Vox Quick Hits

Right-wing coffee shops are popping up across the country, proving yet again that America can make pretty much anything political. One sells blends such as “The Don” and “Sleepy Joe Decaf.” Another offers concealed-carry permit classes. Many have Donald Trump-themed decor and products. Reporter Luke Winkie discusses the MAGA coffee trend and why Republicans are looking for a conservative-leaning version of Starbucks.

Learn More: 

Read Luke’s story on right-wing coffee here. 

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Thanks to Afterpay and Klarna, it’s easier than ever to buy in installments. Now, the model is coming for necessities. The buy now pay later concept isn’t new, but as startups make it more popular, what might be the unforeseen consequences, and why might Americans be particularly susceptible to going into more and more debt? Terry Nguyen wrote about this for The Goods. 

Read the full story: 

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2021/5/11/22429014/buy-now-pay-later-pandemic-expansion

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This weekend, Vox critic-at-large Emily VanDerWerff and film critic Alissa Wilkinson recommend you dive into the first few episodes of Amazon Prime Video’s 10-episode miniseries The Underground Railroad. 

Directed by Moonlight director Barry Jenkins, the series adapts Colson Whitehead’s award-winning novel about a young woman escaping slavery by traveling on a literal underground railroad, with a train and everything. The series is a mesmerizing adaptation of a wonderful novel, and it’s one of the best TV shows of the year so far. 

All 10 episodes are available on Amazon Prime Video. Episodes range in length from 20 minutes to 77 minutes. (Yes, really. But trust us — it works) 

Read Emily’s review of The Underground Railroad. 

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Lumber mania is sweeping North America. Prices are skyrocketing, and lumber supplies are scarce. It’s making building or renovating a home more expensive and has turned a stick of wood into a hot commodity at places like Home Depot and Lowe’s. The internet has taken notice of America’s lumber frenzy and has turned it into a bit of a meme on places like TikTok and Twitter. Paul Jannke, principal at Forest Economic Advisors, explains the current supply-demand crunch going on in lumber and whether there’s any end in sight.

Learn More: 

Read Emily’s story here. 

Read more from Vox about lumber and sustainable building here.

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Tell Me More is hosted by Emily Stewart and produced by Sofi LaLonde.

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If you haven’t been fat, you might not know what it’s like to fly as a fat person. To walk past rows of passengers who meet your face with dread, disgust, or fear. To hear your body loudly derided in your presence. To be removed from a flight and required to rebook, sometimes without a refund, and nearly always without legal recourse. 

This week on The Best Money I Ever Spent, Aubrey Gordon, the writer behind ‘Your Fat Friend’ and the co-host of the Maintenance Phase, explains how a simple device she purchased for $19.98 — her travel talisman — helped her reclaim control and dignity over some of the worst aspects of flying. 

Read Aubrey’s essay here. 

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The term “Asian American” applies to more than 50 ethnic groups and people who speak upwards of 100 languages. While it’s served Asian Americans to build political power, it’s also left many people feeling marginalized and erased. Lumping such a diverse group together masks the different ways people experience the economy, culture, and society. The Indian American experience is quite different from, say, the Burmese American experience. Vox reporter Li Zhou discusses the inadequacy of the term “Asian American."

Learn More: 

Read Li’s story on the inadequacy of the term “Asian American” here. 

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Tell Me More is hosted by Emily Stewart and produced by Sofi LaLonde.

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Whether or not you grew up watching the hit TV teen drama, Dawson’s Creek, you are probably familiar with a gif of the titular Dawson, played by James Van Der Beek, sobbing all over the internet. Why did this become a thing and what was the backstory behind it’s existence in the first place? Vox’s Constance Grady interviewed showrunners, editors, and TV critics to find the answers.

Read the full story.

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Vox critic-at-large Emily VanDerWerff and film critic Alissa Wilkinson recommend FX’s groundbreaking series Pose, which recently started its third and final season. The show dramatizes the lives of members of New York City’s drag ball community in the late 1980s and early ’90s. It’s a fundamentally warm and optimistic celebration of found family, but it’s also not afraid to look at the terrible things that can happen to queer people in our culture, particularly during that time period.

Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Netflix. 18 episodes total. New episodes Sunday on FX and available Monday on Hulu.

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Tell Me More is Vox Quick Hits exclusive series, hosted by Vox reporter Emily Stewart and produced by Sofi LaLonde.

America’s high-flying housing market might mean you’ll be renting forever — or, at least, for quite some time. Housing prices have soared during the pandemic as people have rushed to buy homes to escape cities and secure space for themselves and their families. Big companies have scooped up houses as well, sometimes outcompeting would-be homebuyers. As a result, more people may be pushed toward rentals because they can’t find or afford houses to buy. Recode’s Rani Molla explains whether the housing boom is turning America into a nation of renters.

Learn more: 

Tell Me More is Vox Quick Hits exclusive series, hosted by Vox reporter Emily Stewart and produced by Sofi LaLonde.

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A caller from Austin, TX wants to check out some books from her local library, but is finding that many titles are on hold. Vox book critic, Constance Grady recommends some under the radar hits that will likely be available a local public library.

Constance recommends:

If you are looking for a book recommendation, you can email Constance Dot Grady at Vox dot com. Be sure to use the subject line “Ask A Book Critic.” 

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