Substack, we need to have a talk about a subject some of you will find controversial. But the “some of you” who do are behaving in a way I believe is toxic to the vast majority of writers here, not to mention how we think and talk about the arts, journalism, and much more. This behavior constantly makes me think of Logan Roy’s condemnation of his children: “I love you, but you’re not serious people.” Let me explain…
Writing is a nearly impossible thing to make money off of for most of us. While I’ve been lucky enough to succeed as a professional writer for two decades now, most writers out there are not one but hope to one day be. They launch Substacks, just like they used to start blogs, with the hope of building an audience. The reason for this is twofold: artists typically create because they desire an audience and because artists typically require an audience’s feedback (and time) to develop their voice.
When you tell them not to celebrate their accomplishments because you think it’s uncool or crass (such as subscriber counts or their paid subscriber numbers), you’re not being cool or acting on behalf of some old unspoken rule about the arts.
You’re being an asshole.
But here’s the thing, this rule doesn’t just apply to your interactions with aspiring and emerging writers/artists. It applies to your attitude toward all such individuals here and elsewhere. Because every time you make statements like these, specifically composed to belittle others on here, you also announce to the world that you’re not a professional writer of any accomplishments yourself because a real professional writer knows every tiny success as an artist was hard-earned and worth enjoying. You’re announcing that you’re so afraid of “selling out”, you’re not actually capable of finding success as a writer yourself – almost certainly because of fear, as well.
Journalists, essayists, authors, other artists – real artists – struggle to be respected for their crafts every day. They struggle to be paid fairly for their labor, for the information, joy, and illumination it brings other. They know their words are not merely selfless acts bestowed upon the universe. They are craftsmen, trying to become masters…and they have to pay their bills. To feel pride – even publicly – at any accomplishment that contributes to this, whatever your success level, should not be turned into shame because someone super-edgy-cool at some point in history lamely convinced you that writers and artists are actually public servants too pure to ever value themselves as anything more than whatever your sad idea of them is.
More than everything else I just wrote, it needs to also be said that human beings are allowed to find joy and celebrate this joy in any way they see fit. There’s too little of it left in the 21st century. Why would you seek to deprive people of any modicum of it?
If you want to grind away and foster the image of the tragically hip writer for yourself, go right ahead. But the construct of cool you’re trying to impose on others is cruel and, as I said, toxic. It makes you look unserious. It makes you look like an asshole. Stop it.
