If you haven't read Sam Kahn's analysis of what's going on you should. He argues, convincingly, that the whole 'Nazis on Substack' charge is mostly unfounded, that the number of Nazis, and the amount of attention they were actually getting (e.g. fewer than 20 followers, tiny numbers of subscriptions) suggests that this controversy is being managed by someone who wants to discredit Substack for other reasons. I had been reading Katz (who started the fire) but had already realized he was prone to flights of fancy because of other things he's written.
Yet there Richard Spencer is with a Substack newsletter. Look, I don't doubt the number of Nazis on Substack in small, in part because the number of Nazis in general is small. But if I were running the place, the correct number would be zero. I don't get the point of anti-anti-ing this issue.
I think the point in pushing back on. Katz’s claims is that this seems to be a (somewhat successful) attempt to kill Substack, and Kahn (at least) suggests it’s motivated more by jealousy from more traditional media than worry about actual Nazis.
Kind of reminds me of the furor caused by the crowd of tiki-torch carrying knuckleheads in Charlottesville in 2017. It was supposed to be the great awakening of their cause, and it attracted a whopping 200, (half of whom were probably FBI agents infiltrating.)
If that is all the better they can do, is "White Supremacy" any real threat to anything?
Having read your work for all 20 of those years, and knowing your underlying philosophy I know that you are that 'reasonable man' who would be terrific as that moderator. I also surmise that that is not what you aspire to, but your Symposium is exactly the kind of 'platform' you are describing. If you could find people to partner with who do want to do the work behind providing the many services Substack provides, then Symposium could be that sorely needed competitor. In any case, I have been happy with the writers Substack has introduced me to as it has given me a better understanding of where a lot of well-meaning people are coming from even when I don't agree with much the believe.
Being a Substack competitor requires a lot of technical knowledge, a big pot of capital, and the patience to spend a few years losing money. I'm not going to do that. I also don't exactly want the job of moderator-in-chief. But I've got more specific ideas for how Substack could put a system in place to deal with this moderating job, if they want it.
Yes, I figured as much. You have much bigger fish to fry, and your writing is way too important to add another job to it. Your experience and courage, though, is ideal for the moderators job you described.
If you haven't read Sam Kahn's analysis of what's going on you should. He argues, convincingly, that the whole 'Nazis on Substack' charge is mostly unfounded, that the number of Nazis, and the amount of attention they were actually getting (e.g. fewer than 20 followers, tiny numbers of subscriptions) suggests that this controversy is being managed by someone who wants to discredit Substack for other reasons. I had been reading Katz (who started the fire) but had already realized he was prone to flights of fancy because of other things he's written.
Yet there Richard Spencer is with a Substack newsletter. Look, I don't doubt the number of Nazis on Substack in small, in part because the number of Nazis in general is small. But if I were running the place, the correct number would be zero. I don't get the point of anti-anti-ing this issue.
I think the point in pushing back on. Katz’s claims is that this seems to be a (somewhat successful) attempt to kill Substack, and Kahn (at least) suggests it’s motivated more by jealousy from more traditional media than worry about actual Nazis.
Kind of reminds me of the furor caused by the crowd of tiki-torch carrying knuckleheads in Charlottesville in 2017. It was supposed to be the great awakening of their cause, and it attracted a whopping 200, (half of whom were probably FBI agents infiltrating.)
If that is all the better they can do, is "White Supremacy" any real threat to anything?
Well, there are enough of them that Texas Republicans can't figure out whether it's OK to pal around with them.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/09/dade-phelan-speaker-nick-fuentes-dan-patrick-defend-texas-liberty/
This is not a problem I invented. It's a problem conservatives made for themselves.
Having read your work for all 20 of those years, and knowing your underlying philosophy I know that you are that 'reasonable man' who would be terrific as that moderator. I also surmise that that is not what you aspire to, but your Symposium is exactly the kind of 'platform' you are describing. If you could find people to partner with who do want to do the work behind providing the many services Substack provides, then Symposium could be that sorely needed competitor. In any case, I have been happy with the writers Substack has introduced me to as it has given me a better understanding of where a lot of well-meaning people are coming from even when I don't agree with much the believe.
Being a Substack competitor requires a lot of technical knowledge, a big pot of capital, and the patience to spend a few years losing money. I'm not going to do that. I also don't exactly want the job of moderator-in-chief. But I've got more specific ideas for how Substack could put a system in place to deal with this moderating job, if they want it.
Yes, I figured as much. You have much bigger fish to fry, and your writing is way too important to add another job to it. Your experience and courage, though, is ideal for the moderators job you described.