Fascism and Futili-tea
I wanna leave Substack.
Substack betrayed me. I have been its long term user, contributor, and advocate. Moving away from rage-bait to long-form media? Heck yeah! And so I find myself writing to you today with a heavy heart.
Having principles can be annoying and expensive. (And make you insufferable to talk to at parties.) But it beats the alternative.
If you do not want to be exposed to this spiral, all you need to know is that Substack is funding and promoting fascists, and in the current political climate, where one of the only things I can do is control where I create, I don’t want to support them anymore than I already have. I am not comfortable monetising here, giving money to people who have no qualms with promoting and profiting from hate speech. Except, it seems, I have no choice. The past two months have been spent exploring alternatives (much to the detriment of my physical and mental wellbeing, to be real with ya) and I have not found any that meet my needs as a chronically ill content creator. I almost decided to quit entirely, but I want to continue searching, and in the meantime please support me on patreon.
Keep reading for a discount code!
Substack has a Nazi Problem.
It all started when I read an article written by Substack’s CEO, Chris Best:
Approvingly citing Musk/X and Zuck/Meta, Substack reiterates its commitment to support Nazis, antisemites, anti-vaxxers, transphobes, and homophobes in spreading disinformation & hate under the guise of “free speech”.
Best claims that Elon Musk ‘deserves a lot of credit for advancing freedom of speech on X.’ and praised Mark Zuckerberg for the DEI changes he has made to Meta recently. You can read the full thing here:
Best has a very different definition of ‘freedom of speech’ compared to me, the Equality Human Rights Commission, and the United Nations. We understand that our liberty does not give us a license to harm others. So when you incite violence against minority groups or take part in hate speech, you are not exercising your right to freedom of speech, you are, in fact, impinging on other people’s right to exist without being discriminated against. Freedom can only exist when all of us are free to exist and are treated as equals.
When Kottke wrote ‘Substack reiterates its commitment to support Nazis’ I thought… hang on a second— reiterates?! To my horror and disgust, Substack has had a Nazi problem for a long time, and even after 250+ writers wrote a collective letter to them in protest it’s only doubling-down by partnering with… proto-fascists
What is perhaps most disturbing is that this all means that Substack is brazenly violating its own Content Guidelines:
Hate
Substack cannot be used to publish content or fund initiatives that incite violence based on protected classes. Offending behavior includes credible threats of physical harm to people based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability or medical condition.
… So, I would like to leave.
There is no such thing as a perfect place on the internet. But it’s possible to avoid the ones that aren’t even pretending to try to be better. The best time to leave Substack was a long time ago. The second best time is now.
and I think you would too? The trouble is, I do not share the resources that other publications have, maybe you don’t either, so this is… sticky.
Creatives Deserve Compensation!
I believe writers, creatives of any kind, deserve to be paid for their work. However, I have never applied that belief to the work I do. The intersection in which I exist as a disabled creative means not being fairly compensated is hardly even controversial. That’s not how it should be. I am not living by my principles if I continue working for free. I am also not living by my principles if I monetise on Substack.
Here’s the thing: I don’t think I can live by my principles in this world. If anyone knows of any alternatives that are as user friendly, as widely populated, as inexpensive as substack, I would love to hear about them. But so far, from my research, there is no free alternative that wouldn’t cost me in health, something I cannot afford to lose more of.
The internet is where we spend our time, it is like a country. So, just as we would protest if we saw sexism, ableism, or any other violation of human rights in our own country, just as we would avoid a homophobic restaurant, we should vote with our attention, and move it to a platform that cares for its community? The trouble is, right now I am not sure such a platform exists. So, just as we pay taxes when we don’t agree with all of our respective countries’ policies, we continue using platforms we don’t agree with. I am hopeful conversations like this will change that in the future.
After many conversations with this communi-tea, I believe erasing Tea with HB from this platform will do more harm than good. I am not a big enough influence to convince others to leave, not when there are so many incredible creatives here who aren’t going anywhere. The few people I do reach here will benefit from the support and comfort my resources offer.
So, after much deliberation, I have decided to continue creating free content on substack while searching for alternatives, and using patreon for financial support, a place I am more comfortable giving your hard earned money to! There’ll be more drawings, poetry, musings, and a special project coming soon too. So what are you waiting for?! Help me create a better future for vulnerable people all over the world!
Use the code BISCUIT50 to get 50% off your first month 🍪
This does not mean my work will be paywalled! Whilst I believe creators deserve to be paid, you also know I prioritise affordability and access, which is why if you reply to this email, I will happily give anyone who needs it free access. This makes it all the more special when those who can support financially do so, because you are subsidising those who can’t yet afford to!
I know there will be other people who have suffered from this same ethical quandary, and I think it is important to write and share musings even if I don’t have the answers. I am hoping somebody will reply, showing me a way forward that isn’t using Substack. Until then, I would rather continue creating, community-building, caring, without letting thought spirals paralyse me.
Substack has been praised for being a safe haven after people finally grew tired of Meta and Tiktok’s pandering. Substack is not a safe haven, no platform ever is. But you can be. We are. We make these platforms worth being on. If an app is ever good it is because WE are providing good content— for free. Please make sure you value yourself, your work, your time, whoever you are, creator or not.
Alternatives
Ghost
No free option. Ghost is an open source, decentralised, non-profit, whose founder and CEO John O’Nolan promises that Ghost will remove pro-Nazi content.
Read about Casey Newton’s decision to move to Ghost here
Beehiiv
Free for your first 2,500 subscribers. Beehiiv is incredibly customisable, with new updates all the time, and many monetisation options. 30-day trial + 20% off for 3 months
Read about Craig Calcaterra’s decision to move to Beehiiv here
MailerLite
Free for your first 1000 subscribers.
Buttondown
Free for your first 100 subscribers. A simple and elegant newsletter platform, perfect if you are just starting out.
Kit
Free for your first 10,000 subscribers.
Social Media Alternatives
BlueSky
Bluesky is decentralised, open source, and designed never to be controlled by one single company.
Mastodon
Mastodon is a decentralised, open source, self-hosted, social networking service.
Or try a timeline app that consolidates your favourite feeds so you only have to check one thing!
As always, nowhere is perfect and any of these companies could fall foul of the capitalism and right-wing temptation traps. But that is why it is so important to own your audience in the form of a mailing list, and diversify the platforms on which you create. We must keep updating the platforms we use rather than being bound to them.
Pour A Cup of Compassion
Reply to this email with something you think deserves more awareness and together we can make the world more compassionate place!
This month we’re pouring a cup of compassion for disabled people!
Recently the Government announced plans to cut disability benefits, a decision that leaves many disabled people even more vulnerable and scapegoats disabled people as the problem when we are faced with enough discrimination and barriers already. This comes after the United Nations found that the UK government has made ‘no significant progress’ to improve disabled people’s rights. But you can help! Email your GP using this template and if you’re international, why not find out what support there is for disabled people where you live?
In solidari-tea and endless hope,
HB x
February Favourites
☀️ Good News: This was my best Winter in years and years, and I cannot begin to express how grateful I am. A mix of physio, the Center Parcs tropical dome, and hugs from my niece have definitely contributed.
📚 Book: Solitaire by Alice Oseman
📺 TV: Severance. Severance!!! SEVERANCE! Seriously, beloved, if you haven’t yet dived into this enrapturing show that is providing so many thoughtful reflections on our society, you are missing out!
🍿 Movie: Mrs Doubtfire, a classic.
🍜 Recipe: Hit reply if you’d like me to write up and share some of my OWN recipes!
🎶 Music: Be the main character! I created a playlist of bops from the 2000’s, have a dance to it in the morning, 100%* guaranteed to improve your day
(*we surveyed one (1) person)
For more resources check out TeawithHB.com!
This describes perfectly everything I feel about this platform. I really want to move to Beehiiv, but it's so daunting, and I'm terrified that even that small audience I have would leave me. But being on Substack makes me uncomfortable. My Substack content is free, and I won't monetise here, but I'm hoping to start a Patreon later this year.
I only recently discovered Substack (as usual I am behind on the times), and am even considering starting to write again. But, like you, I have qualms about supporting any fascist business if I have an alternative - and of course, the last part of this statement is the issue, finding an alternative. For now I will keep reading on here, as I've found it's a wonderful way to discover amazing creators, but I will also be seeing if I can support those creators elsewhere (unfortunately, due to being unable to work due to disability I can't financially support as many creators as I would like, but I no longer want any of the money to be going to substack!), and following people like you when you do move to alternate places.