Also the best counter argument I've seen to the "paid activist" idea comes from the amazing Ethan Strauss
> But what about when the fans are correct? What about when they want something good? There are many audiences out there. Not all of them demand that a guy gorge himself. I sense that such stories are deemphasized in an ossified legacy media that wishes to mystify the connection between quality and results.
[...]
> Okay, maybe some bad people want bad things, but I’m more of the opinion that a paying audience keeps a good kind of pressure on the performer. People might enjoy shock value or shallow affirmation, but they can find that on social media for free. Paywall is a different game. Whatever’s back there had better be something that can’t quite be found elsewhere.
> You’ve made me better than I would have been, were I just yelling into a void, and that’s before we even get into the tips and thought-provoking feedback subscribers have offered. Not only do I thank you for hiring me to do what is, in my opinion, the best job in America, but I thank you for making me better at it.
Fun trivia: the other favourite Canadian writer who slammed the door in my face around that time was Jen Gerson. She saw the light too and now has The Line https://theline.substack.com/
Also the best counter argument I've seen to the "paid activist" idea comes from the amazing Ethan Strauss
> But what about when the fans are correct? What about when they want something good? There are many audiences out there. Not all of them demand that a guy gorge himself. I sense that such stories are deemphasized in an ossified legacy media that wishes to mystify the connection between quality and results.
[...]
> Okay, maybe some bad people want bad things, but I’m more of the opinion that a paying audience keeps a good kind of pressure on the performer. People might enjoy shock value or shallow affirmation, but they can find that on social media for free. Paywall is a different game. Whatever’s back there had better be something that can’t quite be found elsewhere.
> You’ve made me better than I would have been, were I just yelling into a void, and that’s before we even get into the tips and thought-provoking feedback subscribers have offered. Not only do I thank you for hiring me to do what is, in my opinion, the best job in America, but I thank you for making me better at it.
https://houseofstrauss.substack.com/p/allow-me-to-reintroduce-myself
Fun trivia: the other favourite Canadian writer who slammed the door in my face around that time was Jen Gerson. She saw the light too and now has The Line https://theline.substack.com/
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