The missing piece is that there is a, to me, well meaning effort to not publish these out-of-narrative stories because their real life effect is pouring gasolin

The missing piece is that there is a, to me, well meaning effort to not publish these out-of-narrative stories because their real life effect is pouring gasoline on other hate. With covid there was so much avoiding talking about China being the origin because there was a hoard of people frothing at the mouth waiting to justify their hate. It's the whole reason respectability politics exists. You see it with everything, some people are murderers, rapists, thieves, jaywalkers, but when people of certain demographics are caught the story spreads like wildfire after a drought -- "see see we told you they were horrible people!!"