Share this comment
No doubt. Anne Helen Peterson is another name swept up in this, and in her letter to the Substack team a few weeks ago she included the phrase “Nazis (and anti-trans assholes)” as a description of the problem. No doubt in my mind even folks like Jesse would be on the ban list for some. substack.com/@annehelen…
No doubt. Anne Helen Peterson is another name swept up in this, and in her letter to the Substack team a few weeks ago she included the phrase “Nazis (and anti-trans assholes)” as a description of the problem. No doubt in my mind even folks like Jesse would be on the ban list for some. https://substack.com/@annehelen/note/c-45993110?r=c7oc4
One of the organizers of the SAN campaign, Marisa Kabas, also gives away the game in her latest post (and seemingly last, as she announces at the end that she too is leaving Substack):
"Substack is still not protecting its publishers and users against dangerous white supremacist content, and it’s certainly not protecting them against transphobic content—an issue that was raised by a group of trans publishers two years ago."
Not only does she state outright that the gender critics would be next on her list, her deployment of "protecting" twice in that sentence tells you all you need to know about how she views the desirability and utility of the marketplace of ideas.
https://www.thehandbasket.co/p/substack-says-it-will-ban-some-nazis
The full body revulsion I feel at that use of “protecting.” Lady, I am not a child, I am not harmed by encountering ideas I disagree with on the internet, and even if someone else’s ideas were capable of harming me I am perfectly able to take steps to prevent that harm, including not reading said content or even - gasp - not using a particular platform. Good lord.
When did the phrase “Bye, Felicia” go out of currency? This whole eventstream just feels like the ALL-CAPSiest Usenet Flounce of the decade.
Substack's hands off policy is absolutely vital. If moderation is not a core principle, it's less likely to be weaponised. Besides I don't think Katz et al have any politics at all besides self-enrichment.
Clout chasing has completely obscured both sides of any debate we could mention in The Discourse. I like Substack because it's a place I can read both sides of an argument, usually both intelligent. This whole episode feels like a power play by those who hate that kind of nuance, and whose politics is basically 'the ends justify the means'. I always distrust that instinct! And I pay for Substacks by writers with whom I often disagree. Substack is for grownups.
"Substack is for grownups" would make an excellent slogan for post-Katz recruitment marketing.