#substack

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jess Piper at The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper:

“You don’t like it? Move.” This sort of advice is often given to me in online spaces when I say something truthful about Missouri that irritates folks on the right. When I talk about abortion bans, I should move to California. When I talk about funding schools, I should move to New York. When I speak out against harmful policies, I’m just an out of place, out of touch, liberal. I’ve been told to move to California or New York many times, and while I have visited both states, and appreciate the CA beaches and the NY atmosphere, I wouldn’t move to either state for two very important reasons: 1) This is where my children and grandchildren live. 2) This is my state too. Here’s something that may interest you; I hear the same rhetoric, although presented in a much more caring way, from progressives in states with better representation. My blue state friends have given me the “just move” advice on several occasions. They fear that I am in danger or that specific policies will hurt my family. They are justified in thinking I should move, but what they don’t realize is that moving will eventually harm them. If all of the like-minded congregate in progressive states, we will all eventually be overwhelmed by the regressive states.

If we don’t contest and protest in every GOP-dominated state, the bad policies will leach into all the states.

I will preface this essay by saying that I understand that not all folks have the privilege I have to stay and fight. Those with trans children, those impacted by our state healthcare failings and childcare issues, those dealing with things I can’t even begin to understand have every reason to flee states like Missouri. I make absolutely no judgment on those who choose to leave. I am in solidarity with them. [...]

Progressives fighting back in regressive states are fighting for all of us. They represent the tipping point for the nation. They contest seats, they protest human rights violations, and they show up to keep the red from leaching into the blue. The real fight for democracy is at the state level. Activists in GOP-dominated states can’t just move…there is nowhere to go. If we can’t stop the slow churn toward fascism in our states, there is little hope we can stop it nationwide. So, we stay. We stand up and talk back. We link arms and fight the local corrupt policies to stop national corrupt policies. Just move? No. I can’t. I won’t. This is my state too.

Jess Piper nails it on the dismissive "You don’t like it? Move" retort used to silence critics of bad polices of a particular state (in Piper's case, Missouri).

#Jess Piper #Missouri #Substack #Politics

[orpheuslament]

on loneliness, After Cameron Awkward-Rich, Dante Émile

#words #dante émile #poetry #poets on tumblr #trans poets on tumblr #substack #cameron awkward-rich

[kosmogrl]

get out of your head by mindmine

#substack #w #linked

[thesofthuman]

substack 🌀find me on substack: making lists, writing confessions, meeting with the muses

#Emery Allen #substack #writing

[ktempestbradford]

From The Atlantic: Substack Has a Nazi Problem

[that link is to an archived version, so no paywall]

Bottom Line: the CEOs/leaders of Substack aren't just being laissez-faire about the fascists and open white supremacists on the platform, they actively boost them by having them on the company podcast, featuring them, mentioning them, and boosting them. Because the newsletters bring in LOADS of money and they love money. Even newsletters that repeatedly violate the basic, useless guidelines of Substack, they do not get punished.

This isn't a huge surprise for anyone who has been following the major issues with Substack that have come up in the past few years. There was the whole scandal where the public discovered that Substack had been paying people secretly to be on the service while advertising that anyone can make it on their own here! Plus, they were paying bigots directly to put their newsletters on the srvice.

Good breakdowns of that from Annalee Newitz and Grace Lavery.

Then there was the disasterous interview one of the CEOs (Chris Best) did with Nilay Patel of The Verge when Substack's Twitter clone launched. Nilay -- who is, if you hadn't guessed, of Indian descent -- asked him pointed questions about content moderation and... well...

[Nilay] I just want to be clear, if somebody shows up on Substack and says “all brown people are animals and they shouldn’t be allowed in America,” you’re going to censor that. That’s just flatly against your terms of service. [Best] So, we do have a terms of service that have narrowly prescribed things that are not allowed. That one I’m pretty sure is just flatly against your terms of service. You would not allow that one. That’s why I picked it. So there are extreme cases, and I’m not going to get into the– Wait. Hold on. In America in 2023, that is not so extreme, right? “We should not allow as many brown people in the country.” Not so extreme. Do you allow that on Substack? Would you allow that on Substack Notes? I think the way that we think about this is we want to put the writers and the readers in charge– No, I really want you to answer that question. Is that allowed on Substack Notes? “We should not allow brown people in the country.” I’m not going to get into gotcha content moderation. This is not a gotcha... I’m a brown person. Do you think people on Substack should say I should get kicked out of the country? I’m not going to engage in content moderation, “Would you or won’t you this or that?” That one is black and white, and I just want to be clear: I’ve talked to a lot of social network CEOs, and they would have no hesitation telling me that that was against their moderation rules. Yeah. We’re not going to get into specific “would you or won’t you” content moderation questions. Why? I don’t think it’s a useful way to talk about this stuff.

Best wasn't willing to get into these "gotchas" around their new social network, which is a pretty clear indication that they won't get into it around content moderation on the original platform. (Their statement after the fact did nothing to make things better.)

It's also really clear from the Atlantic article that the Substack CEOs/Owners are, at best, more interested in making money than in keeping white supremacists and Nazis (literal ones) off their platform. At worst, the Substack CEOs/Owners are supremacist/Nazi sympathizers. Either way:

Substack Directly Supports the Alt-Right, Nazis, and White Supremacists

Openly, brazenly, and without remorse.

#tw: nazis #nazis #fascisim #tw: fascists #tw: white supremacists #white supremacists #Substack #newsletters

[thecandlewasters]

tfw your biggest fans are the au versions of yourselves

#much ado about nothing #doctor who #nothing much to do #nmtd #THIS WEEK #STARTING THIS WEEK!!! #GET YOUR GLAD RAGS ON #let's pretend it's 2014 all over again #the candle wasters #substack #dracula daily #lovely little losers #lolilo #MG

[vavandeveresfan]

Jenny Watson: "We can do it, so let's do it." Jenny outlines her plan for a female-only, lesbian space.

For my lesbian, bisexual women, and radfem Followers. Via Graham Linehan's Substack.

For many decades, London was considered the global capital for lesbian nightlife. But you’d never know it if you visited the UK today. It’s not for a lack of British lesbian culture: I’m a lesbian, I’m involved in our country’s lesbian social scene, and I can assure you, it’s alive and well. What we lack at the moment are our own dedicated spaces. I think the UK needs once more to have lesbian-run, female-only community spaces. 

I’ve got an idea about how to make one such space a reality. And I believe I'm in a position to make it happen.

Over the past seven years, I've had the privilege of organising a range of lesbian social events in London. Throughout this time, I've made many connections in our community, gained an increasing understanding of our needs, and created social spaces that I hope go some way to meeting them. 

And in those seven years working to coordinate part of the the UK’s lesbian social scene, I’ve come to see how badly we need a dedicated, strictly female-only event space — now more than ever. 

Men have been encroaching on the lesbian community, and the problem is only getting worse. There’s been a sense of inevitability, that this is just something we have to learn to live with.

But I’ve had it.

In June, I skipped London’s official Pride festivities and instead visited an alternative, independent event at the Hampstead Ponds. It was a female-only picnic. Hundreds of women of all ages were gathered, from their teens to their eighties. And the sublime joy that I felt that day led me to a eureka moment:

We need this. We deserve this. This is our right. As lesbians and bisexual women, we have a right to social spaces that are entirely our own.

So, earlier this year, I decided to implement a women-only policy at my events. Although this sparked controversy, we ultimately received recognition from the UK’s largest pub operator that it is legitimate to hold women-only lesbian events - a real victory!

And then it suddenly dawned on me: we need more and not only do we need this, I can do this. I feel I have a good sense of the UK market for lesbian social events. So I crunched some numbers and developed a business proposal. I gauged interest and studied feasibility. And I’m excited to tell you: I believe this can work.

My plan involves establishing a private members’ club and securing a prime physical space in London. By day, this space will operate as a versatile hybrid workspace, becoming a venue hosting various social events in the evenings and weekends. Alongside these, we'll provide online events, and collaborate with service providers for health and wellness advice, fitness guidance, group trips, and more. Revenue will come from the events, partnerships, as well as from membership dues.

To the lesbian and bisexual women reading this: you’re welcome to get in touch with me if you’d like to learn more. There's an opportunity to invest if you’re interested, too. I’ve got a pitch deck I would be happy to show you and a fully fleshed-out, 50-page business plan. And I’m happy to report that there are already investors who have given the thumbs up. 

Following my announcement and inspired by the community's heartwarming response, I decided to introduce an early-bird membership programme. This includes a personalised QR-coded membership card for exclusive updates and access to a members’ discussion space. Joining early also signifies your part in accelerating our community's launch. 

Which brings me to another issue, and it’s a big part of the reason I’m writing this now: online critics. There’s a small but vocal group of people online who’ve been saying some pretty nasty and completely unfounded things about me. This group of people have taken to personal insults, and accusations that I’m a fraudster and a grifter.

I’m not entirely surprised to encounter pushback, but at the same time, the level of vitriol has been eye-opening.

But I try to put it in a bigger context: Lesbians have faced so much abuse, and for so long we’ve had to settle for having social spaces conditionally, on terms set by men. There’s a climate of distrust and fear looming over the lesbian community as a result. So much so that today the idea of even having one single space fully dedicated to lesbian and bisexual women seems so radical, some people’s initial reaction is that there’s got to be a catch.

I completely understand that a good dose of scrutiny, of tempering optimism with some degree of caution, is reasonable. It’s healthy. And it’s entirely welcome.

But personal insults and unfounded accusations are not. I know that emotions are running high, and we as a community are feeling beleaguered right now. But that’s no excuse to target my Irishness in personal attacks, for example. Or to target my business supporters with lies about me.

I'm not here to push or persuade anyone who doesn't feel the spark for this project. However, for those who do, our project investors' safety and security are crucial — capital funds are securely placed in escrow and I've teamed up with a business consultant who's right here supporting us until opening day. We’ve put together a solid business plan.

If anything, the tenor of some of the criticism I’ve faced only hardens my resolve: it just highlights how badly women need a space to unite us, to heal us in this difficult time.

It’s been upsetting to endure the smear campaign that a small online group has thrown at me… but my mind keeps going back to that Edenic afternoon at the Hampstead Ponds, where hundreds of women were gathered in serenity and harmony.

This will heal us. This will unite us. And it will make us all stronger. Lesbian strength comes through unity.

There are various ways you can help, but the most crucial one is spreading the word - our message is the most important part of this project. 

Other than that, as I mentioned earlier, if you are a lesbian/bi woman, there is the option to join as an early-bird member (however, this is not compulsory; you can wait until our opening). Additionally, there's the opportunity for investment or donation. I've prepared a comprehensive 50-page business plan and pitch deck available for those who are interested.

For a deeper understanding of the project, feel free to visit our website or you can email me at [email protected] 

Any form of support you can offer is immensely appreciated as we work towards making this a reality.  

We can do this. So let’s do it!

#lesbians #women's spaces #lesbian spaces #Jenny Watson #Graham Linehan #Substack #bisexual women #UK #London

[thebluesthour]

from A Practical Field Guide to Mystery (by arsspoetica)

#lit #quotes #words #essays #A Practical Field Guide to Mystery #substack #Yves Klein #the secret of blue is well kept #queued #m

[allsadnshit]

Excerpts from I'm Sorry Mom, I Can't Give Up On Miso Soup 2023

A piece written in winter about cultural disconnections, food as medicine, and the magic of kitchen routines

#personal #Substack #endometriosis #miso soup #nobody in taipei loves me

[orpheuslament]

Listening to The Mountain Goats while on public transport, Dante Émile

#dante émile #words #substack #poetry #poets on tumblr

[mysharona1987]

This story is terrifying. And honestly I think she only received treatment in the end because the videos went viral. What if they hadn’t?

#News #idaho #tiktok #politics #liberals #substack #Healthcare #democrats #republicans

[nateconnolly]

Humanity evolved to be persistence hunters. Humans can move slowly, but efficiently, and catch fast prey that exhausts itself with short bursts of energy. The human body was designed to move at a steady pace. Fast, not too fast. There was a reason that humanity was still around after all the rabbits had died. 

Cassel and Alter crouched at the edge of the basin and ate cold canned corn. They left the empty cans where they had stopped, to be crushed and ripped in the storm. Their food packs were almost empty. They would have to raid a shipping container sometime in the next week.

In a world without animals to hunt or plants to harvest, humanity had become a race of scavengers again. The railroad from Juarez to Santa Fe had passed through Portertown, and a train had been on the route when the storms began. The shipping containers were still scattered around the mountain range. Cassel and Alter had been raiding them for years. 

From hunter-gatherers to farmers to industrials, and now, back to gatherers. From inanimate dust to single cells to animals to mammals to humans, and soon, back to inanimate dust. 

This is an excerpt from The Last Epileptic. You can read the rest on AO3 or Substack

#nate's writing #fiction #the last epilpetic #substack #ao3

[literatureaesthetic]

28th october '23 🍂 | a large chunk of my morning was spent organising my new substack: planning ideas, making it look like my aesthetic, getting the format ready, and working on my first post (which will be an october wrap-up)!!

i'm so excited about this new journey <3

#my substack will be free btw!! add me if you'd like <3 #substack #photo diaries #photo dump #literature aesthetics #books #book #bookish #bookblr #bookworm #bookstagram #dark academia #booklover #books and libraries #autumn 🍂 #fall #autumn #tabis #aesthetic #studyblr #study space #study hard #study #studying #academia #matcha #coffee #lifestyle #photo diary #visual diary

[thecandlewasters]

A cheeky lil celebration of 10 Years of NMTD

Nostalgic for early tumblr? Craving that Dracula Daily mineral? Perhaps obsessed with a certain enemies-to-lovers Shakespeare play?

Look no further, NMTD(Taylor's Version) is here!

Set in a New Zealand High School, told by teenage vloggers at the height of superwholock. It’s Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing for the nostalgic and curious.

Thee 2014 transmedia experience; with videos, tweets, insta and tumblr posts direct from the characters to your email inbox.

Emails arriving from 24 March - 5 November 2024.

https://thecandlewasters.substack.com/

#the candle wasters #nmtd #nothing much to do #lolilo #lovely little losers #fandles #much ado about nothing #dracula daily #ran so nmtdaily could walk #maan #nmtdaily #10 years of nmtd #2014 really said 'nmtd finished on destielputinelection day' #substack #shakespeare #MG #pinned post

[chandajaan]

Web-weaving but it’s just a self indulgent exert of all of my writing about being alone when I’m not, complicated mid 20s

#I’ve had a rough few weeks folks #but i’m here for it #chandatalks #substack #web weaving #?? #ig

[kjscottwrites]

Well for one I'M not going anywhere, but lets say for no particular reason that Tumblr does bite it...

I don't mean this as any sort of doomsaying, because I'm staying here and will stay here indefinitely. This is where my community is. But, I am curious if people are feeling inclined to relocate!

Feel free to add your other socials to this thread as well!

#tumblr #tumblr poll #polls #instagram #theads #facebook #bluesky #mastadon #pillowfort #cohost #discord #substack #writeblr #writers on tumbr #writer community #I forgot to add tiktok lol but I don't think its very conducive to writers anyway so thats probably fine! #SHIT i also misspelled mastodon #i hit publish on this way too quick huh