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<title>23 May, 2023</title>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Inflammation durably imprints memory CD4+ T cells</strong> -
<div>
Adaptive immune responses are induced by vaccination and infection, yet little is known about how CD4+ T cell memory differs when primed in these two contexts. Notably, viral infection is generally associated with higher levels of systemic inflammation than is vaccination. To assess whether the inflammatory milieu at the time of CD4+ T cell priming has long-term effects on memory, we compared Spike-specific memory CD4+ T cells in 22 individuals around the time of the participants’ third SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination, with stratification by whether the participants’ first exposure to Spike was via virus or mRNA vaccine. Multimodal single-cell profiling of Spike-specific CD4+ T cells revealed 755 differentially expressed genes that distinguished infection- and vaccine-primed memory CD4+ T cells. Spike-specific CD4+ T cells from infection-primed individuals had strong enrichment for cytotoxicity and interferon signaling genes, whereas Spike-specific CD4+ T cells from vaccine-primed individuals were enriched for proliferative pathways by gene set enrichment analysis. Moreover, Spike-specific memory CD4+ T cells established by infection had distinct epigenetic landscapes driven by enrichment of IRF-family transcription factors, relative to T cells established by mRNA vaccination. This transcriptional imprint was minimally altered following subsequent mRNA vaccination or breakthrough infection, reflecting the strong bias induced by the inflammatory environment during initial memory differentiation. Together, these data suggest that the inflammatory context during CD4+ T cell priming is durably imprinted in the memory state at transcriptional and epigenetic levels, which has implications for personalization of vaccination based on prior infection history.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.15.516351v2" target="_blank">Inflammation durably imprints memory CD4+ T cells</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>An Atlas of Adaptive Evolution in Endemic Human Viruses</strong> -
<div>
Through antigenic evolution, viruses like seasonal influenza evade recognition by neutralizing antibodies elicited by previous infection or vaccination. This means that a person with antibodies well-tuned to an initial infection will not be protected against the same virus years later and that vaccine-mediated protection will decay. It is not fully understood which of the many endemic human viruses evolve in this fashion. To expand that knowledge, we assess adaptive evolution across the viral genome in 28 endemic viruses, spanning a wide range of viral families and transmission modes. We find that surface proteins consistently show the highest rates of adaptation, and estimate that ten viruses in this panel undergo antigenic evolution to selectively fix mutations that enable the virus to escape recognition by prior immunity. We compare overall rates of amino acid substitution between these antigenically-evolving viruses and SARS-CoV-2, showing that SARS-CoV-2 viruses are accumulating protein-coding changes at substantially faster rates than these endemic viruses.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.19.541367v1" target="_blank">An Atlas of Adaptive Evolution in Endemic Human Viruses</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Breakthrough infections by SARS-CoV-2 variants boost cross-reactive hybrid immune responses in mRNA-vaccinated Golden Syrian Hamsters</strong> -
<div>
Hybrid immunity to SARS-CoV-2 provides superior protection to re-infection. We performed immune profiling studies during breakthrough infections in mRNA-vaccinated hamsters to evaluate hybrid immunity induction. mRNA vaccine, BNT162b2, was dosed to induce binding antibody titers against ancestral spike, but inefficient serum virus neutralization of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 or variants of concern (VoCs). Vaccination reduced morbidity and controlled lung virus titers for ancestral virus and Alpha but allowed breakthrough infections in Beta, Delta and Mu-challenged hamsters. Vaccination primed T cell responses that were boosted by infection. Infection back-boosted neutralizing antibody responses against ancestral virus and VoCs. Hybrid immunity resulted in more cross-reactive sera. Transcriptomics post-infection reflects both vaccination status and disease course and suggests a role for interstitial macrophages in vaccine-mediated protection. Therefore, protection by vaccination, even in the absence of high titers of neutralizing antibodies in the serum, correlates with recall of broadly reactive B- and T-cell responses.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.22.541294v1" target="_blank">Breakthrough infections by SARS-CoV-2 variants boost cross-reactive hybrid immune responses in mRNA-vaccinated Golden Syrian Hamsters</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The COVID-19 mRNA vaccine Comirnaty induces anaphylactic shock in an anti-PEG hyperimmune large animal model: Role of complement in cardiovascular, hematological, and inflammatory mediator changes</strong> -
<div>
Background: Comirnaty, Pfizer-BioNTech's polyethylene-glycol (PEG)-containing Covid-19 vaccine, can cause hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) in a small fraction of immunized people which can, very rarely, culminate in life-threatening anaphylaxis. A role of anti-PEG antibodies (Abs) has been proposed, but causality has not yet been proven in an animal model. This study aimed to provide such evidence using anti-PEG hyperimmune pigs (i.e., pigs displaying very high levels of anti-PEG Abs). We also sought to find evidence for the role of complement (C) activation and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) release in blood as contributing effects to anaphylaxis. Methods: Pigs (n=6) were immunized with 0.1 mg/kg PEGylated liposome (Doxebo) i.v. the rise of anti-PEG IgG and IgM was measured in serial blood samples with ELISA. After 2-3 weeks, during the height of seroconversion, the animals were injected i.v. with 1/3 human vaccine dose (HVD) of Comirnaty, and the hemodynamic (PAP, SAP), cardiopulmonary (HR, EtCO2,), hematological parameters (WBC, granulocyte, lymphocyte, and platelet counts) and blood immune mediators (anti-PEG IgM and IgG Abs, C3a and TXA2) were measured as endpoints of HSRs. Results: A week after immunization of 6 pigs with Doxebo, the level of anti-PEG IgM and IgG rose 5-10-thousands-fold in all animals, and they all developed anaphylactic shock to i.v. injection of 1/3 HVD of Comirnaty. The reaction, starting within 1 min, led to the abrupt decline of SAP along with maximal pulmonary hypertension, decreased pulse pressure amplitude, tachycardia, granulo- and thrombocytopenia, and paralleling rises of plasma C3a and TXB2 levels. These vaccine effects were not observed in non-immunized pigs. Conclusions: Consistent with previous studies with PEGylated nano-liposomes, these data show a causal role of anti-PEG Abs in the anaphylaxis to Comirnaty. The reaction involves C activation, and, hence, it represents C activation-related pseudo-allergy (CARPA). The setup provides the first large-animal model for mRNA-vaccine-induced anaphylaxis in humans.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.19.541479v1" target="_blank">The COVID-19 mRNA vaccine Comirnaty induces anaphylactic shock in an anti-PEG hyperimmune large animal model: Role of complement in cardiovascular, hematological, and inflammatory mediator changes</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Stress, Genetics and Mood: Impact of COVID-19 on a College Freshman Sample</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objectives: Use a longitudinal approach to study the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the emergence of symptoms of depression and/or anxiety in college freshmen. Define the interplay between genetic risk and psychosocial factors in shaping vulnerability or resilience to pandemic stress. Methods: University of Michigan freshmen were characterized at baseline using multiple psychological instruments. They were genotyped and polygenic risk score for depression (MDD-PRS) was calculated. Daily physical activity was captured. They were sampled at multiple time points throughout the freshman year on clinical rating scales, including GAD-7 and PHQ-9 for anxiety and depression, respectively. The 2019-2020 cohort (N=122) was compared to an earlier cohort (N=106) to assess the impact of the pandemic. Results: Across cohorts, 25%-57% of freshmen developed significant symptoms of anxiety or depression. In the 2019-2020 cohort, measures of anxiety and depression increased significantly after the onset of COVID-19. Physical activity was dramatically reduced by the pandemic and was associated with the emergence of mood symptoms. Low MDD-PRS subjects exhibited lower relative risk for depression/anxiety during a typical freshman year, but they were more negatively impacted by the pandemic than High MDD-PRS subjects. Conversely, a cluster of psychological indices at baseline predicted resilience in High MDD-PRS subjects who did not develop a mood disorder post-stress. Conclusions: The pandemic had a profound impact on college freshmen triggering depression and anxiety symptoms. Pandemic stress overrode the advantage conferred by “genetic resilience”. By contrast, “psychosocial resilience” was protective even in the face of high genetic risk and pandemic stress.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.13.22283409v2" target="_blank">Stress, Genetics and Mood: Impact of COVID-19 on a College Freshman Sample</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Power users: Canadian sex workers’ use of technology post COVID</strong> -
<div>
Background: The transition from physical to online advertising by sex workers in Canada has been well documented. However, few studies use rigorous sampling methods. This study considers how a technically sophisticated group of advertisers from a large Canadian sex work classifieds site used multiple online resources to promote or provide services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Advertisers were identified from internal chat names found in a collection of 891695 ads downloaded between September 15, 2021 and September 22, 2022. Advertisers qualified for the study if they used a URL as part of their contact information and were actively advertising between August 23 and September 22, 2022. A random sample of 1000 of these advertisers were selected for further study out of which 783 had accessible contact URLs. Thematic analysis was performed on downloaded website texts and ad metadata was used to identify demographic and behavioral variables. Results: Almost all (99%) sampled advertisers provided in person services and most (70%) provided online services. They advertised more frequently, were more affluent and were more likely to be trans-female, White, and collective. Themes of security, health, identity, and social networks were identified. Advertisers emphasized physical, emotional, and financial security. Most workers did not work in isolation and many participated in extensive social networks. Conclusions: Rigorous sampling methods are feasible in sex work research. The sampled advertisers represented distinct subgroups underlining the need for researchers to provide context for samples used in research. Advertisers showed considerable adaptability in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/u5kd2/" target="_blank">Power users: Canadian sex workers’ use of technology post COVID</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Dynamical nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations identify allosteric sites and positions associated with drug resistance in the SARS-CoV-2 main protease</strong> -
<div>
The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) plays an essential role in the coronavirus lifecycle by catalysing hydrolysis of the viral polyproteins at specific sites. Mpro is the target of drugs, such as nirmatrelvir, though resistant mutants have emerged that threaten drug efficacy. Despite its importance, questions remain on the mechanism of how Mpro binds its substrates. Here, we apply dynamical nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (D-NEMD) simulations to evaluate structural and dynamical responses of Mpro to the presence and absence of a substrate. The results highlight communication between the Mpro dimer subunits and identify networks, including some far from the active site, that link the active site with a known allosteric inhibition site, or which are associated with nirmatrelvir resistance. They imply that some mutations enable resistance by altering the allosteric behaviour of Mpro. More generally, the results show the utility of the D-NEMD technique for identifying functionally relevant allosteric sites and networks including those relevant to resistance.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.10.519730v3" target="_blank">Dynamical nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations identify allosteric sites and positions associated with drug resistance in the SARS-CoV-2 main protease</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Epidemiological drivers of transmissibility and severity of SARS-CoV-2 in England</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic progressed, distinct variants emerged and dominated in England. These variants, Wildtype, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron were characterized by variations in transmissibility and severity. We used a robust mathematical model and Bayesian inference framework to analyse epidemiological surveillance data from England. We quantified the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), therapeutics, and vaccination on virus transmission and severity. Each successive variant had a higher intrinsic transmissibility. Omicron (BA.1) had the highest basic reproduction number at 8.3 (95% credible interval (CrI) 7.7-8.8). Varying levels of NPIs were crucial in controlling virus transmission until population immunity accumulated. Immune escape properties of Omicron decreased effective levels of immunity in the population by a third. Furthermore, in contrast to previous studies, we found Alpha had the highest basic infection fatality ratio (2.9%, 95% CrI 2.7-3.2), followed by Delta (2.2%, 95% CrI 2.0-2.4), Wildtype (1.2%, 95% CrI 1.1-1.2), and Omicron (0.7%, 95% CrI 0.6-0.8). Our findings highlight the importance of continued surveillance. Long-term strategies for monitoring and maintaining effective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 are critical to inform the role of NPIs to effectively manage future variants with potentially higher intrinsic transmissibility and severe outcomes.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.02.10.23285516v2" target="_blank">Epidemiological drivers of transmissibility and severity of SARS-CoV-2 in England</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities for Child Behavioral Health Services in North Carolina Medicaid</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: Psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTFs) are a type of non-hospital inpatient treatment setting for children with severe behavioral health disorders. PRTFs are a restrictive and costly form of care that can potentially be avoided with community-based behavioral health services. Methods: Statewide Medicaid enrollment and claims data for 2015 to 2022 were used to describe PRTF utilization in North Carolina. We examined annual episodes of care in PRTFs and compared trends before and during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Results: From 2015 to 2022, 10,038 children insured by North Carolina Medicaid entered a PRTF across 10,966 episodes of care. In the past five years (2018-2022), care in PRTFs resulted in Medicaid expenditures of over $550 million total, or over $100 million per year. In 2022, 42% of children who entered PRTFs were in foster care and 44% of children were placed in PRTFs outside of North Carolina. Limitations: Analysis limited to data collected for administrative purposes. Conclusions: Current trends indicate ongoing overrepresentation of children in foster care placed in PRTFs and increased out-of-state PRTF placements. Coordinated efforts in future research, policy, and practice are needed to determine the cause of these trends and identify solutions.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.21.22283789v2" target="_blank">Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities for Child Behavioral Health Services in North Carolina Medicaid</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Individual costs and societal benefits of interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Individual and societal reactions to an ongoing pandemic can lead to social dilemmas: In some cases, each individual is tempted to not follow an intervention, but for the whole society it would be best if they did. Now that in most countries the extent of regulations to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission is very small, interventions are driven by individual decision-making. Assuming that individuals act in their best own interest, we propose a framework in which this situation can be quantified, depending on the protection the intervention provides to a user and to others, the risk of getting infected, and the costs of the intervention. We discuss when a tension between individual and societal benefits arises and which parameter comparisons are important to distinguish between different regimes of intervention use.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.02.08.23285651v2" target="_blank">Individual costs and societal benefits of interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Predicting the public health impact of bivalent vaccines and nirmatrelvir-ritonavir against COVID-19</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: Uptake of COVID-19 bivalent vaccines and oral medication nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) has remained low across the United States. Assessing the public health impact of increasing uptake of these interventions in key risk groups can guide further public health resources and policy. Methods: This modeling study used person-level data from the California Department of Public Health on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and vaccine administration from July 23, 2022 to January 23, 2023. We modeled the impact of additional uptake of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines and nirmatrelvir-ritonavir during acute illness in different risk groups defined by age (50+, 65+, 75+ years) and vaccination status (everyone, primary series only, previously vaccinated). We predicted the number of averted COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths and number needed to treat (NNT). Results: For both bivalent vaccines and nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, the most efficient strategy (based on NNT) for averting severe COVID-19 was targeting the 75+ years group. We predicted that perfect coverage of bivalent boosters in the 75+ years group would avert 3,920 hospitalizations (95%UI: 2,491-4,882; 7.8% total averted; NNT 387) and 1,074 deaths (95%UI: 774-1,355; 16.2% total averted; NNT 1,410). Perfect uptake of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir in the 75+ years group would avert 5,644 hospitalizations (95%UI: 3,947-6,826; 11.2% total averted; NNT 11) and 1,669 deaths (95%UI: 1,053-2,038; 25.2% total averted; NNT 35). Conclusions: These findings suggest prioritizing uptake of bivalent boosters and nirmatrelvir-ritonavir among the oldest age groups would be efficient and have substantial public health impact in reducing the burden of severe COVID-19, but would not address the entire burden of severe COVID-19.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.18.23289533v1" target="_blank">Predicting the public health impact of bivalent vaccines and nirmatrelvir-ritonavir against COVID-19</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Evaluating the Association of Depressive Disorder Symptoms and Moral Injuries in Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Abstract Background: Moral injury occurs when negative distressing emotions appear and are suppressed. This could lead to several mental health problems such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and result in long-lasting emotional, behavioral, and social problems. Moral injury, a term more commonly used in war contexts, has come into the spotlight during COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to evaluate the rate of moral injury and its association with psychological injuries during this healthcare crisis. Methods: We assessed the rates of depression, anxiety, stress, and their association with moral injury among 333 nurses, medical interns, and residents between December 2020 and January 2021. This study was done using validated versions of Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) and Moral Injury Symptom Scale-Healthcare Professionals (MISS-HP) scores. Results: Totally 333 healthcare professionals participated in this study, mostly aged between 26 to 30 years old. Nearly half of the participants had a clinically significant moral injury. The average scores of anxiety and stress were significantly higher in women. The participants who were single showed higher rates of depression and moral injury than married ones. Moreover, anxiety, stress, depression, and moral injury were higher in nurses than other healthcare professionals. The scarcity of personal protective equipment at the workplace and giving care to patients with end-stage COVID-19 diagnosis were among the factors associated with a higher risk of developing mental health problems. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that anxiety, stress, depression, and moral injury were prevalent among healthcare professionals during COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the rates of anxiety, stress, and depression were associated with moral injuries.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.20.23290269v1" target="_blank">Evaluating the Association of Depressive Disorder Symptoms and Moral Injuries in Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Laboratory biomarkers associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: Laboratory biomarkers are amongst the best imperative predictors of disease outcomes in hospital-admitted COVID-19 patients. Although data is available in this regard at a global level, there is a paucity of information in Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to assess the laboratory biomarkers association with death among COVID-19 patients in Ethiopia. Methods: A health facility-based longitudinal study was conducted from 2020 to 2022 among RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted and on treatment follow-up at COVID-19 treatment hospitals in Addis Ababa. A robust Poisson regression model was fitted to assess the association between demographic, clinical, and laboratory factors and death. Significance was determined at p&lt;0.05, and variables with p &lt; 0.15 in bivariate analyses were included in the final multivariable models. Incidence rate ratio (IRR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to describe associations. Results: Of the 2357 COVID-19 patients, 248 (10.5%) died. The median age of participants was 59 (IQR= 45- 70) years, and the majority (64.9%) of them were male. Lower median RBC was observed among those who died at 4.58 (4.06-5.07) as compared to those who survived at 4.69 (4.23-5.12) whereas high median (IQR) WBC was a predictor of mortality with 11.2 (7.7-15.9). After adjusting for confounders, death was associated with age &gt;74 years having adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR (95%CI): 2.46 (1.40-4.34)], and critical clinical situations [aIRR (95% CI): 4.04 (2.18-7.52)]. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that abnormal liver function tests, abnormal white blood cells, age of the patients, and clinical status of the patients during admission are associated with unfavorable outcomes of COVID-19. Hence, timely monitoring of these laboratory results at the earliest phase of the disease was highly commendable.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.20.23290268v1" target="_blank">Laboratory biomarkers associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia</a>
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<li><strong>Defining the Subtypes of Long COVID and Risk Factors for Prolonged Disease</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objective- To empirically derive a long COVID case definition consisting of significantly increased signs, symptoms, and diagnoses to support clinical, public health, research, and policy initiatives related to the pandemic. Design- Case-Crossover Population-based study Setting- Veterans Affairs medical centers across the United States between January 1 2020 and August 18 2022. Participants- 367148 individuals with positive COVID-19 tests and preexisting ICD-10-CM codes recorded in the VA electronic health record were enrolled. Trigger- SARS-CoV2 infection documented by positive laboratory test. Case Window- One to seven months following positive COVID testing. Main Outcomes and Measures- We defined signs, symptoms, and diagnoses as being associated with long COVID if they had a novel case frequency of at least 1 to 1000 and they were significantly increased in our entire cohort after a positive COVID test when compared to case frequencies before COVID testing. We present odds ratios with confidence intervals for long COVID signs, symptoms, and diagnoses, organized by ICD10-CM functional groups and medical specialty. We used our definition to assess long COVID risk based upon a patients9 demographics, Elixhauser score, vaccination status, and COVID disease severity. Results- We developed a long COVID definition consisting of 323 ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes grouped into 143 ICD-10-CM functional groups that were significantly increased in our 367148 patient post-COVID population. In our long COVID definition at a proportion of at least 59.7 percent (based on all COVID positive patients). Patients with more severe cases of COVID-19 and multiple comorbidities were more likely to develop long COVID. Conclusions and Relevance- An actionable, empirical definition for long COVID can help clinicians screen for and diagnose long COVID, allowing identified patients to be admitted into appropriate monitoring and treatment programs. An actionable long COVID definition can also support public health, research and policy initiatives. COVID patients with low oxygen saturation levels or multiple co-comorbidities should be preferentially watched for the development of long COVID.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.19.23290234v1" target="_blank">Defining the Subtypes of Long COVID and Risk Factors for Prolonged Disease</a>
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<li><strong>Viral rebound among patients receiving COVID-19 convalescent plasma for treatment of Covid-19 in Uganda.</strong> -
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Background: Viral rebound has been reported in people infected with COVID-19 treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, and some cases been reported in patients who did not receive any antiviral treatment. Since the course of COVID-19 has not yet been well defined, we evaluated the incidence of viral rebound among COVID-19 patients treated with COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP) in Uganda. Methods: In the CCP trail, 136 patients were enrolled between 21st September 2020 and 2nd December 2020 who presented to the Mulago National Referral COVID-19 treatment unit. Patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR test irrespective of disease severity were hospitalized and randomized to receive either COVID-19 CCP plus standard of care (SOC) or SOC alone. SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR was done at baseline and on days 3, 5, 7, 14 and 28 post randomisation or until two consecutive negative RT-PCR results were obtained, whichever occurred first. We analysed for occurrence of viral rebound. Viral rebound was defined as a positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test following a prior negative test. Findings: 20% of the participants had viral rebound. Viral rebounders were predominantly male. The median age was 45-64 years and they had at least one co-morbidity. There was no difference in the rebound rates in the study arms, and participants with hypertension had more rebound rates compared to those with other co-morbidities. Interpretation: Viral RNA rebound was common among patients receiving CCP. Viral rebound may be a result of the biphasic nature of COVID-19 infection, and not a consequence of the therapeutic interventions.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.16.23290033v1" target="_blank">Viral rebound among patients receiving COVID-19 convalescent plasma for treatment of Covid-19 in Uganda.</a>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Standard of Care Combined With Glucocorticoid in Elderly People With Mild or Moderate COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Glucocorticoid<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Huashan Hospital<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Investigation of the Effect on Cognitive Skills of COVID-19 Survivors</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: green walking and intelligence gam<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Bayburt University;   Karadeniz Technical University<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Conducting Clinical Trials of the Medicine “Rutan Tablets 0.1g” No. 10 in the Complex Therapy of COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Patients With COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: The drug “Rutan 0.1”.;   Other: Basic treatment<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Research Institute of Virology, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Effect of Special Discharge Training in the COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: COVID-19 Discharge Education<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Kilis 7 Aralik University<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Arginine Replacement Therapy in COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Arginine Hydrochloride<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Emory University<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Effectiveness of a Second COVID-19 Vaccine Booster in Chinese Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Intramuscularly administered Ad5-nCoV vaccine;   Biological: Aerosolized Ad5-nCoV;   Biological: DelNS1-2019-nCoV-RBD-OPT1;   Biological: SYS6006<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Jiangsu Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Studying the Efficiency of the Natural Preparation Rutan in Children in the Treatment of COVID-19, ARVI</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Rutan 25 mg;   Other: Control group<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Research Institute of Virology, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Pilot Study Evaluating the Efficacy of the Vielight Neuro RX Gamma in the Treatment of Post COVID-19 Cognitive Impairment</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post COVID-19 Cognitive Impairment<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Device: Vielight Neuro RX Gamma active device;   Device: Vielight Neuro RX Gamma sham device<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Vielight Inc.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>PAxlovid loNg cOvid-19 pRevention triAl With recruitMent In the Community in Norway</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post COVID-19 Condition, Unspecified;   SARS-CoV2 Infection;   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Haukeland University Hospital;   University of Bergen<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Use of a Hypochlorous Acid Spray Solution in the Treatment of COVID-19 Patients : COVICONTROL Study .</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   SARS CoV 2 Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Other: Spray with Hypochlorous Acid Group;   Other: Spray with Placebo Group<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Monastir<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Role of Vit-D Supplementation on BioNTech, Pfizer Vaccine Side Effect and Immunoglobulin G Response</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Combination Product: Vitamin-D<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Sulaimany Polytechnic university<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Telerehabilitation Program and Detraining in Patients With Post-COVID-19 Sequelae</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Telerehabilitation program<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Campus docent Sant Joan de Déu-Universitat de Barcelona<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Amongst Underserved Populations in East London</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Influenza;   Vaccination Refusal<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Device: Patient Engagement tool<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Queen Mary University of London;   Social Action for Health<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>REVERSE-Long COVID-19 With Baricitinib Pilot Study</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Baricitinib 4 MG<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Vanderbilt University Medical Center;   Emory University;   University of California, San Francisco;   University of Minnesota;   Vanderbilt University;   Yale University<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Post Covid-19 Dysautonomia Rehabilitation Randomized Controlled Trial</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome;   Dysautonomia<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Procedure: Rehabilitation;   Procedure: Standard of Care<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Evangelismos Hospital;   National and Kapodistrian University of Athens;   LONG COVID GREECE;   414 Military Hospital of Special Diseases<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Elucidating Atomistic Insight into the Dynamical Responses of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease for the Binding of Remdesivir Analogues: Leveraging Molecular Mechanics To Decode the Inhibition Mechanism</strong> - To combat mischievous coronavirus disease followed by continuous upgrading of therapeutic strategy against the antibody-resistant variants, the molecular mechanistic understanding of protein-drug interactions is a prerequisite in the context of target-specific rational drug development. Herein, we attempt to decipher the structural basis for the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^(pro)) through the elemental analysis of potential energy landscape and the associated thermodynamic and…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Risk connectedness between crude oil, gold and exchange rates in China: Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> - This study examined the risk connectedness and its asymmetry between oil, gold, and foreign exchange under the realized volatility, spillover index framework, and high-frequency data during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was found that: (1) At the beginning of the pandemic outbreak, the total volatility spillover in the system declined, which may indicate that the pandemic cuts the trading activities in the financial markets by inhibiting personnel mobility, then, the spillover experienced a…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Prognostic immune markers identifying patients with severe COVID-19 who respond to tocilizumab</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: We found that tocilizumab has pleiotropic effects and that clinical response to this drug remain heterogenous. Our data suggest that it is possible to identify patients who will respond to treatment and that the administration of tocilizumab is able to restore the immune balance through the re-establishment of different cell populations affected by SARS-COV-2 infection, highlighting the importance of temporal examination of the pathological features from the diagnosis.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Immunogenicity of NVX-CoV2373 in PREVENT-19: A Phase 3, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial in Adults in the United States and Mexico</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: NVX-CoV2373 elicited robust humoral immune responses against ancestral SARS-CoV-2 virus 2 weeks following the second vaccination in adult PREVENT-19 participants, consistent with previously reported high vaccine efficacy. PREVENT-19 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04611802.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin alter the contractility of living porcine heart slices</strong> - The cardiotoxicity risk of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and azithromycin (AZM) has been the subject of intensive research triggered by safety concerns in COVID-19 patients. HCQ and AZM have been associated with QT interval prolongation and drug-induced arrhythmias, however other cardiotoxicity mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Our group has pioneered the living heart slice preparation, an ex-vivo platform that maintains native cardiac tissue architecture and physiological electrical and…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura following ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccination: A case report</strong> - Vaccine-associated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare type of acquired TTP recently reported after COVID-19 vaccination. Merely four cases are ascribed to the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in the medical literature till the preparation of this study. In this case report, we describe a 43-year-old man who developed symptoms of TTP four days after receiving the second dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. Peripheral blood smear demonstrated multiple schistocytes. Given a high plasmic…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Honokiol Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication in Cell Culture at a Post-Entry Step</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in 2019, and the resulting pandemic has already caused the death of over 6 million people. There are currently few antivirals approved for treatment of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and more options would be beneficial, not only now but also to increase our preparedness for future coronavirus outbreaks. Honokiol is a small molecule from magnolia trees for which several biological effects have been reported, including…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Marked elevations in lung and plasma ceramide in COVID-19 linked to microvascular injury</strong> - The pathogenesis of the marked pulmonary microvasculature injury, a distinguishing feature of COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (COVID-ARDS), remains unclear. Implicated in the pathophysiology of diverse diseases characterized by endothelial damage, including ARDS and ischemic cardiovascular disease, ceramide and in particular palmitoyl ceramide (C16:0-ceramide) may be involved in the microvascular injury in COVID-19. Using deidentified plasma and lung samples from COVID-19 patients,…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2-mediated thromboinflammation by CLEC2.Fc</strong> - Thromboinflammation is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 patients, and post-mortem examination demonstrates the presence of platelet-rich thrombi and microangiopathy in visceral organs. Moreover, persistent microclots were detected in both acute COVID-19 and long COVID plasma samples. However, the molecular mechanism of SARS-CoV-2-induced thromboinflammation is still unclear. We found that the spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk)-coupled C-type lectin member 2 (CLEC2), which was…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong><em>In silico</em> identification and validation of phenolic lipids as potential inhibitor against bacterial and viral strains</strong> - The recurrence of coronavirus disease and bacterial resistant strains has drawn attention to naturally occurring bioactive molecules that can demonstrate broad-spectrum efficacy against bacteria as well as viral strains. The drug-like abilities of naturally available “anacardic acids” (AA) and their derivatives against different bacterial and viral protein targets through in-silico tools were explored. Three viral protein targets [P DB: 6Y2E (SARS-CoV-2), 1AT3 (Herpes) and 2VSM (Nipah)] and four…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Potential role of PIM1 inhibition in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection</strong> - CONCLUSION: 2-pyridone PIM1 inhibitor could hinder cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2 and modulate several pathways implicated in immunity, suggesting a potential benefit in the development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic approach.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 inhibition and specific targeting of infected cells by VSV particles carrying the ACE2 receptor</strong> - No abstract</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Understanding how transmembrane domains regulate interactions between human BST-2 and the SARS-CoV-2 accessory protein ORF7a</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID, replicates at intracellular membranes. Bone marrow stromal antigen 2 (BST-2; tetherin) is an antiviral response protein that inhibits transport of viral particles after budding within infected cells. RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 use various strategies to disable BST-2, including use of transmembrane ‘accessory’ proteins that interfere with BST-2 oligomerization. ORF7a is a small, transmembrane protein…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Harringtonine: A more effective antagonist for Omicron variant</strong> - Fusion with host cell membrane is the main mechanism of infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Here, we propose that a new strategy to screen small-molecule antagonists blocking SARS-CoV-2 membrane fusion. Using cell membrane chromatography (CMC), we found that harringtonine (HT) simultaneously targeted SARS-CoV-2 S protein and host cell surface TMPRSS2 expressed by the host cell, and subsequently confirmed that HT can inhibit membrane fusion. HT effectively…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A new cellular interactome of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein and its biological implications</strong> - There is still much to uncover regarding the molecular details of SARS-CoV-2 infection. As the most abundant protein, coronavirus nucleocapsid (N) protein encapsidates viral RNAs, serving as the structural component of ribonucleoprotein and virion, and participates in transcription, replication, and host regulations. Virus-host interaction might give clues to better understand how the virus affects or is affected by its host during infection and identify promising therapeutic candidates….</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Title 42 Is Gone, But What Are Asylum Seekers Supposed to Do Now?</strong> - It’s hard to imagine an area of federal policymaking more vexed than immigration, generally, and asylum, specifically. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/title-42-is-gone-but-what-are-asylum-seekers-supposed-to-do-now">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Far-Seeing Faith of Tim Keller</strong> - The pastor created a new blueprint for Christian thought, showing how traditional doctrine could address the crisis of modern life. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/postscript/the-far-seeing-faith-of-tim-keller">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Congress Really Wants to Regulate A.I., But No One Seems to Know How</strong> - Yet another hearing—this one with OpenAI’s Sam Altman—has come after a new technology with the possibility to fundamentally alter our lives is already in circulation. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/congress-really-wants-to-regulate-ai-but-no-one-seems-to-know-how">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How to Find a Missing Person with Dementia</strong> - Searching for people with cognitive disabilities presents special challenges. Can we solve them? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/how-to-find-a-missing-person-with-dementia">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Why the Pro-Life Movement Can’t Quit Trump</strong> - The former President is less committed than the other 2024 G.O.P. front-runners on the subject of abortion. Shouldn’t advocates of tighter restrictions be jumping ship? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/why-the-pro-life-movement-cant-quit-trump">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>In Brandon Taylor’s The Late Americans, art students scramble for money and sex</strong> -
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<img alt="The cover of the book The Late Americans, with the title and author’s name in white print over a painting in impressionistic red tones." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CrP4uy8lMcTepLac5yCua1YorQA=/0x600:1686x1865/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72305163/9780593332337.0.jpg"/>
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The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor | Riverhead Books
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The author’s second novel zooms in on what an artist should be.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gsCHv8">
Early on in Brandon Taylor’s elegant and restrained new novel <a href="https://go.skimresources.com?id=1025X1701643&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fbookshop.org%2Fp%2Fbooks%2Fthe-late-americans-brandon-taylor%2F18785093"><em>The Late Americans</em></a>, a poet named Seamus imagines the world to be a kind of diorama or dollhouse with “some enormous and indifferent God” peering down at him. Everyone else he knows is in the dollhouse too, moving about their lives under God’s judging stare, “like little automatons in an exhibit called <em>The Late Americans</em>.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RHSkpA">
Part of the project of this novel is to turn the readers into God, showing us the automated movements of Taylor’s late American characters as they glide precisely along their clockwork tracks, worrying about money and having sex and making art. In creating that kaleidoscopic, panoramic view, it succeeds — but it sometimes falters on the details.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YXs7wB">
Like Taylor’s two previous books, <em>The Late Americans</em> involves the intertwined lives of young people, mostly queer men, on a Midwestern college campus. In this case it’s the University of Iowa, where Taylor got his MFA. (“What I love about campus fiction,” <a href="https://blgtylr.substack.com/p/tar-is-a-campus-novel-grow-up">Taylor remarked in a recent essay</a>, “is that it provides a world in miniature whose rules and laws and rigors can be stand-ins for the rules, laws, and rigors of the broader world.”) Seamus is in the poetry program, seething with fury at his classmates’ shallow political writing. We also meet students in the dance program, an ex-dancer turned finance student, townies, a lone visual artist.
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JHvzmA">
The book is built daisy chain-style. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character, generally one who featured as a minor character before. Many of the chapters can stand on their own as completed stories, and the strongest link between them comes from ominous, threatening Bert, a local closeted gay man who occasionally sleeps with and occasionally attacks the out students of the university. He lurks in the background of the action like a Chekhovian gun that will never properly go off.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5NXu0p">
Meanwhile, Taylor’s point-of-view characters tend to be united by their anger toward social pieties they consider aesthetically unpleasing or illogical. Seamus is furious that his classmates dismiss his poetry about God and flesh and the mysteries of the cosmos as insufficiently anti-colonialist. Fyodor, a local who works at a beef-processing plant, resents his vegetarian boyfriend Timo for hating Fyodor’s job even though Timo is pro-death penalty. “That’s cruelty. Isn’t it?” Fyodor asks.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sJSthd">
These characters are angry in part because they are trying to find beauty in the world and in their work, and everything that thwarts them is an enemy: other people, the limits of their artistic abilities, lack of money, their own bodies. Their connections to each other are vexed and imperfect, made fraught by barriers of identity. Fyodor and Timo are both mixed race, which is “thrilling” to Fyodor, but on the other hand Timo’s family has money, which makes him “very naive.” Ex-dancer Ivan is mixed race and poor, while his boyfriend Goran is Black and adopted by a wealthy white family, which makes Ivan tend to forget Goran is Black.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8IEtaQ">
This polyphonic narration makes <em>The Late Americans</em> feel closer to <em>Filthy Animals</em>, Taylor’s 2021 short story collection, than to <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/2/24/21147513/real-life-review-brandon-taylor"><em>Real Life</em></a>, his 2020 novel. <em>Real Life</em> was exceptional for its close, almost claustrophobic investigation of the psyche of its lonely, tormented protagonist. <em>The Late Americans</em>, by design, has nothing so immersive to offer readers. Instead, as we delve into the mind of each character in turn, it starts to become disconcertingly difficult to tell one from the other.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EPgRqa">
These characters all talk in the same ways. They have different thoughts, but they express their thoughts in the same kind of language, using the same kind of framework. They blur together.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="u2c99z">
Taylor is at his strongest with his most isolated characters. Bea, the only character not to appear by name in any other chapter, is an artist who talks to almost no one but the children she tutors at her day job. (“If you killed yourself, would anyone feel sad?” one of them asks her.) Her particular sorrow is distinct, and so is the tiny redemption she finds from human connection, from her art, from the natural world.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GGK6kt">
Otherwise, <em>The Late Americans</em> is a novel whose ideas and images linger longer in the mind than its characters do. Days after reading it, I think frequently of Seamus’s fantasy of God “prying the house open,” with his “Gorgon’s head peering down in judgment.” The precision of the word <em>prying</em>, with its connotations of intrusion and physical force; the cosmic wonder of the idea of God looking down with a Gorgon’s head — how thrilling. How fascinating. What craftsmanship.
</p>
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Already, though, it’s become hard for me to remember which character had that fantasy, or which of Taylor’s books I read it in. I closed this book craving something distinct that I never found.
</p></li>
<li><strong>The surprising reason luxury goods are booming</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A photo illustration which includes a close-up of a necklace by Balenciaga x Gucci; someone walking in a long rust brown coat and knee high suede boots; a display at Sotheby’s which includes Louis Vuitton-Nike sneakers from Virgil Abloh’s last fashion show; the torso of someone wearing a gold long-chain necklace, red cropped top under a navy suit with a Gucci handbag; and a woman on a New York City street wearing a maroon leather jacket with bright orange detailing and a gucci cap." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yN_C8k3SPhX58EYjsTvdIMeis_o=/176x0:1616x1080/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72305081/Vox_LuxuryBoom.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Paige Vickers/Vox; Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
From $1,000 sneakers to $450 bakeware, our lust for expensive things has hit new highs.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Rpyrco">
The pandemic was a period of mass unemployment and economic hardship for many Americans. It was also a riotously popular time for buying luxury goods.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZBK0P0">
“2021 and 2022 were blockbuster years for the luxury industry,” says Lauren Sherman, fashion correspondent at Puck News. “The biggest years they’ve ever had — ever.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="74MG2f">
Shoppers devoured designer leather handbags, limited-edition sneakers, classic watches, and holy grail prestige beauty products that went viral on <a href="https://www.vox.com/tiktok">TikTok</a>; practically <a href="https://www.insiderintelligence.com/content/what-s-happening-with-luxury-5-charts">every type of luxury brand</a> saw its sales swing up during the pandemic. Part of the explosion is due to the fact there’s a lot more upscale stuff to buy. Luxury was once confined to traditional categories such as clothing, accessories, wines, and cars. No longer. In the past few years, there’s also been an insatiable appetite for high-end kitchenware and other home goods — a <a href="https://www.lecreuset.com/round-dutch-oven/21177US.html">$420 Le Creuset dutch oven</a>, a <a href="https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso.html">$1,500 Breville espresso maker</a>, a <a href="https://shop.thermomix.com/product/tm6/">$1,500</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/apr/25/glitz-guilt-and-gravy-life-inside-the-thermomix-cult">Thermomix blender</a>, a <a href="https://www.aesop.com/us/p/home/home-formulations/callippus-aromatique-candle/">$110 Aesop candle</a> smelling of vetiver, frankincense, and wealth.
</p>
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Analysts have a nebulous definition of what constitutes a luxury good, but it’s usually an object that not only has a sky-high price but also promises quality craftsmanship and an air of exclusivity. It shouldn’t be something everyone has. Yet more and more Americans across ages and income brackets are getting swept up in the world of extravagant products, driving the industry to an incredible boom.
</p>
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Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton — LVMH for short — this year became the most valuable luxury company in the world, surpassing a market cap of a half trillion dollars in April. The owner of brands such as Dior, Givenchy, and Tiffany, it now floats in the uppermost stratosphere of the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-13/lvmh-breaks-into-world-top-10-as-market-value-hits-486-billion">world’s biggest companies</a>, among names like <a href="https://www.vox.com/meta">Meta</a>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/tesla">Tesla</a>, Berkshire Hathaway, and <a href="https://www.vox.com/amazon">Amazon</a>. This year, Bernard Arnault, the CEO of LVMH, even <a href="https://www.vox.com/23670278/forbes-billionaire-ranking-2023-crypto-down-lebron-james-jimmy-buffett-donald-trump">overtook tech emperor Elon Musk</a> as the richest person on Earth with an estimated $232 billion at time of writing, according to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/">Forbes’s real-time billionaire ranking</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xYgZtK">
It’s not just Louis Vuitton handbags that are selling like gold-garnished hotcakes. While the rate of growth in the sector has slowed slightly in recent months, a <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-luxury-goods-market-takes-2022-leap-forward-and-remains-poised-for-further-growth-despite-economic-turbulence-301678536.html">whopping 95 percent of luxury brands</a> saw profits fatten in 2022, according to a Bain &amp; Company report. Hermès, maker of decadent silk scarves and the infamous Birkin bag, saw a record 38 percent jump in profit from 2021. Richemont, which counts Cartier, Chloé, and Montblanc among its brands, saw its fiscal year 2022 profits <a href="https://www.richemont.com/media/pead1wrd/richemont-fy22-annual-report-en-2.pdf">rise by 61 percent</a>. Kering (Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga), Chanel and Prada, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/18/investing/burberry-earnings-record-profit-china/index.html">Burberry</a>, <a href="https://www.essilorluxottica.com/sites/default/files/documents/2023-02/EssilorLuxottica%20Q4FY%202022%20-%20Press%20Release%20-%20ENG_0.pdf">Luxottica</a>, and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/italian-fashion-group-otbs-luxury-brands-drive-strong-2022-sales-2023-02-14">OTB</a> (which owns Maison Margiela, Marni, and other luxe brands) — they were all up, too.
</p>
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Meanwhile, in the broader <a href="https://www.vox.com/economy">economy</a>, other industries have been struggling to recover from the hit they took during the pandemic, while also battling persistent <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/23/supply-chain-managers-expect-problems-continue-2024.html">supply chain issues</a>, labor shortages, and stock value plummets. “There are two key factors as to why luxury is bucking current trends,” says Neil Saunders, managing director of retail at the analytics and consulting firm GlobalData, which conducted a consumer panel of US luxury spending last year. “One of them is economic, and one of them is psychological.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5wPO8k">
Economically, the math is simple: Rich people, the most obvious consumers for luxury goods, don’t balk at price tags. The luxury industry is often described as “resilient,” meaning it doesn’t get buffeted by economic headwinds quite as much as other industries do. “That, to be honest, has always been the case,” Saunders says.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7Znnoc">
The <a href="https://www.vox.com/psychology">psychology</a> of why we buy designer products also eschews typical economic sense, because the motivation to buy is about status. The higher the price, the more status you’re theoretically buying.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nxelII">
Which is why it’s not just rich people buying rich people things. A not-insignificant portion of luxury growth comes from middle- and low-income consumers. According to GlobalData, Americans with a household income of less than $50,000 make up about 27 percent of regular luxury consumers. That’s almost as big a group as luxury consumers with an income of $150,000 or more.
</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="NeU57P"/>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y78r9l">
Even in rough times, the luxury industry usually enjoys a well-cushioned profit margin. That’s the nature of its business. The Business of Fashion <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/luxury/louis-vuitton-seeks-the-spotlight-designer-or-not/">reported</a> that, in 2022, Louis Vuitton had an estimated margin above 50 percent. Compare that to <a href="https://www.vox.com/apple">Apple</a>, the most valuable company in the world, which had a profit margin of <a href="https://www.morningstar.com/stocks/xnas/aapl/performance">around 30 percent</a> last year.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="koGfrg">
“At a fast-fashion or a regular retailer, profit margins on clothing at best are 20 to 30 percent,” says Sherman. But the fat profits at LVMH and elsewhere have become more common as the industry became increasingly corporatized, she says. “Prior to 1990 especially, this was an industry run by individual families.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="P8Rnbq">
In the 1980s, Arnault took the corporate raider playbook popular in the US at the time and applied it to French luxury — including by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/17/magazine/a-luxury-fight-to-the-finish.html">laying off 9,000 workers</a> when he took over the conglomerate that owned the fashion house Dior. But instead of buying up companies and then quickly selling them off in pieces, Arnault kept his acquisitions, amassing a portfolio of 75 brands in fashion and other sectors. Other luxury conglomerates have followed in Arnault’s footsteps, gobbling up a diverse array of brands in several luxury categories. Buying up all these brands bolsters more consistent profits, because even when one category has a poor quarter, others could have a record-breaking one. It also ensures a certain level of market dominance; if someone wants to buy luxury, chances are they’re going to do it from a brand in the LVMH portfolio.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="W6vprm">
Luxury brands, however, aren’t immune to economic downturns. During the Great Recession, the market <a href="https://www.voguebusiness.com/companies/luxury-recession-saks-bond-yield">shrank by 9 percent</a>. That’s what makes its leaps during the pandemic so remarkable. “It has held up a lot better in the current downturn than it did in the financial crash last time,” says Saunders.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oNrfBP">
Perhaps it’s because many brands have simply taken to increasing their prices to new heights. The average price of luxury items has <a href="https://hypebeast.com/2022/6/average-luxury-prices-25-increase-four-years-details-edited">spiked by 25 percent</a> since 2019. Luxury accessories prices on the online retailer Farfetch rose by <a href="https://dataweave.com/pages/retail-luxury-apparel-insights-throughout-the-covid-era#mainbanner">almost 39 percent</a> between February 2020 and May 2021, according to the e-commerce analytics company DataWeave.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NSP46a">
“Four hundred bucks for a pair of shoes used to seem like a lot of money,” says Sherman. “Every pair of shoes is a thousand bucks now.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="i9BOmH">
Shoppers of all income brackets also not only spent big on luxury items, they spent more on each purchase. Data from Earnest Analytics, a consumer data analytics firm, shows that the average sale amount has jumped — in April 2020 it cratered to $269, but reached $520 in April 2022. And while Americans across the income spectrum were buying more luxury apparel during the pandemic, purchases by individuals making $40,000 or less rose the most: They were 365 percent higher at the end of 2021 than they were in January 2020, before lockdowns began in the US.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xUXYYn">
Saunders suggests there are several reasons the luxury market is stronger this time around. For one, we’re not in a recession — at least not yet. The Covid economy was also a strange beast; it absolutely devastated some sectors for a while, and both its human and economic toll shouldn’t be understated. Recovery, however, has also happened quickly. The economy of luxury goods, Saunders notes, is far different now than it was in 2009. “We didn’t have the resale market,” he says. “Players like The RealReal, Poshmark, they just didn’t really exist in the way that they do now.” The explosion of luxury resale and rental platforms might not have directly fed the sales of luxury brands, but they engaged a new generation of consumers — it’s an easy entry point into the world of its aesthetics and sensibilities.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="H9gKEP">
And then there’s this truth: A lot of the spending, Sherman says, has been thanks to stimulus checks giving middle-income Americans more discretionary income in a time when there were fewer avenues to spend it. Some of it was due to newly minted crypto wealth. For other shoppers, it wasn’t that they had new money to flaunt, but that the pandemic lockdowns had caused a sort of slingshot effect — as lockdowns eased, the floodgates of the pent-up shopping that people didn’t (or couldn’t) do opened. Amid a mix of drivers, the bottom line is that Americans couldn’t get enough of premium goods amid a destabilizing economic crisis.
</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="IyBstx"/>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D1tMpb">
“Luxury goods have become a big part of pop culture,” says Sherman. “Now it’s a social thing. When I was growing up, having an interest in fashion — especially in America — was seen as a hobby or a niche.”
</p>
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The modern luxury economy has become a part of not just pop culture, but youth <a href="https://www.vox.com/internet-culture">internet culture</a>. People find out about trends online, and shop online, then sell old pieces online so they can buy a new statement item … online. According to <a href="https://the-realreal.cdn.prismic.io/the-realreal/db277755-031c-4d4b-90dc-23f029427781_08_2022_ResaleReport_R12+%281%29.pdf">The RealReal’s 2022 report</a>, millennials sell and buy more than any other generational cohort — and together with Gen Z, they make up 41 percent of the site’s more than 28 million members.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GmCPDC">
Members of Gen Z, in fact, are making their first luxury purchases earlier than millennials did — at around age 15, according to <a href="https://www.bain.com/about/media-center/press-releases/2022/global-luxury-goods-market-takes-2022-leap-forward-and-remains-poised--for-further-growth-despite-economic-turbulence/">Bain &amp; Co research</a>. The same research projects that millennials and younger generations will make up <a href="https://www.bain.com/insights/renaissance-in-uncertainty-luxury-builds-on-its-rebound/">80 percent of luxury spending</a> by 2030.
</p>
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This might seem like an odd projection, given the countless reports of young people’s finances lagging behind those of their parents. One <a href="https://fortune.com/2022/12/13/gen-z-young-millennials-way-afford-luxury-handbags-watches-living-mom-dad-morgan-stanley/">Morgan Stanley report</a> suggested that young adults may have more disposable income because a greater number of them are living with their parents longer due to skyrocketing rent. The accessibility of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2022/8/11/23298175/buy-now-pay-later-affirm-klarna-apple-pay-late-fees-cfpb">buy now, pay later platforms</a> also makes it easier to finance a $5,000 handbag. Maybe a mortgage feels too out of reach to even dream of, but paying for an exorbitantly priced Nike x Supreme Air Jordan collab in installments? Doable.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QrglhY">
Young people in particular justify luxury spending, says Saunders, with the booming resale market. “Younger generations view luxury, and indeed fashion in general, as being circular,” he says. Fork over an exorbitant amount upfront, then recoup some, if not most of it, on Depop later. The price value equation is alluring for luxury, counterintuitively especially when inflation is high — that’s when consumers with some disposable income are going to really maximize bang for their buck.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WXsZ9d">
When it comes to status pieces, however, price and affordability are a little beside the point. A <a href="https://www.creditkarma.com/about/commentary/emotional-spending-is-out-of-control-for-more-than-one-third-of-gen-z-study-finds">recent CreditKarma survey</a> found that over half of Gen Z and millennials considered themselves to be emotional spenders — more than a third even said their emotional spending was “out of control.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Uiqb97">
“Younger generations are much more attuned to using luxury as a way to feel good about themselves,” says Saunders. “Not just as a signal of wealth or status. It’s much more about them personally feeling good and wanting to have products that they feel engaged with.”
</p>
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“There’s a lot more social media where people are showing off the brands, and they’re showcasing what they’ve bought,” he continues. Luxury goods are a language through which to communicate taste and connoisseurship on digital platforms, and brands know this. Their marketing today is geared to young people deeply attuned to internet culture, focusing on celebrity endorsement deals, collabs with artists and edgy designers, doing limited “drops” — not only with fashion, but even with <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/le-creusets-newest-limited-edition-202200847.html">kitchenware</a> — that intensify how coveted a product is and ride the wave of virality. The penetration of streetwear and <a href="https://www.bustle.com/articles/97047-what-is-a-hypebeast-5-important-aspects-of-the-hypebeast-lifestyle">hypebeast culture</a> globally has also been an incredible boon to the luxury industry, transforming the means of gesturing high status. Gen Z shoppers are more concerned with differentiating themselves from the mainstream, says David Dubois, a professor of marketing at INSEAD. In an age of mass-produced goods, nothing is more precious than a flash of the inimitable and bespoke.
</p>
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The fact that luxury awareness and engagement has reached new heights comes with potential dangers for the industry. Luxury has become democratized and globalized. “As a result,” as Yajin Wang, a professor of marketing at the China Europe International Business School, writes in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167811621000914"><em>International Journal of Research in Marketing</em></a>, “the wealth signal has been diluted.”
</p>
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Sherman thinks more luxury brands should be concerned about becoming too available. Like a master artisan, the luxury industry has to carefully thread the needle of growth and scarcity. Saunders recalls the mid-2010s, when a lot of luxury brands shoved out too much product. “They just devalued themselves,” he says. “If you look at a brand like Coach, for example, it was just ubiquitous in 2015. It was everywhere. They were selling stuff at a discount, they were doing flash sales.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VtIT7F">
Since then, the industry has been more vigilant about becoming too commonplace. There are fewer discounts — some brands <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/10-brands-never-sale-110003779.html">never do sales</a>. Limited production runs are another tactic to bolster exclusivity. <a href="https://www.insider.com/coach-to-stop-destroying-bags-after-viral-tiktok-exposed-2021-10">Videos</a> of luxury brands <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/9/17/17852294/fashion-brands-burning-merchandise-burberry-nike-h-and-m">destroying their excess inventory</a> have gone viral on social media.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jhdMju">
Dubois believes luxury will continue to sell incredibly well. “Inequality fuels consumption,” he explains. The pandemic has increased income and wealth inequality. But the luxury boom isn’t an aberration from this fact — it aligns with it. Studies have shown that higher income inequality heightens <a href="https://deliverypdf.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=927103126008002091100024119094094011086033030042010043122043040115046020057034013100013019015019017005050091042054046064036030089023093109073061042039126087084080104071092109002090107101026098065126069121121127080093070015005119&amp;EXT=pdf&amp;INDEX=TRUE">awareness and anxiety about class</a>; one <a href="https://deliverypdf.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=606070026007123077066077089085000086026071069006028088099023121064088030105070010022096019020106111061101112114026126106010094015046040047000109004083084111023096098054046076009091094099001074119076119065069093117024098080071005010109098101018123117113&amp;EXT=pdf&amp;INDEX=TRUE">study analyzing Google Trends data</a> found that Americans sought out luxury goods more during times of greater income inequality.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="73kXb9">
“The wealthy have gotten wealthier, and the poor have gotten poorer,” says Sherman. “And yet there’s a thing in our culture that prioritizes you buying a Nike shoe — buy the Jordans, buy the sneakers.” Even if it means saving up, or buying one pair to resell on eBay to finance the purchase of even more expensive shoes — “even if you’re not doing super well financially, it’s prioritized in this interesting way.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vlv9fl">
Desire often creates a potent feeling of need, one that can be hard to reason away precisely because it isn’t rational. It’s infatuation, limerence.
</p>
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What else can happen when luxury <em>is</em> pop culture?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MUrcP1">
“They’re in the business of selling dreams,” says Dubois. “You buy a piece of a dream.”
</p></li>
<li><strong>Puritanism took over online fandom — and then came for the rest of the internet</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Cartoon of a Gen Z teenager wearing a pilgrim hat and collar as they type on a laptop with a Tumblr logo on it." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZEaVoUXU7xdDluOeCM1s7S-rW6A=/474x0:1914x1080/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72304949/OhniLisle_genz_pilgrim_vox.0.jpg"/>
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Ohni Lisle for Vox
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Puriteens, anti-fans, and the culture war’s most bonkers battleground.
</p>
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How did the internet become so puritanical? On social media, outspoken anti-sex advocates increasingly cry “gross” at everything from <a href="https://twitter.com/sakecore/status/1650903591320793089">R-rated rom-coms</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/CJenkin4/status/1527038111447801856">fictional characters</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/oversized_frog/status/1527357905204236296">queer people having sex</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/fourfortyfor/status/1653475836958220288">consenting adults with slight age gaps</a> to dating <a href="https://twitter.com/WashireRPAdvice/status/1381266386866081793">short people</a>. They see oversexualization in just about everything. They often accuse the things they dislike of being <a href="https://www.fujoshi.info/antifan-archive">coded fronts</a> for pedophilia, and the people who enjoy those things of being sexual predators. These social media users frequently form enclaves that turn as <a href="https://archive.ph/2022.10.23-095543/https://www.reddit.com/r/Advice/comments/xaexrc/i_got_a_phone_call_from_my_daughters_school_and/">nightmarish</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/_burntlime_/status/1585383365846663168">troubling</a> as the things they’re ostensibly trying to police.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gEYcSG">
This dovetails with what we’re being told right now about Gen Z and sex: They’re <a href="https://phys.org/news/2021-03-young-adults-casual-sex.html">having less casual sex</a>, they <a href="https://sfstandard.com/arts-culture/forget-love-apps-gen-z-wants-to-date-like-cats/">hate dating</a>, they’re <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220104-are-gen-z-more-pragmatic-about-love-and-sex">more reserved</a> about relationships in general. It’s easy to <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/puriteens-sex-negative-lgbtq-pride-tiktok-twitter-1180208/">pigeonhole</a> online anti-sex police as being teens and young adults, a.k.a. “puriteens.” Because so much of this comes down to carnal horror, you might assume that everyone who’s horrified is a teen who just hasn’t arrived at a mature view of sex and other adult activity. Such anti-sex zeal increasingly forces sex-positive communities back into the internet’s underground. It also aids and abets the larger cultural shift toward regressive attitudes and censorship of sexual minorities and sex-positive content.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7aIOmO">
Yet overwhelmingly, the common thread among this new generation of “antis” — a broad label for people who are opposed to sexual content in media — isn’t that they are minors who are scared of sex. It’s that none of them distinguish between fictional harm and real-world harm. That is, regardless of their ages, they believe fiction not only can have a real-world impact, but that it always has a real-world impact.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GkRkPh">
To understand how we got here, we have to look at the wellspring from which much of the internet’s creative impulses flow: online fandom, where superusers gather to celebrate, write fanfiction, and create fan art about the media and characters they love. On Tumblr and Twitter, where so much fandom discourse happens, this conversation about sexual content in media has spawned an entire movement called “anti-fandom.” In the wake of the 2018 passage of the internet child protection bill FOSTA-SESTA in the US, fandom’s proudly sex-positive culture has increasingly become sanitized, homogenized, and <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/vergess/707882506784014336/you-wanna-talk-roots-lets-talk-about-how-most">erased</a> — which has allowed the puritanical voices of these “anti-fans” to take their place.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fFjnTK">
This trend would be bad news in any online community, but it’s been especially heady and unwieldy in fandom, an entire culture built around feeling things strongly, not rationally. The result is one of the unlikeliest fronts of the culture war: an internet community, once the bastion of delightful deviance and subversion, being completely overtaken by a new form of purity culture often spearheaded by people who would otherwise describe themselves as politically liberal.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="evVf2e">
Though this may sound like a niche fandom issue, this modern puritanism has spread far into the wider culture, intersecting with both a broader media illiteracy and a moral panic that crosses the political spectrum.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NJft3q">
It’s making it more and more impossible to have a healthy discourse about sex at all.
</p>
<h3 id="o2MGaQ">
The weaponization of social justice and the rise of the “anti-fandom”
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="o8yAn4">
Above all else, fans are passionate. Fandom is where the internet houses some of its most engaged communities — where fans flock to celebrate their favorite stories, create fan works, carry on intense discussions, and argue over which fictional or celebrity relationships they’re shipping.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="adtbnH">
During the first half of the 2010s, that passion meant that fans were effectively cultural superspreaders, proselytizing their favorites, from Marvel to K-pop to Netflix, far and wide. Their cultural influence, especially through <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/blog/techflash/2015/03/tumblr-worth-to-buzzfeed-as-content-provider.html">the Tumblr-to-BuzzFeed pipeline</a>, was outsize. You may not have been on Tumblr then, but its fandom-infused language and culture likely <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/catesish/internet-is-getting-small-and-boring-long-live-tumblr">heavily influenced</a> your internet experience just the same.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right c-float-hang">
<aside id="5ZMIsc">
<q>This trend would be bad for any online community, but fandom is an entire culture built around feeling things strongly, not rationally</q>
</aside>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fy5HwQ">
Part of what Tumblr effortlessly exported, along with its fannish sensibility, was its users’ awareness of social justice concepts and language. The Tumblr culture of the early 2010s rapidly shifted an entire generation of social media users toward the left. That shift started not on Tumblr, but on LiveJournal, thanks to a widespread, year-long <a href="https://pastfutures.github.io/RaceFailDH/index">conversation</a> about racism in geek culture in 2009 that became known as RaceFail. In 2010, LiveJournal became frequently nonfunctional <a href="https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/livejournal-decline-timeline/">due to intermittent hacker attacks</a>, which sent thousands of displaced fans to Tumblr. With them, they brought all of their recent conversations about race and social justice. The result was an unexpected culture clash between the fandom teens of still-new Tumblr and the fandom adults of LiveJournal. Many Tumblr users, regardless of age and academic experience, got crash courses in progressive ideology and everything from socialism to structuralism — but that education wasn’t always easy or welcome.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SEtnyK">
“I was on Tumblr as the migration was happening,” journalist <a href="https://www.allegrarosenberg.com/">Allegra Rosenberg</a> told me. “I distinctly remember the shift in tenor of doing fandom on Tumblr in late 2010, early 2011 as the LiveJournal adults came over, bringing with them the language of feminism, the language of social justice, intersectionality.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0M39lU">
“I remember feeling almost scared or offended,” Rosenberg said, “because I was like, you guys are trying to make this serious. We’re just making memes. I was just a kid and I felt kind of threatened by what I perceived to be this atmosphere of seriousness, because I don’t think I really understood what had been going on over there.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tlMYxT">
The language of social justice may have been revelatory to many fans, but it also became fodder for zealotry and demagoguery. It frequently became a double-edged sword, weaponized by and against the people using it. Members of the alt-right started using the phrase “social justice warrior” to mockingly describe zealous Tumblr users who performed what they saw as shallow, overly aggressive, or inauthentic versions of progressive politics.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YUUCDT">
Tumblr teens also learned to weaponize this language, often through performativity that became a core part of 2010s fandom culture. This coincided with the rise of “call-out culture.” Blogs such as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/style/your-fave-is-problematic-tumblr.html">Your Fave Is Problematic</a> typified what some dubbed Tumblr’s “<a href="https://woozapooza.tumblr.com/post/627792675662364672/accountability-culture">accountability culture</a>” by simply listing things various beloved celebrities, usually popular within geek culture, had done that were bad or troubling.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="m5FgHV">
Call-out culture predated and existed independently from <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/30/20879720/what-is-cancel-culture-explained-history-debate">cancel culture</a>. Its goal was always to raise awareness, not prompt mass harassment or boycotts, but one easily begets the other. Fans of the era adopted an eagerness to label absolutely everything even slightly complicated as “problematic,” and that easily translated into harassment of others who still enjoyed those now-tainted stories and creators.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TwxOTW">
Once fans had been given the tools of social media harassment and the moral motivation of social justice, they <a href="https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/steven-universe-fanartist-bullied-controversy/">waged war on each other</a> — often for things that <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/8/7/11950648/fandom-shipping-social-justice-ideological-warfare">only nominally had to do with social justice</a> and were instead about things like fandom shipping and character biases. These fights <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/on-white-queer-fandom-erasure-of-fans-of-color">often obscured or further marginalized</a> actual fans of color and queer fans, all in the name of fighting on their behalf.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yRC41N">
Soon, this tendency <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200922071607/https://kathrynhemmann.com/2018/10/27/call-out-culture-on-tumblr/">converged</a> with “antis” in fandom: people who were identified primarily not through their love of a thing but for their hatred of it. Over the back half of the 2010s, the notion of what an “anti” was began to shift away from, say, K-pop stans hating on a specific K-pop star, toward broad opposition to various fandom ideologies and practices. This usually comes down to two things: sexualized content and shipping. Especially shipping.
</p>
<h3 id="aLsZBd">
How ship wars led to a war on shipping, which led to a war on all fictional sex
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="i4HGfZ">
Few things in fandom are more polarizing than who a character falls in love with or ends up with or who you want them to end up with instead. More has been won and lost in the name of ship wars — fans fighting over which ship is the best — than time could detail. Specifically, in the <em>Voltron</em> fandom in 2016, hatred for a single ship on the animated TV show <a href="https://libstore.ugent.be/fulltxt/RUG01/003/007/347/RUG01-003007347_2021_0001_AC.pdf">reportedly led to</a> the creation of an entirely new concept in fandom: the idea of being “anti-ship” and “pro-ship.” The stated goal of this fight was to call out and oppose alleged pedophiles in fandom. But the actual goal was to wage war against one specific pairing by demonizing as a pedophile anyone who shipped it. (The characters in question, Shiro and Keith, were approximately 25 and 18, respectively, in the show’s first season.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="skhjnk">
Fans devoted to this “problematic” ship gradually got shorthanded as “pro-ship,” which then became a generalized label for all shippers. In other words, if you shipped characters in fandom — which is arguably the dominant reason most people are in fandom — then you were suddenly on notice as being harmful.
</p>
<div class="c-float-left c-float-hang">
<aside id="UmCNml">
<q>“It’s just cartoons at the end of the day” </q>
</aside>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wjh3X2">
To be blunt, this is bonkers. The act of wanting two characters to fall madly in love, and celebrating when they do, is a natural response to fiction. If you were, say, a person who read or watched <em>The Hunger Games</em> and rooted for Peeta and Katniss, this group might brand you as problematic for shipping two teenagers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jC5DFS">
Yet shipping is also often explicitly sexual, which makes it prone to distortion by people who want a moral excuse to oppose shipping. Just as with the original <em>Voltron</em> fandom ship war that presaged much of this discourse, people who are “anti-ship” often start out by seeking to attack specific ships based on their personal bias. Rather than acknowledging that bias, however, they instead frame fictional depictions of sex as harmful. This allows them to paint not only the ship they hate, but all ships, and shipping itself, as harmful.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qcF2gv">
It may sound hard to comprehend that anyone could take this rhetoric seriously, but the deeply emotional and accusatory nature of calling someone a pedophile makes it wildly effective. (Multiple sources I talked to for this article told me of unexpectedly vicious personal encounters with purity culture; everything from online accusations to a real-life friend group considering ostracization over suspicions the source was “pro-ship.”)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8fa3Yg">
<a href="https://twitter.com/SamAburime">Sam Aburime</a>, an artist and independent <a href="https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/jfs_00060_1">fan scholar</a> who has dedicated years to <a href="https://www.fujoshi.info/antifan-archive">tracking anti-fandom examples</a>, argues that the movement is part of the changing generational nature of fandom. Older Gen Z and younger millennials who learned the language of social justice on Tumblr are now teaching younger generations how to wield those concepts for ill. “I think they grew up with faux activism as it was starting online,” Aburime told me, “where it was like, ‘if you like this, or if you don’t do this, you’re a bad person,’ when it’s just cartoons at the end of the day.”
</p>
<h3 id="mEu3C8">
FOSTA-SESTA made this conversation so much worse
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YLy1xd">
It’s not a coincidence that anti-fandom discourse, which has single-handedly reframed decades of sex positivity in fandom, has also coincided with a broader crackdown on sex positivity across the internet.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SsvqCl">
Originally, Tumblr culture’s nuanced language around politics and accountability coexisted alongside a rampant, thriving, sexually explicit counterculture. Fans and non-fans, many of whom were queer, sex educators, and/or sex workers, enjoyed a healthy relationship to sexual expression during this era. While Tumblr became <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2013/05/20/tumblrs-adult-fare-accounts-for-11-4-of-sites-top-200k-domains-tumblrs-adult-fare-accounts-for-11-4-of-sites-top-200k-domains-adults-sites-are-leading-category-of-referrals/">notorious for hosting porn</a>, the reality was that the permissiveness of Tumblr’s adult content policies made it a safe space for many marginalized communities.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GzIX5I">
That all changed with the passage of the child protection bill FOSTA-SESTA in 2018. <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/4/13/17172762/fosta-sesta-backpage-230-internet-freedom">FOSTA heralded a sweeping crackdown on online adult content</a>; as part of the fallout, huge swaths of the sex-positive internet <a href="https://www.bjcl.org/blog/sex-sells-but-not-online-tracing-the-consequences-of-fosta-sesta">were wiped out</a> in the name of protecting children. Among those decimated communities were <a href="https://jezebel.com/i-m-hoping-it-won-t-decimate-my-income-tumblrs-porn-ba-1830879496">sex workers and sex educators on Tumblr</a>, as well as the legions of users, many of whom were queer and genderqueer, who sought self-expression and explored their identities through sexualized content. Overnight, via its <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/3/18123752/tumblr-adult-content-porn-ban-date-explicit-changes-why-safe-mode">infamous ban on porn</a>, Tumblr went from being a notably horny platform to a site full of regressive, paranoid, wary fans who were obsessed with spotting pedophilia and illicit sexual materials everywhere and anywhere — even if the things they deemed immoral and illicit were nowhere close to illegal.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7CFlHg">
FOSTA seems to have weakened the natural resistance of fandom and internet culture at large to the US’s broader puritanical, anti-sex culture. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/06/us/abstinence-pledge-evangelicals.html">purity movement</a> formally began in the ’90s within evangelical culture as a way of normalizing an abstinence-only approach to sex, especially among teens. In the modern era, the language of this movement has <a href="https://www.elle.com/culture/a15841808/second-wave-feminism-sexual-harassment-generational-divide/">converged</a> with that of <a href="https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/9/5/20840101/terfs-radical-feminists-gender-critical">trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs)</a>, who enact a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/3/20/16955588/feminism-waves-explained-first-second-third-fourth">regressive approach</a> to sex and gender expression.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IVqDfH">
“If you go into certain radfem forums, you’ll see language mirrored one-to-one,” Aburime told me, describing the way TERF rhetoric overlaps with and sometimes infiltrates fandom spaces. “It’s almost like a game — slipping some ideology secretly” into a fannish experience. “It’s misinformation under the guise of activism.” Like the US’s larger current moral panic over <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/23631262/trans-bills-republican-state-legislatures">drag shows</a>, LGBTQ people, and “<a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23025505/leftist-groomers-homophobia-satanic-panic-explained">groomers</a>,” fandom’s culture has regressed toward sexual repression, attacks on sexual minorities, and censorship of art made by marginalized people. The shifts happening in fandom and across the internet help exacerbate this larger cultural shift.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VTqIIJ">
“There’s no meaningful difference to me between a right winger who calls me a pedo because I’m trans and an antishipper that calls me a pedo because I read <em>Homestuck,</em>” said Farrah, a 33-year-old fan from North Carolina whose full name has been withheld at their request, referring to the <a href="https://www.tor.com/2012/09/18/homestuck-is-the-first-great-work-of-internet-fiction/">famously weird webcomic</a>. “They’re both putting me and people like me in a dangerous position.”
</p>
<div class="c-float-right c-float-hang">
<aside id="GGQZKF">
<q>“It’s misinformation under the guise of activism”</q>
</aside>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gAC3Cd">
“It’s hard to say where fandom starts and where everything else begins,” Rosenberg told me. She identifies the root of the shift as a core of “emotion and disgust” in response to various types of sexualized content, but while this response to sexual deviance has always existed, the internet allows fans to express their disgust in new ways, and the rise of anti-fandom allows fans to <a href="https://nonbinarypastels.tumblr.com/post/171868269706/what-is-an-anti-i-had-always-heard-that-anti">pathologize all kinds of things</a> — from garden-variety kink to age gaps and sexualized cartoons.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rnqSjK">
Another major factor in the intensification of all this is Twitter, specifically the mass migration of many fandom cultures to Twitter over the last decade. “When these cultures moved to Twitter and were exposed to literally everybody and everything,” Rosenberg said, “the stakes were higher, in being on the so-called winning team.” Twitter also allowed fans to codify and systematize harassment through the use of platform-specific tools like hashtags and mass-brigading by bots, <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23131538/johnny-depp-amber-heard-tiktok-snl-extremism">as we saw with the Depp-Heard trial</a> last year. As Musk-era Twitter’s abuse team has dwindled, multiple sources told me they have been using the platform less, retreating into siloed spaces like private Discord servers and locked mailing lists or Facebook groups. Yet those siloed spaces do little to solve the problems; instead, they typically reinforce and entrench all the niche ideas that led to fandom extremism to begin with.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2z19XN">
One positive development is that Tumblr recently brought back, in a limited capacity, the ability to create NSFW content on the site. While this won’t restore the zany porn-for-all days of yesteryear, it might encourage the return of sex-positive communities to drown out the noisy, harassing fringe of haters.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="58uKuf">
Farrah, who left Twitter due to the harassment there, told me they’re still on Tumblr, and hopeful things are changing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6XuQhP">
“I think more people are starting to realize the extremity in the culture and politics around them,” they said, “and that awareness makes them better equipped to recognize the same extremism in fandom. I’ve seen more robust calls for a return to, ‘don’t like don’t read,’ and, ‘your kink is not my kink and that’s okay,’ in the last year or two than I had in a very long time.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ht4qJh">
The downside is that the wider crackdown on sexual expression, especially in the United States, is only getting worse. That bodes ill for the internet and all its citizens, especially since media literacy as a whole is also on the decline. As purity culture spreads, the idea of depicting fictional harm as equivalent to real-world harm grows and spreads along with it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6R1dM4">
Then again, if anyone can creatively respond to a culture of increasingly absurd attacks on ingenuity and imagination, it’s an army of passionate deviants who’ve historically been vanguards of the weird, the queer, and the subversive. They’re sexual rebels and literary freedom fighters.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PyZKjh">
If fans can’t kick that nonsense to the curb, who can?
</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Jokic leads Nuggets past LeBron’s Lakers 113-111, into their first NBA Finals</strong> - The Denver Nuggets are going to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history after a 4-0 sweep of LA Lakers in the Western Conference Finals</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IPL 2023: Eliminator preview | With MI’s batting finally clicking, LSG bowlers have task cut out</strong> - Green (381 runs), along with a resurgent Suryakumar Yadav (511 runs, one century, four fifties), skipper Rohit (313) and Ishan Kishan (439), will be Mumbai’s key batters when they take on LGS in the do-or-die clash; for Lucknow, Bishnoi (16 wickets from 14 matches) has a big role to play</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Australia’s decision to not play warm-up games ahead of WTC final “fraught with danger”, says Allan Border</strong> - “It just doesn’t feel right not to play any cricket leading into an Ashes series. I just think that’s fraught with danger… there’s something gnawing at me saying it’s the wrong decision,” Allan Border said.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Serie A | Juventus hit by 10-point penalty for false accounting, drops out of Champions League spots</strong> - Juventus lost to Empoli 4-1 hours after the Serie A side was hit by a new 10-point penalty that pushed the team to 7th in the standings</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IPL 2023 | You need to be a proper devil to hate MSD: Hardik Pandya</strong> - Hardik Pandya said he had learnt a lot of cricketing nuances from Dhoni, not by picking his brains but simply by watching him in action</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Opposition sees sabotage in KMSC godown fire</strong> - Satheesan says mysterious fires in aimed at erasing evidence of corruption against the State government; preliminary information suggest the fire destroyed material procured by KMSC to combat COVID-19 pandemic at higher-than-market rates, he alleged</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Digital India Bill draft to be released in June: MoS Chandrasekhar</strong> - The Bill may significantly undo safe harbour, the principle protecting social media firms from legal liability for content posted by users</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Summer camp inaugurated for government school students in the Nilgiris</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Here are the big stories from Karnataka today</strong> - Welcome to the Karnataka Today newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories to follow today. Curated and written by Nalme Nachiyar.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>RBI defends before Delhi HC ₹2,000 banknote exchange exercise</strong> - The court was hearing a plea that the notifications by the RBI and SBI enabling exchange of ₹2,000 banknotes without proof were arbitrary and against the laws enacted to curb corruption.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Three held in Spain over Vinicius Jr racial abuse during match</strong> - The Brazilian footballer was subjected to racial abuse during Real Madrid’s match on Sunday.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Vinicius Jr: Micah Richards says Javier Tebas comments ‘make my blood boil’</strong> - Micah Richards says La Liga president Javier Tebas’ response to the racist abuse suffered by Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr “makes my blood boil”.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine war: Fleeing Belgorod residents told to stay away</strong> - Ukraine says Russian paramilitaries are behind the fighting in the Belgorod border region.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine war: Nato watches Russian ‘Zombies’ in Estonia</strong> - In Estonia, pilots respond to Russian jets acting suspiciously at the alliance’s northeast border.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Star Wars and Thor actor Ray Stevenson dies at 58</strong> - The actor from Northern Ireland was reportedly taken to hospital while filming on Italian island Ischia.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Here’s how long it takes new BrutePrint attack to unlock 10 different smartphones</strong> - BrutePrint requires just $15 of equipment and a little amount of time with a phone. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1941070">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>TikTok sues to stop Montana from enforcing its “unconstitutional” ban</strong> - Unless legal challenges succeed, Montana’s ban will take effect in 2024. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1941085">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The best Mac client for Gmail users is now a 1.0 release with nifty new features</strong> - Home/Work profiles, notification schedules, and a lack of inbox advertisements. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1941035">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Biden picks new FCC nominee to fill seat that’s been empty for over two years</strong> - Biden nominates US official Anna Gomez after Senate refused to confirm Gigi Sohn. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1941033">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Life on Earth might have gotten a boost from the Sun’s mega-tantrums</strong> - High-energy particles efficiently convert atmospheric chemicals to amino acids. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1940978">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A wife is having a gangbang with three men, one of them is deaf</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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Her husband walks in, so one hides in the closet, the second under the bed and the deaf man hides in the balcony.
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The husband opened the closet, and yells who the hell are you, the man says I’m the handyman, I’m fixing your closet, you owe me 100 bucks. He gives him his money and send him on his way.
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The husband then looks under the bed and yells who the fuck are you, the second one says I’m also a handyman and | was fixing your bed, so the husband gives him another $100 and let him leave.
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The deaf man then storms into the room, and yells, I fucked her too, that’ll be a $100.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/iaintprobitches"> /u/iaintprobitches </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13pkyvw/a_wife_is_having_a_gangbang_with_three_men_one_of/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13pkyvw/a_wife_is_having_a_gangbang_with_three_men_one_of/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>I really wanted to write a joke about my successful transition surgery.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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But I don’t have the balls to do it.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/ilikesidehugs"> /u/ilikesidehugs </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13p8hyh/i_really_wanted_to_write_a_joke_about_my/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13p8hyh/i_really_wanted_to_write_a_joke_about_my/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>I clean my dick for the same reason I polish my trophies:</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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I want them to look good even though they serve absolutely no purpose.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/SwissCoconut"> /u/SwissCoconut </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13pbd5x/i_clean_my_dick_for_the_same_reason_i_polish_my/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13pbd5x/i_clean_my_dick_for_the_same_reason_i_polish_my/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A blond guy is in a pub</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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Enters a gorgeous woman, with all the attributes in the right places.
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She sits on the other side of the bar.
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The bartender who sees the blond guy eyeing the girl and going to talk to her, tells him: don’t waste your time man, she is a lesbian.
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To his surprise the blond still approches the lady and says:
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Sooooo which part of Lesbia are you from?
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/sohereiamacrazyalien"> /u/sohereiamacrazyalien </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13p5erd/a_blond_guy_is_in_a_pub/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13p5erd/a_blond_guy_is_in_a_pub/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Albert Einstein walks into a bar</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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He sits down and the bartender asks what he wants. He says “2 beers, one for me and one for the stool next to me”.
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​
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The bartender pours 2 beers and asks, “are you waiting for someone?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Albert says “No, but there is a chance that quantum fluctuations could align themselves and spawn particles in a way that puts a beautiful lady sitting next to me”
</p>
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​
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The bartender says “Well, Al, there is a table of beautiful women over there, maybe you should go talk to one of them, maybe one will want to come sit with you”
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​
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Albert says “Okay but what are the chances of that?”
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/asdfgdhtns"> /u/asdfgdhtns </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13pbriq/albert_einstein_walks_into_a_bar/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13pbriq/albert_einstein_walks_into_a_bar/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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