It's not a great time to be a fan. The hooligan, the violent and illogical fanatic who will commit crimes to defend their faves, is no longer found only in sports. The hooligan can be found worshipping pop stars, politicians, Netflix shows, and comic book characters. There they are, issuing death threats to those who dare to criticize a singer-songwriter. They are in your mentions, swarming you for not liking a video game. Jessa and Nico take the moment of Jürgen Klopp's departure from Liverpool FC to think about the state of fandom, what it gives and what it takes and what it requires from us.

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Jessa and Nico return from their week off to discover nothing has really changed. We're still talking about campus protests (instead of what they are protesting), technology is still celebrating the destruction of things that are handmade and skillful and good, people are still trying to declare who art is "for" and who is allowed to have opinions about it, and American fascists are still nostalgic about the Austro Hungarian empire. From Eurovision to Kendrick v Drake to Germany's memory culture.

Americans are being warned by their government that before they leave the country they need to check their luggage for any "stray ammo" or weaponry that they might have stashed in there. Is the world getting sick of America's nonsense? Europe is ending its golden visa program, Turks & Caicos has Americans under arrest for trying to bring guns etc on vacation, and Venice is now charging entry fees for disembarking from the foul cruise ships. Jessa and Nico contemplate the American "the world is my oyster" entitlement. Also: campus protests, the cruise ship essay, Salman Rushdie got stabbed by a guy from Jersey, and more.

This week's sponsor:

http://betterhelp.com/culturewedeserve

http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com