I appreciate your taking a consistent stand on this, Damon. The reminder to stay subscribed is helpful. I've considered bailing on Substack, but I appreciate the discussion communities that you, Kevin Alexander, and Marc Stein (basketball) have created. I miss the old-school days when listservs and then blogs were vibrant, and your Substacks are the closest I've found to that.
Thank you for speaking up, Damon. I don't see any free speech or 1st Amendment issue involved here at all. Kicking Nazis and white supremacists off Substack is not being compelled by the government so how would the 1st Amendment be an issue? As to free speech: No forum, venue or publishing platform is obligated to amplify any voice that requests the microphone.
The Nazis and white supremacists promote an ideology of hate and violence. When Substack allows them a platform to amplify their views—to reach more people—Substack becomes complicit in the damage that can cause.
Can we make a distinction between kinds of "censorship"? Substack isn't a government entity. Nazis have plenty of other public forums where they can make their case heard -- including City Hall Plaza (of Your Town, USA). Yes, there are "slippery slopes" in all kinds decisions regarding public utterances, but Substack is entitled to monitor its "community" in any way it sees fit. It seems to me that responding to "Jews will not replace us" by saying, "Sorry, we don't allow talk like that here" is perfectly acceptable. I mean, it's not like they'd be canceling the Smothers Brothers. Or even the Butthole Surfers (a band name that could not be published in some "family" newspapers... Censorship!). And, hey, Hamisch, or whatever you name is, why don't your just say what you mean: "Nazi money is still green."
I sincerely thank you for staying on Substack. I firmly believe in their mission and financially support at least half of my subscriptions for creators I'm afraid I have to disagree with like Stephen Beschloss, Andrew Sullivan, Heather Cox Richardson, Laura K from the Normal, and Ricky from Council Estate Media.
If you read my writing, simply bc I was white, I had to live with Nazis in prison. One dude called Snickers had a swastika tattooed between his eyebrows and hated Jews. They're insane. And most white people believe that. 16 writers out of 17,000 accounts? Wow - they are big time man! White Nazis are losers, and most white people believe that. And most white people also believe that Jew-hating is wrong, no matter what color you are. What about the chant "from the river to the sea" we hear blocking airports, roads, and bridges? Any strong thoughts there? Any tersely worded letters to the editors on that? Any letters I can sign that deplore blocking access to a paid-for flight on Christmas Eve?
Some good news from substack https://open.substack.com/pub/platformer/p/substack-says-it-will-remove-nazi
Well said. It’s a very tricky problem for sure. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t...
I appreciate your taking a consistent stand on this, Damon. The reminder to stay subscribed is helpful. I've considered bailing on Substack, but I appreciate the discussion communities that you, Kevin Alexander, and Marc Stein (basketball) have created. I miss the old-school days when listservs and then blogs were vibrant, and your Substacks are the closest I've found to that.
Thank you for speaking up, Damon. I don't see any free speech or 1st Amendment issue involved here at all. Kicking Nazis and white supremacists off Substack is not being compelled by the government so how would the 1st Amendment be an issue? As to free speech: No forum, venue or publishing platform is obligated to amplify any voice that requests the microphone.
The Nazis and white supremacists promote an ideology of hate and violence. When Substack allows them a platform to amplify their views—to reach more people—Substack becomes complicit in the damage that can cause.
Can we make a distinction between kinds of "censorship"? Substack isn't a government entity. Nazis have plenty of other public forums where they can make their case heard -- including City Hall Plaza (of Your Town, USA). Yes, there are "slippery slopes" in all kinds decisions regarding public utterances, but Substack is entitled to monitor its "community" in any way it sees fit. It seems to me that responding to "Jews will not replace us" by saying, "Sorry, we don't allow talk like that here" is perfectly acceptable. I mean, it's not like they'd be canceling the Smothers Brothers. Or even the Butthole Surfers (a band name that could not be published in some "family" newspapers... Censorship!). And, hey, Hamisch, or whatever you name is, why don't your just say what you mean: "Nazi money is still green."
https://www.britannica.com/topic/censorship/History-of-censorship
I sincerely thank you for staying on Substack. I firmly believe in their mission and financially support at least half of my subscriptions for creators I'm afraid I have to disagree with like Stephen Beschloss, Andrew Sullivan, Heather Cox Richardson, Laura K from the Normal, and Ricky from Council Estate Media.
If you read my writing, simply bc I was white, I had to live with Nazis in prison. One dude called Snickers had a swastika tattooed between his eyebrows and hated Jews. They're insane. And most white people believe that. 16 writers out of 17,000 accounts? Wow - they are big time man! White Nazis are losers, and most white people believe that. And most white people also believe that Jew-hating is wrong, no matter what color you are. What about the chant "from the river to the sea" we hear blocking airports, roads, and bridges? Any strong thoughts there? Any tersely worded letters to the editors on that? Any letters I can sign that deplore blocking access to a paid-for flight on Christmas Eve?
Keep drumming, I'll keep listening