Dear friends & followers of Faith is Feminist,
Freedom of Speech is a constitutional right, but do private platforms like Substack, X, Threads, Facebook, etc. have a responsibility to filter and reject the musings and mindsets of criminals like Ted Kaczynski and Timothy McVeigh?
You bet they do — especially when these thoughts and musings turn into physical violence and murders.
As someone who studies the intersection of Christian theology and right-wing politics (white Christian nationalism), I find it critical to share the below information and letter from fellow Substackers who are deeply concerned with Substack.
It’s no secret that neo-Nazis and the like (neo-Nazis are a part of the right-wing sphere of influence a.k.a. “white nationalists”) have been waiting on the fringes for “their moment” and love to use social media and other digital platforms to grow their persuasion. It’s especially so when they go unchecked.
When these words of violence manifest themselves on these digital platforms like Substack, they do indeed transform into the reality of physical violence and crimes punishable by law, such as murder and assault. To fully realize this effect, head over to Netflix and watch the third episode of the “Web of Make Believe” documentary series titled “I’m not a Nazi.”
I’m currently in the midst of researching and writing a piece for the Faith is Feminist Substack Newsletter (of which you are a follower) that is dissecting the current rise of “psychological splitting” among progressives that is also a key characteristic of sympathizers and adherents of white Christian nationalism, according to Psychologist Dr. Pamela Cooper-White.
It’s not something I’ve wanted to or had imagined I would be writing, but it is necessary to address the current rise in influence among Nazis, who are using pro-Palestine content to grow their followings on “X,” which is the new Twitter but without checks and balances — all because of the squalid leadership of Elon Musk, whose maladaptive personality type is pathological narcissism, in my observations.
As you’ll learn from the previously mentioned episode of the documentary series, “Web of Make Believe: I’m not a Nazi,” you’ll understand that neo-Nazis prefer to be sly in the public eye in order to win over followers and influencers. Behind the scenes, the reality is a completely different story.
If you are also a writer on Substack, I encourage you to share the below collective letter to Substack’s founders to make a change that could stop decades of hate and crimes.
Dear Chris, Hamish & Jairaj:
We’re asking a very simple question that has somehow been made complicated: Why are you platforming and monetizing Nazis?
According to a piece written by Substack publisher Jonathan M. Katz and published by The Atlantic on November 28, this platform has a Nazi problem:
“Some Substack newsletters by Nazis and white nationalists have thousands or tens of thousands of subscribers, making the platform a new and valuable tool for creating mailing lists for the far right. And many accept paid subscriptions through Substack, seemingly flouting terms of service that ban attempts to ‘publish content or fund initiatives that incite violence based on protected classes’...Substack, which takes a 10 percent cut of subscription revenue, makes money when readers pay for Nazi newsletters.”
As Patrick Casey, a leader of a now-defunct neo-Nazi group who is banned on nearly every other social platform except Substack, wrote on here in 2021: “I’m able to live comfortably doing something I find enjoyable and fulfilling. The cause isn’t going anywhere.” Several Nazis and white supremacists including Richard Spencer not only have paid subscriptions turned on but have received Substack “Bestseller” badges, indicating that they are making at a minimum thousands of dollars a year.
From our perspective as Substack publishers, it is unfathomable that someone with a swastika avatar, who writes about “The Jewish question,” or who promotes Great Replacement Theory, could be given the tools to succeed on your platform. And yet you’ve been unable to adequately explain your position.
In the past you have defended your decision to platform bigotry by saying you “make decisions based on principles not PR” and “will stick to our hands-off approach to content moderation.” But there’s a difference between a hands-off approach and putting your thumb on the scale. We know you moderate some content, including spam sites and newsletters written by sex workers. Why do you choose to promote and allow the monetization of sites that traffic in white nationalism?
Your unwillingness to play by your own rules on this issue has already led to the announced departures of several prominent Substackers, including Rusty Foster and Helena Fitzgerald. They follow previous exoduses of writers, including Substack Pro recipient Grace Lavery and Jude Ellison S. Doyle, who left with similar concerns.
As journalist Casey Newton told his more than 166,000 Substack subscribers after Katz’s piece came out: “The correct number of newsletters using Nazi symbols that you host and profit from on your platform is zero.”
We, your publishers, want to hear from you on the official Substack newsletter. Is platforming Nazis part of your vision of success? Let us know—from there we can each decide if this is still where we want to be.
Signed,
Substackers Against Nazis ++