One of the great things about Substack, as opposed to X, Instagram, TikTok, etc. is that this is a forum primarily for writers, and to be taken seriously and gain a following, you have to produce. All the cheesecake photos and voyeuristic videos on earth won’t help if you can’t handle ideas and aesthetics. I think this is a very good thing and eases pressures on both men and women to respond to each other in disrespectful ways; it’s hard to call someone a clout-chaser when she has a solid body of work as opposed to just a solid body.
Dave Greene can speak for himself, but I imagine he was responding to the larger phenomenon of women using their personal physical attractiveness to gain male followers, which as I’ve said is more an issue with other social media platforms as opposed to Substack. Men and women both grift and it’s no great insight of mine that it’s a problem. But I think here it’s mitigated somewhat by the nature of this platform.
I’m no egalitarian and I hold traditional views about sex roles for the most part, but I’ve never doubted that women have as many interesting things to say as men, and can be not only just as intelligent, but uniquely insightful. A platform that centers writing brings out the best in both of us. There will always be insecurities around intellectual exchange, insecurities compounded by sexual dynamics. “Does he like my ideas or just want to hit on me?” “Is she going to think I’m a creep if I DM to tell her I liked her piece?” “Is she grifting?” “Is he simping,” etc. In the end, men and women both just have to keep in mind that a person should be judged on the quality of their thinking, and follow thought leaders (not thot leaders, amirite?).