From the start, Substack Notes has been an amazing place—a real community built on civility, openness, and mutual support.

I know that many of you felt (like me) some amazement that this type of humane and tolerant virtual community was even possible in our increasingly toxic culture, where hate and destroying always seem to win out over kindness and nurturing. But we’ve proved not only that it’s possible but that it’s a successful model—with many others joining our growing ranks, week after week, month after month.

It’s beautiful to see here every day.

We don’t want to lose this. A small faction wants to bring the toxicity of other platforms here—turning Notes into a place for piling on, settling scores, bullying, and various other ‘scorched earth’ behavior patterns.

We’ve seen what this does elsewhere—and it’s ugly. Let’s not let it happen here.

Let’s continue to do that amazing thing we’ve been doing—building a community, treating each other with tolerance and civility, and supporting writers and readers.

I’m committed to that. Please join me.