Post AzZwgKSetKnxIfh8m8 by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
 (DIR) More posts by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
 (DIR) Post #AzZwg0NfYAvj1PCsDo by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
       2025-10-25T14:25:14Z
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       Please note that Democracy Americana is no longer on Substack.Come find my work on Steady: A privately owned, self-funded business, a real refuge from Silicon Valley venture capitalist domination. And the people who run it have their hearts and their politics in the right place.https://democracyamericana.com/
       
 (DIR) Post #AzZwg7LReqJIcXDhE8 by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
       2025-10-25T14:26:30Z
       
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       It is well documented that Substack serves as the platform for lots of unsavory characters – including self-identifying Nazis and white supremacists. Substack has a rather lax attitude towards hosting hate speech, and a tendency to be actively lenient towards the rightwing extremist scene.
       
 (DIR) Post #AzZwgDcgJffA5jKXvU by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
       2025-10-25T14:27:32Z
       
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       My biggest issue is the fact that Substack insists on actively supporting leading far-right activists and propagandists like Christopher Rufo, Curtis Yarvin, and Richard Hanania – not only platforming, but actively promoting them as important thinkers.
       
 (DIR) Post #AzZwgKSetKnxIfh8m8 by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
       2025-10-25T14:28:07Z
       
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       Unsurprisingly, Substack has also pushed “The Free Press,” founded by Bari Weiss, one of the most disingenuous reactionary grievance entrepreneurs in the country, to becoming one of the most successful publications on the platform. I don’t want to contribute to the success of such a platform.
       
 (DIR) Post #AzZwgQhPhOAkeAe0bg by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
       2025-10-25T14:28:46Z
       
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       Let me say that I believe people can be a little too quick and casual with their critique of individual writers who publish on Substack. There is no question that Substack works, in the sense that is has made life as an independent writer or journalist viable for a lot of people.
       
 (DIR) Post #AzZwgWsyhIzJpm6KSu by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
       2025-10-25T14:29:15Z
       
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       There are wonderful people producing extremely valuable work on Substack: Academics who have found a broad public audience; intellectuals who offer the most incisive commentary; independent journalists providing invaluable coverage of what is happening around us.
       
 (DIR) Post #AzZwgdLuedhLtFgWOm by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
       2025-10-25T14:29:51Z
       
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       I’m assuming many of them feel just like I do about the Substack leadership. Why haven’t they left yet? I can’t speak for them, of course. But I will say that if you have built a substantial audience via Substack, and your livelihood depends on it, leaving that behind comes with a risk.
       
 (DIR) Post #AzZwgjOyABhyeTA2zo by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
       2025-10-25T14:30:49Z
       
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       Substack is by far the biggest platform – the networking effects it generates are real. For instance: A lot of people are paying for newsletters on Substack, having their payment info already stored. A paid subscription for a new publication is just one click away. That’s not the case anywhere else.
       
 (DIR) Post #AzZwgq2tSfD1G1t13g by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
       2025-10-25T14:31:57Z
       
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       But as Philip Bump put it so succinctly in a piece he wrote in late August in which he explained why he was *not* joining Substack: “There is value in helping institutions that are doing good, important work to build their power” – rather than helping Substack and the Silicon Valley elite. https://www.pbump.net/o/the-power-we-use-and-the-power-we-give/
       
 (DIR) Post #AzZwgwBGeRTMHjqmwa by tzimmer_history@mastodon.social
       2025-10-25T14:36:02Z
       
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       Look, I don’t want to be defensive about any of this. I just want to be honest. My presence on Substack inevitably helped legitimize the platform. And I’m not comfortable with that.As I am now asking my readers for financial support for the first time, I could not justify doing that on Substack. https://democracyamericana.com/posts
       
 (DIR) Post #AzZwjxFf7t6GTWLRFw by futurebird@sauropods.win
       2025-10-25T20:33:57Z
       
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       @tzimmer_history I know moving isn't fun but a lot of people will be glad you did. I'm always sad when I get a link to substack.