A routine reminder that it's always a good idea to boycott #Substack.
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@_elena The line for me is between "free speech" and deliberately divisive "hate speech". The former we tolerate, even if we disagree, the latter should be subjected to the law or - where that fails - deliberate action to call it out and limit its spread. Especially when it's from sources already known to have committed crimes.
@cubeExplorer @_elena Liberalism has to defend itself but I think part of that is that it does have to allow, if not tolerate, deliberately divisive and even hateful speech.
Group think is bad.
I think Popper called out the line pretty well: when they advocate that we don't discuss differences but instead raise fist or sword. That's when...well...you do, and you get it done.
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R relay@relay.mycrowd.ca shared this topic
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A routine reminder that it's always a good idea to boycott #Substack.
We have long known that it platforms and profits from Nazi publications. And now: #manosphere influencers with multiple accusations of serious crimes... so much so that there is a dedicated Wikipedia page about them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_affairs_of_the_Tate_brothers
No problem for #Substack though! They happily take a 10% cut from all paid subscriptions.
There are many great alternatives to SS: Ghost, Buttondown, beehiiv, Patreon... no more excuses
@_elena today I learned 'Substack' is a thing, I'm boycotting it as of now.
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@_elena Ghost is the one I'd push hardest on that list. I moved my practice blog there about a year ago - setup is straightforward, you own your subscriber list outright, and the SEO tooling is solid enough that I stopped needing a separate layer on top. The one honest caveat: the theme customization requires comfort with code. For most writers though, the defaults are good enough to ship immediately.
The blocker that is preventing writers from moving away from Substack is not technical migration issues, it's that they can reasonably expect their audience growth to stalll or even reverse when they leave the platform. Substack is good at cross-promoting, just as Medium or Tumblr were back in their day.
We don't have to like Substack to recognize this fact. I loathe the company for its Medium-esque hostile dark pattern-laden design, even before we discuss the fact it platforms actual Nazis.
Until there is an effective alternative solution to this discovery and audience acquisition problem, they will stay put on Substack despite any disquiet over the platform.
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@_elena @jwildeboer ok, this last one I wholeheartedly agree to.
Instead of condemning a site or platform, because of one user is kinda.. childish.
So, Tate lives on earth, we should all go to mars or somewhere?
Live and let live. This kind of attention, makes them more visible, makes you a part of your own 'problem?'.
Reminder, it's 2026.. is this the best way to invest energy for something greater. It's easy, but.. better?
Just saying.
@codebuzz
"Just saying" nothing. You're wrong. -
@niklaskorz No, they have 4 payment offers: https://help.steadyhq.com/en/articles/6265640-how-to-make-a-payment
It's the creatives who choose their offers.
Many choose Paypal because it's widely accepted. Paypal has a bank status in the EU, and therefore much stronger regulations than elsewhere. And their invoices comply with the requirements of the tax authorities. Here in France, they are directly connected to them.
That means that I don't have any paperwork for my declarations, the invoices of Steady and Paypal comply 100%. -
@niklaskorz No, they have 4 payment offers: https://help.steadyhq.com/en/articles/6265640-how-to-make-a-payment
It's the creatives who choose their offers.
Many choose Paypal because it's widely accepted. Paypal has a bank status in the EU, and therefore much stronger regulations than elsewhere. And their invoices comply with the requirements of the tax authorities. Here in France, they are directly connected to them.
That means that I don't have any paperwork for my declarations, the invoices of Steady and Paypal comply 100%.@niklaskorz Ah, sorry, I just see that you speak about the payout only. Yes that's Paypal: https://help.steadyhq.com/en/articles/6265682-do-i-need-a-paypal-account-to-receive-payouts
But feel free to ask/propose them alternatives!
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A routine reminder that it's always a good idea to boycott #Substack.
We have long known that it platforms and profits from Nazi publications. And now: #manosphere influencers with multiple accusations of serious crimes... so much so that there is a dedicated Wikipedia page about them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_affairs_of_the_Tate_brothers
No problem for #Substack though! They happily take a 10% cut from all paid subscriptions.
There are many great alternatives to SS: Ghost, Buttondown, beehiiv, Patreon... no more excuses
Michael DeAdder is on Substack. I'm torn, as he's so good, and they're so bad. Ditto for Heather Cox Richardson. I wonder if they're blissfully ignorant (seems unlikely) or are they tied in through the wonders of an extended contract?
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@_elena @jwildeboer ok, this last one I wholeheartedly agree to.
Instead of condemning a site or platform, because of one user is kinda.. childish.
So, Tate lives on earth, we should all go to mars or somewhere?
Live and let live. This kind of attention, makes them more visible, makes you a part of your own 'problem?'.
Reminder, it's 2026.. is this the best way to invest energy for something greater. It's easy, but.. better?
Just saying.
@codebuzz @jwildeboer Nah, I'm not supporting a platform whose owners have been very clear about their feelings regarding fascists and sex traffickers using their service. Live and let live is fine when we're dealing with a difference of opinion, not when the other side has no intention of letting you live.
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@_elena @jwildeboer ok, this last one I wholeheartedly agree to.
Instead of condemning a site or platform, because of one user is kinda.. childish.
So, Tate lives on earth, we should all go to mars or somewhere?
Live and let live. This kind of attention, makes them more visible, makes you a part of your own 'problem?'.
Reminder, it's 2026.. is this the best way to invest energy for something greater. It's easy, but.. better?
Just saying.
You didn't need to
"just say" anything.
You could have instead opted to "just" STFU.
Saying live and let live
when what is really meant is live and let people
hurt people.
What's wrong with children?
What's wrong with thinking like a child?
(That's all rhetorical, i couldn't be less interested in
more BS today)
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@_elena - Musk's X is headed in that direction.
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The blocker that is preventing writers from moving away from Substack is not technical migration issues, it's that they can reasonably expect their audience growth to stalll or even reverse when they leave the platform. Substack is good at cross-promoting, just as Medium or Tumblr were back in their day.
We don't have to like Substack to recognize this fact. I loathe the company for its Medium-esque hostile dark pattern-laden design, even before we discuss the fact it platforms actual Nazis.
Until there is an effective alternative solution to this discovery and audience acquisition problem, they will stay put on Substack despite any disquiet over the platform.
@fazalmajid But it’s precisely the high-profile prominent accounts that could leave at any moment, because they’re so well-known that their fans will follow them wherever they go. And they do promote their newsletters via social media, after all.
If they go - Substack would loose big amounts of money. -
@hwll I hear you. I have multiple IRL acquaintances who have paid Substack newsletters
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@NatureMC Steady is great to keep my writing out there as well as updates. I can't use Ghost because they require a debit/credit card to get started and my bank won't allow it to go through since they're based in Singapore, and Steady was a free alternative that is incredibly easy to use.
@earwigplanet Yes, that Singapore seat can be a problem.
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A routine reminder that it's always a good idea to boycott #Substack.
We have long known that it platforms and profits from Nazi publications. And now: #manosphere influencers with multiple accusations of serious crimes... so much so that there is a dedicated Wikipedia page about them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_affairs_of_the_Tate_brothers
No problem for #Substack though! They happily take a 10% cut from all paid subscriptions.
There are many great alternatives to SS: Ghost, Buttondown, beehiiv, Patreon... no more excuses
Also the same for Shopify, also avoid if poss.
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A routine reminder that it's always a good idea to boycott #Substack.
We have long known that it platforms and profits from Nazi publications. And now: #manosphere influencers with multiple accusations of serious crimes... so much so that there is a dedicated Wikipedia page about them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_affairs_of_the_Tate_brothers
No problem for #Substack though! They happily take a 10% cut from all paid subscriptions.
There are many great alternatives to SS: Ghost, Buttondown, beehiiv, Patreon... no more excuses
@_elena I've never seen the word "Bastard" spelled that way.
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@_elena @jwildeboer ok, this last one I wholeheartedly agree to.
Instead of condemning a site or platform, because of one user is kinda.. childish.
So, Tate lives on earth, we should all go to mars or somewhere?
Live and let live. This kind of attention, makes them more visible, makes you a part of your own 'problem?'.
Reminder, it's 2026.. is this the best way to invest energy for something greater. It's easy, but.. better?
Just saying.
@codebuzz
“Tate lives on earth. Should we boycot our planet?!?” is a very disingenious take on this. A _content platform_ should be responsible for the content it platforms. Period.There might be services that clearly should not be boycoted for also servicing fascists because even fascists have basic human rights to them – his Internet, water, and electricity provider, his doctors, his supermarket, the taxi, Uber, train he takes should not be required to boycot him.
Banking would be on the fence. It is basically needed for living in the modern world. He should probably have the right to a private bank account. But also to a bank account that can be used for profiting of his followers?
Substack is very clearly on the other side of that fence.
@_elena @jwildeboer -
A routine reminder that it's always a good idea to boycott #Substack.
We have long known that it platforms and profits from Nazi publications. And now: #manosphere influencers with multiple accusations of serious crimes... so much so that there is a dedicated Wikipedia page about them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_affairs_of_the_Tate_brothers
No problem for #Substack though! They happily take a 10% cut from all paid subscriptions.
There are many great alternatives to SS: Ghost, Buttondown, beehiiv, Patreon... no more excuses
@_elena yeah this! feel like i've been beating this drum solo.
thanks for reminding people!
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@fazalmajid But it’s precisely the high-profile prominent accounts that could leave at any moment, because they’re so well-known that their fans will follow them wherever they go. And they do promote their newsletters via social media, after all.
If they go - Substack would loose big amounts of money.@NatureMC precisely
@fazalmajid @msmamet -
Michael DeAdder is on Substack. I'm torn, as he's so good, and they're so bad. Ditto for Heather Cox Richardson. I wonder if they're blissfully ignorant (seems unlikely) or are they tied in through the wonders of an extended contract?
@danneau I've noticed how some high profile accounts have moved to Patreon...
For the two accounts you mention, maybe you could add them to your RSS feed, so that you can (1) unsubscribe (2) don't give traffic to Substack?
And tell them about this...
I think these objections have worked for other creators... like Anne Helen Petersen of Culture Studies (one of the most visible / famous Substack newsletters back in the day)
