostly periods that are heavier or later than usual, are very similar to the reports we are seeing in Yellow Card.”
One woman, Katie Khan, 39, from London said that after she had her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine her periods became very irregular.
She said that her period became much heavier than usual, much more painful, and lasted longer, describing the experience as “menstrual flooding.”
Despite the thousands of reports to Yellow Card, the MHRA does not believe that there are any risks or impacts on menstruation post-vaccination.
Sarah Branch, MHRA’s director of vigilance and risk management of medicines, said that the reports do not suggest an increased risk, following vaccination, with the UK’s three Covid-19 vaccines.
She said: “The number of reports is low in relation to the number of women who have had the vaccine to date and the background rate of menstrual disorders generally.”
The MHRA said that they are continuing to closely monitor the reports.
Doctors are urging women to contact their GP if they notice any “unusual bleeding” after they have been vaccinated, adding that the side effects should not deter them from having the vaccine.
This is simply another situation where the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/06/24/crimes-against-humanity-uk-government-release-21st-report-on-adverse-reactions-to-the-covid-vaccines/" target="_blank">jab is causing harm</a>, and those responsible for rolling out the experimental vaccine are trying to sweep these cases under the carpet.
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<h3 class="jp-relatedposts-headline">Related</h3>
 
 
source <a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/06/28/vaccine-watchdog-wont-admit-the-covid-19-jabs-cause-period-irregularities-despite-4000-women-reporting-problems/">https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/06/28/vaccine-watchdog-wont-admit-the-covid-19-jabs-cause-period-irregularities-despite-4000-women-reporting-problems/</a>

revolution Vaccine Watchdog Won’t Admit The Covid-19 Jabs Cause Period Irregularities Despite 4,000 Women Reporting Problems

Source: Reddit Over 4,000 women have reported period irregularities post-vaccination, however, it is believed there are many more who hav...

Venmo’s new fees are frustrating people with side hustles

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Venmo is changing the way its fees work. The new model won’t affect everyone, but if you’ve been using your personal Venmo account for your side hustle, it’s about to get more expensive.
The company recently <a href="https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2021-06-28-A-New-Way-to-Buy-and-Sell-with-Confidence-on-Venmo">told its users</a> they’ll soon be able to add a “goods and services” tag to payments sent to other personal accounts (this would differentiate these payments from personal financial transactions, like reimbursing a friend for dinner). In other words, this lets a buyer flag a commercial transaction with a seller who doesn’t <a href="http://blog.venmo.com/hf2t3h4x98p5e13z82pl8j66ngcmry/2020/6/30/venmo-pilots-new-tools-for-sole-proprietors-with-the-introduction-of-business-profiles">have a Venmo Business account</a>. Doing so would mean that Venmo will automatically deduct 1.9 percent of the transaction, plus 10 cents, from the money sent to the seller, and the buyer will be eligible for Venmo’s Purchase Protection Program. Certain purchases made through Venmo Business accounts <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/everything-you-need-to-know-about-venmo-for-business/">already have access</a> to this program.
Venmo says its new system is meant to protect buyers and sellers. But sellers who will be impacted by these new rules say Venmo is hurting their relationship with their customers and making it more expensive for them to operate on the platform. Now, sellers are trying to figure out next steps, and some are considering leaving the app for good.
“As Venmo has introduced new experiences, we’ve also seen increasing consumer demand in the market for a safe and easy solution that enables people to buy and sell other items or experiences that may fall outside of a traditional business setting,” a spokesperson for the company told Recode.
The Venmo Purchase Protection Program, as explained in Venmo’s <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=66960X1516588&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fvenmo.com%2Flegal%2Fus-user-agreement%2F&referrer=vox.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vox.com%2Frecode%2F2021%2F6%2F28%2F22554305%2Fvenmo-small-businesses-toggle-paypal-account-fees-transactions" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank" has-subtag="true" data-cdata='{"rewritten_url":"https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516588\u0026xs=1\u0026url=https://venmo.com/legal/us-user-agreement/\u0026referrer=vox.com\u0026sref=https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/6/28/22554305/venmo-small-businesses-toggle-paypal-account-fees-transactions\u0026xcust=___vx__p_22318346__m_m-placeholder__s_s-placeholder__t_w__c_c-placeholder__r_r-placeholder__d_d-placeholder","subtag_max_length":50,"subtag_delim_length":3,"subtag_key":"xcust","subtag_data":{"id":"66960X1516588","xs":"1","url":"https://venmo.com/legal/us-user-agreement/","referrer":"vox.com","sref":"https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/6/28/22554305/venmo-small-businesses-toggle-paypal-account-fees-transactions","xcust":"___vx__p_22318346__m_m-placeholder__s_s-placeholder__t_w__c_c-placeholder__r_r-placeholder__d_d-placeholder"},"encode_subtag":false}'>updated user agreement</a>, will require sellers using a personal account to maintain documentation about sales. If a customer doesn’t receive what they paid for or if it’s significantly different from what they ordered, Venmo may step in and issue a refund. The new user agreement takes effect on July 20 and gives buyers on Venmo more power. But it also assigns a lot more responsibility to sellers and represents a move away from the casual nature long associated with Venmo transactions.
For small businesses and people with side gigs who have become dependent on Venmo, the policy changes complicate their transactions — and will potentially cost them a lot of money in new fees. Now, sellers are trying to figure out how to adapt to the new rules. Some might bite the bullet and accept the new fees. But others are considering other options, like urging customers not <a href="https://twitter.com/laylagaylaart/status/1408473803064102921/photo/4">to tag</a> transactions as “goods or services.” Some may ditch Venmo altogether and turn to other payment apps.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Fuck <a href="https://twitter.com/PayPal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PayPal</a> and fuck <a href="https://twitter.com/Venmo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Venmo</a>. Time to find a new way to process transactions. Seriously... what the fuck is with all these new and raised fees?! They are just as bad as the crypto market now! As if they don't make enough money already?! Absolutely disgusting...
— SYNTHWERK (@synthwerkmusic) <a href="https://twitter.com/synthwerkmusic/status/1408966689761419264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>
Some of these sellers seem to think Venmo’s new feature is less about convenience and more about a crackdown. In the past, Venmo has suspended or terminated personal accounts suspected of selling goods and services; now it seems to be looking for ways to make money from these sales. The change has frustrated sellers, some of whom have taken to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQgm3PKn3gj/?utm_medium=copy_link">social</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/peytonelroy/status/1407765860714905601?s=21">media</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/likeluke/status/1408025513482981376">complain</a> about the changes, accusing the company of trying to boost profits by pushing fees onto people with side hustles and small businesses.
Venmo argues that the new system is meant to enable protections for transactions between buyers and users who may only sell goods and services occasionally. In <a href="https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2021-06-28-A-New-Way-to-Buy-and-Sell-with-Confidence-on-Venmo">a blog post</a> published on Monday, the company noted that new payment protections will mean sellers are entitled to protections in cases where, for instance, a buyer claims they didn’t receive something they'd paid for but the seller can prove they sent it. Venmo’s new system <a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp/article/what's-the-difference-between-friends-and-family-or-goods-and-services-payments-faq638">imitates the approach</a> already in place at Paypal, which <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2013/09/26/paypal-acquires-payments-gateway-braintree-for-800m-in-cash/">acquired Venmo in 2013</a>.
It remains to be seen how Venmo’s new fees will affect small merchants, who have less than a month to prepare. Still, the platform’s changes come as lots of different payment apps, including CashApp, Zelle, and Shopify, continue to compete for transactions. The new fees are also a reminder that companies can attract lots of users with an easy-to-use platform, only to change the rules down the line.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/6/28/22554305/venmo-small-businesses-toggle-paypal-account-fees-transactions">https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/6/28/22554305/venmo-small-businesses-toggle-paypal-account-fees-transactions</a>

vox Venmo’s new fees are frustrating people with side hustles

Venmo is changing the way its fees work. The new model won’t affect everyone, but if you’ve been using your personal Venmo account for your...

How hatred of gays became a key plank in Hungary’s authoritarian turn

During last week’s European championship soccer match between Germany and Hungary, the rainbow was everywhere on the German side. The German goalie wore a rainbow armband; the team’s fans <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/6/23/22546954/euro-2020-germany-hungary-gay-rights-bill-pride">donned rainbow wigs and waved rainbow flags</a>.
All of this was directed at the opposing side: The Germans were protesting a new Hungarian law <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/15/world/europe/hungary-child-sex-lgbtq.html">banning LGBTQ sex education and media directed at minors</a> — a measure that has sparked outrage in Europe and elsewhere against Hungary.
While this <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/6/23/22546954/euro-2020-germany-hungary-gay-rights-bill-pride">may look like a PR mess</a> for Hungary’s ruling right-wing Fidesz party, it’s in keeping with the right-wing populist playbook that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has turned to over and over again to shore up his authoritarian rule. In the past few years, demonizing queer and trans identities has become a central part of Orbán’s campaign for maintaining his grip on power.
The criticism from Europe, if anything, bolsters the strategy. It allows the Hungarian government to tout its core ideological argument: that it is the Hungarian Christian family’s champion against a godless, globalist European Union.
“Hungary asserts its role as ‘defender of traditional values’ while mostly West European states get to claim moral superiority with no one paying any price for it,” says Cas Mudde, a professor at the University of Georgia who studies far-right politics.
The new anti-LGBTQ rules — which were tacked on at the last minute to a bill increasing penalties for sex crimes against children — are part of a broader slate of legal attacks on the queer community that strengthen Orbán’s regime, the <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/hungarys-orban-dropped-any-pretense-of-respecting-institutions-freedom-house-reports/a-53353596">only non-democratic government in the European Union</a>.
Demagoguery is at the heart of the Fidesz political strategy. A series of boogeymen — Muslim migrants, Jewish billionaire George Soros, and now LGBTQ activists — have been used to rally Orbán’s base to the ballot box and justify the expansion of authoritarian state powers.
In this, Orbán is not alone. The demonization of out-groups is a key ingredient in the right-wing authoritarian recipe, one used by factions the world over to win power and undermine democracy once they’ve acquired it. It’s a pattern Americans should pay attention to, especially during the current moment of <a href="https://www.vox.com/22443822/critical-race-theory-controversy">right-wing panic about the purported corruption of our youth</a>.
The new Hungarian regulations on LGBTQ expression are broad. Among other things, they prohibit sex educators from instructing students about LGBTQ sexuality and ban television stations from airing content “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/15/world/europe/hungary-child-sex-lgbtq.html">popularizing</a>” LGBTQ identity outside the hours of 10 pm to 5 am. The regulations also prohibit films or advertisements from representing same-sex physical acts or gender-affirmation surgery in materials <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/06/15/1006662043/hungary-lawmakers-pass-law-barring-lgbt-content-for-minors">targeted at individuals under 18</a>.
But what counts as “popularizing” LGBTQ identity, and what sorts of art count as being targeted at kids? According to local media and human rights groups, the bill isn’t especially clear on these points — raising fears about censorship. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/harry-potter-friends-may-fall-victim-hungarys-anti-lgbt-law-broadcaster-2021-06-16/">RTL Klub</a>, the country’s largest television channel, warned that “series like Modern Family would be banned, as would some episodes of Friends.”
No less troubling: By declaring LGBTQ programming harmful for children, the law dehumanizes queer couples and individuals, legally codifying the notion that their very existence threatens Hungarian society.
Defenders of the law are open about its hierarchical aims. An article in <a href="https://www.hungarianconservative.com/articles/opinion/about-hungarys-new-anti-pedophilia-bill/">the Hungarian Conservative</a>, a magazine supportive of the Orbán regime, denies that Friends specifically would be blocked by the new rules — but touts the bill’s efforts to “protect children’s natural and healthy sexual development” from the allegedly nefarious influence of gay propaganda.
“Protecting children does not end with stopping sex offenders, but should also include the protection from potentially harmful influences well until children are old enough to make the best decisions for themselves,” the article claims.
This bill is not a one-off. Since coming to power in 2010, Orbán has systematically undermined LGBTQ rights in Hungary. The most significant early move was <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2013/05/16/wrong-direction-rights/assessing-impact-hungarys-new-constitution-and-laws#">a constitutional provision banning same-sex marriage enacted in 2012</a>.
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<figcaption>A protester against the new anti-LGBTQ bill in Budapest holds a photoshopped sign showing Orbán holding a rainbow flag.</figcaption>
<cite>Gergely Besenyei/AFP/Getty Images</cite></figure>
In recent years, the anti-LGBTQ campaign has intensified. In 2018, the government <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/19/europe/hungary-bans-gender-study-at-colleges-trnd/index.html">banned the teaching of gender studies</a> in Hungarian universities. A government spokesperson told CNN at the time that they did it because “we do not consider it acceptable for us to talk about socially constructed genders, rather than biological sexes.” In May 2020, the government prohibited trans Hungarians from <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52727615">changing their gender on official government forms</a>.
In December 2020, the government approved a constitutional reform package that strengthened the anti-LGBTQ constitutional provisions: It stated that the family is defined as being “based on marriage and the parent-child relation. The mother is a woman, the father a man.” The December legislative package also <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55324417">banned adoption by same-sex couples</a> and <a href="https://ceelegalmatters.com/hungary/15413-the-equal-treatment-authority-will-be-abolished-from-1-january-2021">abolished the Equal Treatment Authority</a>, Hungary’s most important nondiscrimination agency covering LGBTQ rights.
The anti-LGBTQ policies of the past few years are not incidental to Fidesz’s ideology. A paper by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277539517300882#!">Andrea Pető and Weronika Grzebalska</a>, two scholars of gender and politics in Central Europe, identify the Hungarian government’s commitment to traditional gender norms as the “symbolic glue” that holds its overall ideology together, positioning social liberalism “as a symbol of everything that is wrong with the current state of politics.”
In <a href="https://abouthungary.hu/speeches-and-remarks/prime-minister-viktor-orbans-state-of-the-nation-address">the government’s narrative</a>, the traditional Christian Hungarian family is under attack by nefarious globalist liberals who want to replace Hungarian mothers and fathers with immigrants. Defending the Hungarian nation means defending the family, defined exclusively as male-female pairings that produce more Hungarian children. The Orbán government is <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/lesterfeder/us-conservatives-ally-with-anti-immigrant-european-leader#.niqXKDdKP">notoriously obsessed with the birthrate</a>, passing tax and welfare policies specifically framed as incentives for native Hungarian women to have more kids.
The government attacks on LGBTQ identities flow directly from this conservative preoccupation with family and fertility, casting queer families as illegitimate, non-procreative entities.
“In a moral sense, there is no difference between pedophiles and those who demand [gay adoption],” László Kövér, the speaker of Hungary’s parliament, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hungary-rights-gays/gays-in-hungary-facing-increased-government-hostility-rights-group-idUSKBN1ZS27T">said in 2019</a>. “Both objectify the child as a consumer good, and consider it a means of self-fulfillment.”
Hungarians have long been <a href="https://www.europeandatajournalism.eu/eng/News/Data-news/Homophobia-is-on-the-rise-in-Hungary">more conservative</a> than most other EU states. A 2019 Eurobarometer poll found that 61 percent opposed same-sex marriage and 72 percent opposed allowing trans individuals to alter government documents to match their gender identity. This fits a general European pattern, in which former communist states are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21599165.2012.721094">on average more culturally right-wing</a> than their Western European peers.
At the same time, there’s some evidence of recent movement in a more progressive direction. A <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=66960X1516588&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ipsos.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fct%2Fnews%2Fdocuments%2F2021-06%2FLGBT%2520Pride%25202021%2520Global%2520Survey%2520Report_1.pdf&referrer=vox.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vox.com%2F22547228%2Fhungary-orban-lgbt-law-pedophilia-authoritarian" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank" has-subtag="true" data-cdata='{"rewritten_url":"https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516588\u0026xs=1\u0026url=https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2021-06/LGBT%20Pride%202021%20Global%20Survey%20Report_1.pdf\u0026referrer=vox.com\u0026sref=https://www.vox.com/22547228/hungary-orban-lgbt-law-pedophilia-authoritarian\u0026xcust=___vx__p_22311269__m_m-placeholder__s_s-placeholder__t_w__c_c-placeholder__r_r-placeholder__d_d-placeholder","subtag_max_length":50,"subtag_delim_length":3,"subtag_key":"xcust","subtag_data":{"id":"66960X1516588","xs":"1","url":"https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2021-06/LGBT%20Pride%202021%20Global%20Survey%20Report_1.pdf","referrer":"vox.com","sref":"https://www.vox.com/22547228/hungary-orban-lgbt-law-pedophilia-authoritarian","xcust":"___vx__p_22311269__m_m-placeholder__s_s-placeholder__t_w__c_c-placeholder__r_r-placeholder__d_d-placeholder"},"encode_subtag":false}'>2021 Ipsos poll</a> found that 59 percent of Hungarians today support same-sex couples’ adoption rights, compared to 42 percent in 2013. A plurality had even come to favor same-sex marriage (46 percent in favor versus 38 percent opposed).
These numbers suggest the recent anti-LGBTQ moves are less of a response to a public groundswell than a political play by the ruling party to elevate the issue — to wage a culture war against progressive ideas and activists as a means of activating the Fidesz base and solidifying Orban’s hold on power.
<a href="https://amc.sas.upenn.edu/cas-mudde-populism-twenty-first-century">By definition</a>, “populism” as a political style relies on a contrast between a virtuous people and a corrupt elite. In modern right-wing populism, both in Hungary and elsewhere, that corrupt elite is typically identified with minorities and socially liberal activists — groups positioned as subverting national traditions, attacking traditional morality, and destroying national character.
“Minority rights are rejected as threatening the majority’s rights to do what they please, and dignity and solidarity is only granted to those belonging to the restricted community of real patriots,” Pető and Grzebalska write in their article on the gender politics of right-wing populism. “The illiberal right is not so much trying to eliminate the progressive civil society but rather turn it into a bogeyman that governing elites can activate whenever they need to mobilize their supporters.”
For much of Orbán’s time in power, Muslim refugees were the principal villain in this kind of story. Orbán linked their entry with George Soros, a Hungarian-American Jewish billionaire, arguing that he was <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/6/22/17493070/hungary-stop-soros-orban">facilitating migration as part of a plot to destroy the country’s Hungarian and Christian character</a>. The Islamophobic and anti-Semitic overtones were not subtle.
“We are fighting an enemy that is different from us. Not open, but hiding; not straightforward but crafty; not honest but base; not national but international; does not believe in working but speculates with money; does not have its own homeland but feels it owns the whole world,” <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-speech-hungarys-orban-attacks-enemy-who-speculates-with-money/">Orbán said in a 2018 speech</a>.
As the migrant crisis has receded, Fidesz has sought to inflame anti-LGBTQ sentiment (Soros <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/05/george-soros-orban-turns-to-familiar-scapegoat-as-hungary-rows-with-eu">remains a major villain</a> in government propaganda). That the party is going into high gear now with its demagoguery is not surprising — there’s a national election next year. Coming off <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/world/europe/eastern-europe-populist-leaders-unpopular.html">Hungary’s poor handling of Covid-19</a> and a scandal surrounding <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55145989">a leading Fidesz figure’s visit to a gay sex party</a>, a play to rev up <a href="https://theconversation.com/hungarian-anti-lgbtq-law-is-a-political-tactic-for-orban-162811">Fidesz’s socially conservative base</a> by presenting them with yet another enemy to hate is unsurprising.
Now, it’s important not to equate social conservatism with authoritarianism. Opposing equal rights for LGBTQ individuals, while certainly illiberal, could well be supported by an electoral majority in Hungary.
But far-right governments like Orbán’s typically use populism in service of their authoritarianism: Attacks on minority groups are not merely electoral appeals but also justifications for power grabs that weaken democracy’s foundations.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1624910194_8125_72872" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22686035,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/c7_L_V_qIpAn_HxiY4wQkYFzL9E=/0x0:6629x4419/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fOUrzmkvxT326qY9UUGPTM-GGzE=/0x0:6629x4419/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vRCy2UU0UVJ-p8dlTUT1zZ6mIgU=/0x0:6629x4419/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iIgDZk4vAOTUlUuZeYb9OU2WJsw=/0x0:6629x4419/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TaAJzwk5O6CF2g6vMvFsQJuZKro=/0x0:6629x4419/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0x3oP5E3pErh9oE8qVySkfOF9AM=/0x0:6629x4419/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XxcFPtVOc2BPTlh4JmpUPAKVJnM=/0x0:6629x4419/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OOoQYYOI231aHtC72n1Ti8eYBUw=/0x0:6629x4419/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UAZJW3mZ1RXCAXPrWPmo-6mf3w0=/0x0:6629x4419/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="Hungary’s ‘Illiberal Democracy’" data-upload-width="6629" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vG7WmN3lAbaqCd-Lwr6Z7W6HhV8=/0x0:6629x4419/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fwRVw7kcGCXvB3hJQqbQ9hV-Fx0=/0x0:6629x4419/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_C-dGdzTlktI492lQyyjXy3yO3w=/0x0:6629x4419/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S8IO8SpXG7E3R89WSzeXhc5onFY=/0x0:6629x4419/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nX_KZXXVMM_Te7s2r55_2sN4mVw=/0x0:6629x4419/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ouk8-QI6UfzbGHIucAUokn8boko=/0x0:6629x4419/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/so0hJcM2BtYhpsh-fA3mhYySURE=/0x0:6629x4419/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mGrubOcRyCjCC-mJ6uqqpIIz-TY=/0x0:6629x4419/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IFSgkpgswtiZgXo6gEW34rzXTIs=/0x0:6629x4419/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9ByoBPRugxs2jnwJufkWz4oQ4sg=/0x0:6629x4419/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:6629x4419):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22686035/1098373362.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>The Hungarian parliament building in Budapest at night.</figcaption>
<cite>Chris McGrath/Getty Images</cite></figure>
By 2017, Fidesz and its allies had managed to seize control <a href="https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/medialse/2017/08/29/the-state-of-hungarian-media-endgame/">over roughly 90 percent of the media</a>; since then, it has <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/02/10/hungary-forces-klubradio-air">continued to apply pressure</a> on the few free outlets that remain. The government uses tax and regulatory powers to <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/9/13/17823488/hungary-democracy-authoritarianism-trump">punish businesses whose owners challenge Fidesz</a>, passes laws making it difficult for <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/6/22/17493070/hungary-stop-soros-orban">human rights groups to operate</a>, and changed school curricula to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hungary-politics-teachers-protests/hungarian-teachers-say-new-school-curriculum-pushes-nationalist-ideology-idUSKBN1ZY28Y">match Fidesz narratives</a>.
Many of the anti-LGBTQ laws passed expand the state’s power to enforce ideological hegemony. In the name of fighting a phantom scourge, it has given itself new abilities to regulate education, media, and advertising — sometimes through vaguely worded provisions that could be enforced capriciously. In this sense, the anti-LGBTQ provisions aren’t merely cultural warfare but direct expansions of Orbán’s authoritarian reach.
This is not a uniquely Hungarian phenomenon: Authoritarian populists of both the right- and left-wing variety, in countries as diverse as <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/10/french-minister-rightly-shocked-polands-anti-lgbt-zones">Poland</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2017/9/19/16189742/venezuela-maduro-dictator-chavez-collapse">Venezuela</a> and <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-middle-east-studies/article/abs/public-tears-populism-and-the-politics-of-emotion-in-akps-turkey/6D9DAE85366F2C0B2F82305560951BC8">Turkey</a>, have used demonization of minorities and/or an allegedly corrupt elite to enact laws aimed at weakening their political opponents and revving up their base.
Closer to home, we’re seeing something similar afoot. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/06/22/state-university-faculty-students-to-be-surveyed-on-beliefs/#">recently signed a bill</a> that would require professors at state-funded universities to fill out surveys describing the campus ideological climate, threatening budget funds if schools are deemed insufficiently open to right-wing ideas. <a href="https://www.vox.com/22443822/critical-race-theory-controversy">Dozens of state legislatures</a> have passed or proposed bills that regulate what can be taught in the classroom on similar grounds — a response to the allegedly corrosive threat of “critical race theory” on the US educational system.
These American bills are not directly inspired by Hungarian policies. But the affinities between right-wing populists in these countries are real, with many leading thinkers on the American right <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/5/21/21256324/viktor-orban-hungary-american-conservatives">openly admiring Orbán’s willingness to wage culture wars</a>, to the point where they’re willing to downplay his authoritarian abuses.
“What I see in Orbán is one of the few major politicians in the West who seems to understand the importance of Christianity, and the importance of culture, and who is willing to defend these things against a very rich and powerful international establishment,” Rod Dreher, a senior writer at the American Conservative who <a href="https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/budapest-in-the-rain/">recently accepted</a> a writing fellowship at the government-funded Danube Institute in Budapest, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/5/21/21256324/viktor-orban-hungary-american-conservatives">told me last year</a>. “I find myself saying of Orbán what I hear conservatives say when they explain why they instinctively love Trump: because he fights. The thing about Orbán is that unlike Trump, he fights, and he wins, and his victories are substantive.”
This cultural affinity is effectively an intellectual shield for Orbán, with criticism of his anti-democratic tendencies portrayed by conservatives as a liberal smear.
“One suspects [allegations of authoritarianism are] just simple hatred of Christian conservatism, a fanatical projection of culture war antipathies to the near abroad,” Michael Brendan Dougherty writes in <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/05/coronavirus-pandemic-hungary-prime-minister-viktor-orban-not-a-dictator/">National Review</a>, without a hint of irony.
The Hungarian government has assiduously courted the global intellectual right, setting up meetings between Orbán and prominent socially conservative thinkers from countries ranging from Canada to Israel. The goal is to construct an international traditionalist alliance, centering on Budapest, that aligns right-wing populist movements in Europe and beyond. The culture war is a useful tool for normalizing Hungarian authoritarianism globally, and for enlisting allies who are willing to overlook anti-democratic abuses when the right side of the culture war is perpetrating them.
It’s a strategy that, in many ways, has worked for Orbán — and shows just how vulnerable democracy is to far-right cultural demagoguery.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/22547228/hungary-orban-lgbt-law-pedophilia-authoritarian">https://www.vox.com/22547228/hungary-orban-lgbt-law-pedophilia-authoritarian</a>

vox How hatred of gays became a key plank in Hungary’s authoritarian turn

During last week’s European championship soccer match between Germany and Hungary, the rainbow was everywhere on the German side. The German...

Air travel will suck this summer. Blame the airlines’ shortsighted layoffs.

The airlines are no longer desperate. Gone are the pandemic-era flight deals, flexible booking policies, and open middle seats. Millions of Americans are traveling again, as the weather warms (in some parts of the US) and vaccination rates rise. This is cause for optimism. The joys of normal life — summer vacations and guilt-free social gatherings — are on the horizon. But first, the airport.
Travel is back, and so are its all-too-many inconveniences: long security lines, pissed-off passengers, boarding mishaps, and <a href="https://www.newser.com/story/307740/frontier-airlines-is-charging-customers-for-covid-safety.html">random airline fees</a>. It’s not good news for summer travelers, especially those with trips booked around <a href="https://newsroom.aaa.com/2021/06/aaa-more-than-47m-americans-to-celebrate-with-an-independence-day-getaway/">Independence Day</a>, so plan accordingly for all of the above. And it isn’t just that <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/05/28/1001385922/the-faa-has-seen-a-significantly-higher-number-of-unruly-passenger-reports-in-20">rowdy travelers</a> might be acting up. From a logistical standpoint, things have actually gotten worse.
The number of flyers daily in the US is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, even though business and international travel have been slow to resume. Airlines and airports have struggled to accommodate this influx, which has resulted in longer <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Ftravel%2Fairline-news%2F2021%2F06%2F07%2Fairline-reservation-center-hold-times-long-travel-rebound-pandemic%2F7495967002%2F">customer service wait times</a>, significant flight delays, and sudden cancellations. In some cities, airport concession stands and restaurants aren’t fully staffed or open, leaving stranded travelers with fewer options for food and beverages.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Dropped someone off at the airport before 6AM (Austin). Jammed. Go early.
Also: <a href="https://twitter.com/AmericanAir?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmericanAir</a> a complete disaster. Canceling flights, terrible service. They took the generous bailout and fired thousands. Would avoid, if possible.
— Wait Capital (@WaitCapital) <a href="https://twitter.com/WaitCapital/status/1407686300686225410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Industry executives have attributed such inconveniences to bad weather and, perhaps more vaguely, “labor shortages.” A May memo from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to its employees warned that over 100 of America’s largest airports will <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/06/09/tsa-checkpoints-summer-travel/">struggle with staffing shortages</a> and asked office workers to assist with airport security on a volunteer basis. Delta’s CEO was concerned about staffing enough <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2021/05/13/delta-ceo-ed-bastian-travel-surge-pandemic-qmb.cnnbusiness">contracted workers</a> for the summer. American Airlines recently announced plans to cancel hundreds of flights in July, citing “unprecedented weather,” a spike in travel demand, and a dearth of workers. Skift, a news site on the travel industry, predicted a summer full of <a href="https://skift.com/2021/06/23/u-s-travels-great-summer-of-shortage/">subpar domestic travel experiences</a> — from elbow-to-elbow seating on flights to sold-out destinations — as a result of the labor shortage.
Republican lawmakers and business leaders have used similar language to describe America’s slow job recovery. They’ve <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/05/06/mcconnell-white-house-inflation-workers/">blamed the worker shortage</a> on generous unemployment benefits and stimulus checks, claiming that people would rather stay at home and receive government aid than apply for jobs, a theory rejected by economists. According to the Washington Post’s Heather Long, America is undergoing a “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/05/07/jobs-report-labor-shortage-analysis/">great reassessment of work</a>,” as people consider changing their industry or seek out higher-paying, stable jobs that are <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22543409/remote-work-from-home-jobs-supply-demand-hiring-platforms">less public-facing</a>. Regardless of the reason, America’s labor market is still <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2021/6/4/22517956/may-jobs-report-unemployment-rate">far from normal</a>, and certain sectors are recovering at different rates.
After a year spent slashing jobs, airlines and aviation subcontractors are now back on the hiring train. It’s not enough to hire back workers; those workers need to undergo training and security clearances. “For airlines, you just don’t go out and hire somebody,” Mike Boyd, an aviation consultant, told <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/video/labor-shortage-impacting-airlines-summer-192129761.html">Yahoo Finance</a>. “If you’re going to have them work at a ticket counter, they have to have training in hazardous materials and security. You just don’t bring people on real quick. The real issue is [the airlines] had to let somebody go.”
United’s CEO recently warned of a <a href="https://www.axios.com/united-ceo-america-pilot-shortage-166e566b-1c5b-47fd-869c-5c8ac2a35caa.html">pending pilot shortage</a> as older crew members retire, but it’s not just pilots that are in demand. Airlines and airports are looking to staff a variety of positions, from flight crew and food service workers to customer call staff and gate agents.
The airlines’ response has been akin to a corporate shoulder shrug that sidesteps the industry’s role in fragmenting its workforce, argued Laura Moran, a spokesperson for the Service Employees International Union. “There was a time when most folks — the customer service and wheelchair agents, security officers, cabin cleaners, and baggage handlers — were directly employed by the airlines,” Moran said. “Now, we have a real patchwork of subcontracted workers who perform crucial labor for the airlines.”
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<aside><q>“We have a real patchwork of subcontracted workers who perform crucial labor for the airlines”</q></aside>
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Some of these positions were first on the chopping block when travel halted. Thousands of jobs were nixed to stem immediate revenue loss — by airlines, airports, or the vendors they contracted out work. The travel and leisure industry accounted for a staggering <a href="https://www.ustravel.org/press/leisure-hospitality-accounts-whopping-39-jobs-lost-pandemic">39 percent</a> of all US job losses from Covid-19. Airlines cut about <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/12/us-airline-employment-to-reach-lowest-levels-in-decades-after-pandemic-cuts-90000-jobs.html">90,000 full-time</a>, in-house positions by the end of 2020, including the 30,000 workers they’ve placed on furlough.
Workers employed directly by the airlines were promised some job security; domestic carriers received <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/3/19/21186792/airline-bailouts-coronavirus-50-billion">billions of dollars in federal aid</a> — $25 billion in April 2020 and $15 billion in December 2020 — predicated on the condition that they would bring back employees or keep them on payroll for a set period of time. But thousands of others in <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tedreed/2020/05/05/hundreds-of-airport-workers-at-lax-and-sfo-were-just-laid-off-due-to-travel-shortfall/?sh=6723030f1ef9">contracted positions</a>, like cabin cleaners and wheelchair attendants, weren’t offered the same protections. A House investigation revealed that aviation contractors axed <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-treasury-contracto/aviation-contractors-axed-jobs-as-u-s-delayed-aid-house-panel-finds-idUSKBN26U2LY">tens of thousands of jobs</a> — roughly 15 percent of their workforce — even after receiving CARES Act funding for payroll assistance.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1624910083_4551_59139" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22681756,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5Z-aWlS6bNr9txkWjF_Zx3CIqY0=/0x0:5502x3684/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nu-u5GuESqluXY579ekLXGsBMb8=/0x0:5502x3684/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YtblXQ0E7vMZo0R0xBitnADBItA=/0x0:5502x3684/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d37rZHnNstHLP1l2xmUkvhBzQTg=/0x0:5502x3684/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NkdKTYlOka_WB2xxt6U3yhwkz6w=/0x0:5502x3684/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ynN7OzyzcpsbWb92Wjb_wyGgXyg=/0x0:5502x3684/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4qq53NNva8Y4uyvgq3dVZt0_4zk=/0x0:5502x3684/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aJih8W2fvP4XoKvyUjE7ltmXwHA=/0x0:5502x3684/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5kA3CYsLqmP-CldquHMjQYj3iAA=/0x0:5502x3684/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="American Airlines food caterers march in line, holding up signs that read “One job should be enough” to protest the lack of health care benefits they receive." data-upload-width="5502" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bb-CW6tsmTSoOktDc73r_vyJOjA=/0x0:5502x3684/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/N8s6nuHI_vSNMoQDIyrIUxoyWRQ=/0x0:5502x3684/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oA3c6EYUlqUG3_up3cTvYN2XaOQ=/0x0:5502x3684/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xzPeEGGuTSw4N7UloyURN-kYnQ4=/0x0:5502x3684/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/c1ykTdgrmDukf85gwJc5fHBQfPA=/0x0:5502x3684/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jh83EUyf82DHGm2Fx7lUPCalOHk=/0x0:5502x3684/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3-0QLvKj5etLLss_s3rNWVmnbWU=/0x0:5502x3684/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GzbzsD0rzlyqNCz_Ed2CA9SonI8=/0x0:5502x3684/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pUf2_2hntBNOp5-JrgDNHwf1EQ4=/0x0:5502x3684/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iU3kelgbvjBxJWH0kVfiuW2qp8k=/0x0:5502x3684/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5502x3684):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22681756/GettyImages_1190302619.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>American Airlines food caterers, who are employed by airline contractors, rally to demand health care benefits at JFK Airport in 2019.</figcaption>
<cite>Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images</cite></figure>
Thus, it’s inaccurate to chalk up a diminished passenger experience to a “labor shortage” without contextualizing the airline industry’s working conditions and standards — and why it’s seemingly unable to summon back tens of thousands of crucial workers. A shortage does little to acknowledge the fluctuations in work consistency and lack of financial security that many have contended with. The industry has long relied on an understaffed and underpaid workforce, with many clocking in on the front lines (which, again, are <a href="https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/flight-attendant-loses-2-teeth-in-assault-by-passenger-after-plane-lands-in-san-diego-union-chief-says/">unusually stressful</a> these days). Yet, airlines have consistently deflected blame toward the vendors and contractors that employ some of these missing workers. It’s a tactic used by major corporations (and the airlines themselves) to <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/141663/united-states-work">shirk responsibility</a> for low wages and the lack of worker benefits and protections.
Airlines work with different vendors to outsource different types of labor, from cleaning to food services to baggage handling. These vendors independently negotiate subcontracting agreements with the airline, Moran explained, which determines workers’ wages and benefits: “The result is a disconnected system of work with no standard wages, and it’s a situation the airlines have created to keep costs down and profits up. It’s unreasonable that low-wage Black and brown workers on the front lines are expected to bear the brunt of these problems when airlines are trying to reach profitability.”
Now, across the country, it seems there are fewer workers willing to return to an underpaid, unstable job, whether in retail, food service, or travel. The work of airport unions and organized labor in recent years have helped <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-14/now-arriving-at-america-s-airports-unions?sref=ExbtjcSG">secure better wages</a> for subcontracted employees, but inequities still persist in many cities.
“There isn’t a shortage of workers. There is a shortage of workers wanting to come back to work for poverty wages,” said Elsa Caballero, president of SEIU Texas, whose union represents janitorial, security, and building staff in airports. “Airlines, which are a major employer in Houston, are still paying way below $12 an hour.”
United, for example, has previously downplayed its relationship to subcontracted airport workers, dismissing its influence over vendors’ pay. In response to a “Fight for $15” protest in 2017, a spokesperson <a href="https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/05/24/fight-for-15-minimum-wage-united-airlines-mcdonalds-protests/">emphasized</a> how United does “not have a direct employer-employee relationship with [its] vendors’ employees,” as if that alone absolves the airline of any responsibility.
However, airlines do have leverage to raise wages, if they choose to intervene and place pressure on contractors. Workers at Philadelphia International Airport, for example, qualified for a $12 minimum wage after the city passed a “living wage” ordinance in 2014, but subcontracting companies refused to increase their pay rate until American Airlines upped its contract to pay for the discrepancy. American interjected again in 2017, <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/philadelphia-airport-workers-union-contract-20180611.html">the Philadelphia Inquirer reported</a>, when contractors refused to bargain with the workers’ union.
“In Houston, we’ve had to work with the mayor and city officials to create an <a href="https://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/press/living-wage-executive-order.html">executive order</a> to ensure that an airline like United will pay workers a living wage,” Caballero said. “We know airlines can pay more, but they are lowballing the contracts they offer vendors.”
Substantial federal aid has done little to assuage workers’ and union leaders’ fears of further layoffs. Airlines are still searching for ways to keep costs low. United Airlines, for example, told its in-house catering workers earlier this year that it was “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/07/business/united-airlines-workers-protest/index.html">exploring the option</a>” of working with a third-party contractor for its kitchen services, igniting a series of worker protests in April.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Representatives learned that <a href="https://twitter.com/united?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@United</a> has issued an RFP to outsource over 2,500 catering jobs in Newark, Cleveland, Denver, Houston & Honolulu, even tho United has already received $7.7 billion from the US gov't in order to keep workers employed & is able to receive billions more.
— UNITE HERE ✊ (@unitehere) <a href="https://twitter.com/unitehere/status/1389353398814842883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Running an airline is a high-cost operation. Slate’s Henry Grabar previously described the industry as “<a href="https://slate.com/business/2020/03/airlines-bailout-coronavirus.html">low-margin, capital-intensive businesses</a>,” which means a company’s cash savings won’t be very helpful during an extensive crisis. ”Capital-intensive means it’s hard to tighten your belt,” Grabar wrote. “You can save some money on fuel and food, but not on labor or rent. You still have to pay banks or leasing companies for your planes. You can’t save those seats for later, or fly twice as many flights when business picks up again. There is no factory to shut down. Even if you ground flights, many costs are fixed.” Customers have been expected to pay additional fees on top of ticket costs for additional luggage, seat selection, and priority boarding. (Fees are also another stream of revenue for airlines, one that is exempt from the <a href="https://www.airlines.org/dataset/government-imposed-taxes-on-air-transportation/">7 percent excise tax</a> on domestic airfare.)
Yet the aviation industry has a long history of generously padding the wallets of its executives, investors, and other shareholders through <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/airlines-and-boeing-want-a-bailout-but-look-how-much-theyve-spent-on-stock-buybacks-2020-03-18">stock buybacks</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/10/12/after-mismanaging-their-companies-with-stock-buybacks-and-lucrative-ceo-pay-packages-airlines-demand-another-25-billion-from-taxpayers/?sh=126a2f722358">hefty compensation packages</a>. All this, despite being a fundamentally expensive business. So far, they’ve squared that tricky circle by passing on costs to the consumer and neglecting the needs of workers who are central to airline operations.
While customer service and labor issues can seem at odds with one another, Caballero argues that improved working conditions can directly affect the passenger experience. Travelers and workers could find solidarity in the fact that they both expect more from airlines. If travelers are being nickel-and-dimed for every expense, where does the additional money go? Research shows that higher pay boosts employee performance and retention; in a place like the airport, in which so many workers are public-facing employees (sometimes dealing with unruly passengers), fair compensation and benefits should be prerequisites.
“This is a consumer issue,” said Caballero. “It affects passengers when airport workers are paid poorly and don’t want to show up, when there’s no one to push a wheelchair or answer questions at the gate. Their work is undervalued, yet it’s incredibly important to passengers.”
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22550623/air-travel-summer-post-covid-layoffs">https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22550623/air-travel-summer-post-covid-layoffs</a>

vox Air travel will suck this summer. Blame the airlines’ shortsighted layoffs.

The airlines are no longer desperate. Gone are the pandemic-era flight deals, flexible booking policies, and open middle seats. Millions of ...

Welcome to the Gatekeepers Issue of The Highlight

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<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1624910935_3955_70310" data-cdata='{"asset_id":21899595,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/D-jPReB2aZWDRsw1ZyW1yTRIhks=/0x0:909x278/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PPOHuk1i6lKh0t24EJpN4d4MG6s=/0x0:909x278/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GHWG7IAvpNo4oIBaDHADGLYUiFs=/0x0:909x278/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YIvdh3Lw8k42sBoyK5BaxFAwkkk=/0x0:909x278/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zJ8jXodR-2fMjB3q6xCpkKZj4dk=/0x0:909x278/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xeVoPRROa33_xQ7aG-z5hT2jZfU=/0x0:909x278/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/n2Tk9HJBj4LNop1iXGDRluWxwTM=/0x0:909x278/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BZUx8E-I2DkqyH58q_rh7JyaqOc=/0x0:909x278/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Zdfq63K4AK9LdTyDv3fQL0AO1bw=/0x0:909x278/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="909" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/diGo6w0rEymdaM13vLDktJ40X84=/0x0:909x278/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CfJJIPFi91BrQS2dHBl6-aTKSns=/0x0:909x278/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pAViUGXvr95DazUaYsrmfjboQMI=/0x0:909x278/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gUuFk5b3PJoqCBsfQTyispj8wRE=/0x0:909x278/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FQdJl4dKkrVPYcH6-nmkRrcWuJI=/0x0:909x278/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AaT-4n1TnJXoz7FtlMhw6FAiqgY=/0x0:909x278/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q9rAKMVRmKGTadRv0jGdpAx0wW4=/0x0:909x278/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-xl3J1pIya3ayEcHs_D3UOi_CUI=/0x0:909x278/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/E-YT0E40jstYraQXlQP-nJomki0=/0x0:909x278/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/X_zdWCFMG8XtT598kuo4H9UfC_Y=/0x0:909x278/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1920w" /></picture></figure>
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Until a global pandemic gave us the Summer That Wasn’t, there were a few things we could expect from the sultry months between June and September: at least one ubiquitous “song of summer,” an <a href="http://www.thefader.com/2018/07/26/song-of-summer-cardi-b-podcast">earworm</a> that would spill out of every car, club, and radio for months on end. Flashy, loud, and, often, inane blockbuster films. Concert tours and sprawling festivals. A slate of books vying to be the season’s beach reads.
Summer has always been a season of pop cultural happening, a time to reset our tastes and nudge out last year’s sounds and sights for something altogether new.
This summer — quickly shaping up to be the Summer That Was — seemed a perfect time to look at the people and forces that shape pop culture: the gatekeepers.
In our cover story, Constance Grady looks at the indomitable, and persistently undermined, power of teen girls as arbiters of culture. In just the past year, they have turned TikTok and “Driver’s License” into phenomena and relegated side parts and skinny jeans to the out-of-touch olds. As the culture reconsiders how it has treated young stars, including Britney Spears, Grady notes: “Across the pop culture landscape, teen girls — as both fans and creators of mass culture — are getting more respect now than they would have just five years ago. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/taylor-lorenz">The New York Times regularly reports on teen influencers</a>; Forbes puts together respectful write-ups of <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/08/06/tiktoks-highest-earning-stars-teen-queens-addison-rae-and-charli-damelio-rule/?sh=4b3fc97f5087">the money to be made with the teens on TikTok</a>.” But are teen girls finally getting their due, or have they simply become the targets of a crass cash-grab?
Charlie Harding, the co-host of the Switched on Pop podcast, explores what may be a monumental shift in the music business: Hit songs have somehow come to obscure the very singers belting them out. Blame streaming services’ playlists, which have created a “lean back” experience for listeners, allowing them to enjoy a tune without ever connecting with an artist, and leaving artists struggling to stand out from the crowd.
But sometimes, the ultimate gatekeeper is us: It was in the case of writer Isabel Fall, whose short story “I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter” might have remained a niche sci-fi tale if not for the Twitter maelstrom that enveloped it shortly after it published last year. How can a Twitter hoard undo a writer, or make it unsafe for art? In correspondence with Vox’s Emily VanDerWerff, Fall shares her story and how she has tried to keep her work alive.
And finally, film critic Carlos Aguilar explores the world of cultural criticism, which remains largely white and male. “A self-taught, undocumented Latino for whom English is a second language isn’t the prototype of a critic in this country,” he writes. But the effect isn’t felt just by wannabe critics; the sameness of critics contributes to a sameness of perspective, he writes, dulling dynamic conversations around art. Meanwhile, cartoonist Sam Nakahira explores the surprising political forces that practically willed K-pop into a global phenomenon.
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<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1624910935_3319_70311" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22679066,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NzQG1G3Gt775d-KI1IrJ6Vh6DY0=/0x0:3200x1800/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FV8VgapsRh8Plx_Uj7NDlsOEzbQ=/0x0:3200x1800/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NmwWtT0fx_NMjqphkJM86-xtza0=/0x0:3200x1800/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/44YCZmSb1Cxf2gO2azPulT1Y3eM=/0x0:3200x1800/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lzIyBHFE10GDa45M40986z0gw-0=/0x0:3200x1800/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hIKBTtCibEjTy2KmzpMtMFDFeWA=/0x0:3200x1800/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eldue8X6pdwEOL6nVK-5ySTTYTw=/0x0:3200x1800/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5TG5wINoCscR3Wyxe13_zi7hogA=/0x0:3200x1800/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8UJZe5hdDXWDrW9SVTP6h1FjwSg=/0x0:3200x1800/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="A photo collage of girls and products." data-upload-width="3200" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kjU8GZU3FabAc5bJWDMJamae3oM=/0x0:3200x1800/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ehlTEGoAR_4S7cNAGdqR0bK9CaQ=/0x0:3200x1800/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/paaBeNEMe4Xl2H5xUqoWP3hO6mY=/0x0:3200x1800/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zg1VZ5hP1Y3KkVaUEuAweIP2dzw=/0x0:3200x1800/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/A-ortLzvtYmmqKWMCQIkc9L3x0A=/0x0:3200x1800/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wn_2SIQLtexsCGUwfY-6aFZvCjo=/0x0:3200x1800/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ww5XK8v4n8E_bMQh61X0jO3H7NU=/0x0:3200x1800/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gUYQnuvjFGLW2Q611q91z2EVnys=/0x0:3200x1800/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/__rwdJIfYnDzlz8HfFs6oPz5q5U=/0x0:3200x1800/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8DwmOt7yTMvipWgv5qzmaCsiwZY=/0x0:3200x1800/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679066/vox_teen_girls_page_2_final__1_.jpeg 1920w" /></picture> <cite>Beth Hoeckel for Vox/Getty Images</cite></figure>
They shape everything from what we listen to to how we part our hair. Will we ever give them the respect they deserve?
By Constance Grady
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Streaming services’ playlists make it easier for listeners to find music worth playing. But experts say they’re also breaking fans’ relationships with artists.
By Charlie Harding
<hr class="p-entry-hr" />
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1624910935_7929_70313" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22679108,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TPelsh5LuCeMuJjnE1uu6zZG0nU=/0x0:5655x3181/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KtBt11QHan6cisQFCv_n8YKhAV4=/0x0:5655x3181/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oDZjfY0B2TK1MzoaaVJaWgiRanE=/0x0:5655x3181/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OmfWL6lchDDCj27G1fEGGhAKfVc=/0x0:5655x3181/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xQYhpLZL_sXhTSUeQIPswq8kKOI=/0x0:5655x3181/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FVWVj0jX78wBzji3S88bqViD3y0=/0x0:5655x3181/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JbtBvBJaKaOFi4wKNI3ChqQs8M8=/0x0:5655x3181/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MEj4MGUeB4GMrRKlfX5DgkNkK08=/0x0:5655x3181/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eILEId4xK4EIeR7QWPdB_rd4cqA=/0x0:5655x3181/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="An illustration of a helicopter burning with a man carrying a rocket launcher in the foreground." data-upload-width="5655" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sQWlu_DlFUWsjl48-FbqIPM76d4=/0x0:5655x3181/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/y3iURssBEysa69aoZahorZ011-E=/0x0:5655x3181/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BZlBWwuzFLzFC591n9bI66Toy9I=/0x0:5655x3181/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/O36Mxt5qIW0Hw8kNO_ZuHhu_Vbc=/0x0:5655x3181/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pC1q-zHTKdcxkjvnKmvVp7EKz2Y=/0x0:5655x3181/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RAtVsuqSL__QOHdaW3w1C1JmdKM=/0x0:5655x3181/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qv7WS3rF4kOIXkspbM6ZwOyxkGw=/0x0:5655x3181/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1KbsMO781seLMKlaPzCbtKOgFyo=/0x0:5655x3181/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Hzvfb0CFtO5SQpUmrkJUUGBdUoA=/0x0:5655x3181/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/L9oOIfreiEm73FL1Fm5EbzDUA8E=/0x0:5655x3181/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5655x3181):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679108/GettyImages_840299164.jpeg 1920w" /></picture> <cite>Getty Images/iStockphoto</cite></figure>
Isabel Fall’s sci-fi story “I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter” drew the ire of the internet. This is what happened next.
By Emily VanDerWerff
<hr class="p-entry-hr" />
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1624910935_3065_70314" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22679114,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UxpVDjyV4Y7JCBGI1OsF-prlboo=/0x0:3000x1688/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Jds4mz6CXDqdyelCIUrDHhc0sWQ=/0x0:3000x1688/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S8AZ2Aob14SNDNT8pRMLfLihGSY=/0x0:3000x1688/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cpS2_irK2ySeyNOuKfWnNBLZolY=/0x0:3000x1688/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3wslwcJF9HTi2IX9_ywS4-wNPq4=/0x0:3000x1688/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vS1q46FWh9RvHp4AUC5CdMhKHMA=/0x0:3000x1688/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VOq-HK4U6W2H62kdN35n160TOB4=/0x0:3000x1688/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/g2QKc8K09sAxusW8mrfTaSPFQw4=/0x0:3000x1688/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nDv_VW09fPe_BBcng_5ENd1h4ss=/0x0:3000x1688/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="Illustration of a theater full of critics, mostly white men with few people of color." data-upload-width="3000" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/u6YFkU2UKFdHWzCFy-m9_a7zjFE=/0x0:3000x1688/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dOE-89q_AK2-MdxtdzTZnHUH8wc=/0x0:3000x1688/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Sg4FhsDpABPuoP_aiPNCE15RRGk=/0x0:3000x1688/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1mXm8NDExb8BCuhCnoskXA7EUyg=/0x0:3000x1688/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7XWZs4qm2lcCys57VeKBHosuxgg=/0x0:3000x1688/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/G7RiJcMw8vhNRRn96l-ON8fdE1E=/0x0:3000x1688/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BADTBxsy6Sufyd3Cwmt9lv1w6vw=/0x0:3000x1688/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Zefi34ttB8ZihqoU2_yqGvRrJfc=/0x0:3000x1688/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/evsOdI9LEkYUGzfV4WOhIsmcmyA=/0x0:3000x1688/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oPUkL7rWDlGhpVz0FjJ4mCcjYNQ=/0x0:3000x1688/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1688):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679114/Vox_Cinema_VOX_3000_pixels_by_1688_300_dpi.jpeg 1920w" /></picture> <cite>Michelle Rohn for Vox</cite></figure>
I never believed I could be one. That’s the problem.
By Carlos Aguilar
<hr class="p-entry-hr" />
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1624910935_4346_70315" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22679127,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yrutTyA4W5hoRi4pwdrfAa1wY3c=/0x0:3133x4709/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sg82Ji0TK7cqbU7Xh2q3AcMvRY8=/0x0:3133x4709/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q-2Qo4pGWsTJYVajLnJDcCnthm0=/0x0:3133x4709/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sKZbOgHAtawQSPbWBgZspwJCtt4=/0x0:3133x4709/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MqDvToZGR4ZPpz5em-93auHyTo8=/0x0:3133x4709/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7yPxxqtwTcymr8gD7IXC2VM_IHQ=/0x0:3133x4709/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NXuqFZXOauj7HSgN_Ce4ij0uEYU=/0x0:3133x4709/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GXFOIRRWPPrN6NVXskZxHmA2Beo=/0x0:3133x4709/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BfN0fxIBq6FDkWYAoo6oh2Sy92E=/0x0:3133x4709/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="An illustration of a K-pop act." data-upload-width="3133" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QltL5Q7JgtCB7U-WTRGPgjbTrIg=/0x0:3133x4709/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AV7s-CFLbXEGWtWm77fmG7oerUM=/0x0:3133x4709/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/G3xQRuzFchdex8NRDYxYEMyhlsI=/0x0:3133x4709/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YHEW9k2CmYWxA0Mrwrq22Ez6ylg=/0x0:3133x4709/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U6ngxXX7cgBEC4ntKjBdJnNryw8=/0x0:3133x4709/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cxiEv5wdCHXqubgHbIBvmQm3vSQ=/0x0:3133x4709/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MTd3uCR3fhyAvc8blNVWjtr1R4Q=/0x0:3133x4709/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Rvxtz8_yhKynbX1_WgUekofSa-g=/0x0:3133x4709/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8aCh9b_AdjUeqvsk5Y-CMOqomus=/0x0:3133x4709/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/z8j9hPt7YEHWpC-ljDV2Kdhi5x4=/0x0:3133x4709/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3133x4709):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22679127/p.6.png 1920w" /></picture> <cite>Sam Nakahira for Vox</cite></figure>
The influence of the “wave” of Korean music and film on global culture was no accident.
By Sam Nakahira
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22548764/welcome-to-the-gatekeepers-issue-of-the-highlight">https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22548764/welcome-to-the-gatekeepers-issue-of-the-highlight</a>

vox Welcome to the Gatekeepers Issue of The Highlight

Until a global pandemic gave us the Summer That Wasn’t, there were a few things we could expect from the sultry months between June and ...