The Ugly Side of This Work
A sample of messages readers never see (Scroll to the end to listen)
Today is the final day of our “20% off FOREVER” promotion to make this Substack paywall-free in the lead-up to the election (1 October - 5 November 2024.) As of right now, we’re at around 30% of our goal to reach 250 new paid subscribers. Please consider using the FREE FOR ALL button to support this work. For as little as $6.40, you can help every American access this work.
When I started this Substack, I made a decision to only allow paid subscribers to comment. One justification was about me and my mental health. I’m a woman writing confrontational things online; I knew I’d attract trolling and abuse. Limiting all comments to PAID meant people would have to pay to troll me.
But another justification was for YOU. I wanted to create a supportive community where people could learn about Project 2025 and Christian Nationalist language without seeing hateful commentary.
Today, I give readers a peek at the hidden (and sometimes ugly) side of doing this work.
This former reader was irate because I use the term Fascist Republicans. (Readers who missed this note will get a sense of how I replied privately, though I wasn’t so hard-hitting in the last paragraph of my private response.)
Surprisingly from someone who professed to be offended by “name-calling,” here’s how they responded:
Oh, fuck off. I'm a Republican who votes on the candidates independently, not their personalities, and wanted some facts about Project 2025. I didn't get my feelings hurt, you miserable twat: I got tired of seeing rhetoric and not facts. I was against Project 2025 until you replied to my email. Thanks for not giving me information, but showing me I was wrong about Project 2025. If this is how you get people to understand what you're saying, you're doing a miserable job. Condescension is not a pretty trait.
I get jewels like this from people, usually men, who think I’m their uncompensated secretary:
Dear Andrea:
2nd Request: Please remove me from your mailing list.
Thank you.
The unsubscribe button is at the bottom of every newsletter, right below my mailing address:
And messages like this from people who are offended when I ask them to pay for my work:
it is really irritating/annoying/frustrating to have to be confronted with money asks at the beginning of your emails. please reconsider placement. thank you.
I understand how many times per hour Americans are hit up for money. My phone is overrun with text messages from every Democrat imaginable because I went to a Pete Buttigieg rally in 2020 and made the mistake of giving them my mobile phone number. My inbox overflows with requests for money from Democratic candidates and causes. Being an American who cares is exhausting (which is one reason so many Americans don’t.)
Having said that, I will never apologize for asking people to pay for my work, nor will I stop reminding Americans that creating good, reliable information and education is WORK. Just because it happens online doesn’t mean it didn’t take WORK and TIME to create it.
This person thinks I should work for free for the Democratic Party.
Please, consider encouraging people to donate to Harris or Tester or Allred or Mucarsel-Powell instead of paying you, just until Nov 5.
I’m going to assume this commenter is donating their full salary to these politicians between 1 October and 5 November—if so, I applaud their sacrifice. Many readers may not know that I made this Substack available to Project 2025 Task Force members in Congress free-of-charge. Since July, they have accessed this work enough times to generate an eleven-page activity report. I have never received public credit for this contribution, though my work shaped Project 2025 and Christian Nationalism talking points at the DNC.
Additionally, I am a dedicated grassroots Democratic donor. I have joined giving circles to flip Arizona blue and hold Michigan. I’ve donated to the Harris/Walz campaign and support down ballot efforts with sacrificial giving. I’ve spent hours free-of-charge training local and regional Democratic and non-partisan groups on the evils of Project 2025 and Christian Nationalism.
I know many readers must make hard choices about what to support with money. If you’re like me, you don’t have unlimited funds. I understand.
These kinds of interactions are a by-product of doing this work. I understood the rules beforehand, and I’m fine - emotionally, mentally, and psychologically.
Some final pieces of business, since Substack doesn’t do a great job of explaining how its backend works. In internet real estate terms, I as the writer am a Tenant; Substack as the platform is the Landlord, and they set the terms of how this platform works.
I cannot offer tiered monthly and annual payments. Substack allows creators to set up ONE PRICE for monthly and annual subscriptions. Readers have asked for discounted pricing for seniors and students, for example, and I’m sorry I cannot accommodate those requests. Substack would have to overhaul their backend to make this possible. Right now, the demand for tiered-pricing must not outweigh the costs.
I cannot bundle my Substack with other Substacks for one price. For reasons similar to #1 above. I know quite a few readers would like the option to pay for one newsletter or pay one price for a bundle of Substacks, but the demand must not outweigh the costs of creating such a robust accounting feature for Substack’s backend.
Substack uses Stripe to process payments. I don’t handle payment processing. Substack and Stripe take their cuts and send me the net. When you have a payment issue, it is best to reach out to Substack directly, not to the individual Substacker. I try to help, but people sometimes get frustrated and hurl abuse when I can’t solve their problem.
I’m happy to take payments by PayPal. But you have to contact me directly. I know some people don’t like to put credit card information online. Or they are offended by how much far-right information Substack allows and don’t want to support Substack with money. I can set up comped subscriptions for those who want to pay by PayPal. They work just like paid subscriptions.
I don’t accept donations. Many Substackers have Donate buttons on their sites, but I believe adding a Donate button encourages people to think this space is not work. I’m not a charity. This isn’t a fun hobby. It is work.
I think you do an amazing job and I’m proud to be a subscriber. I am annoyed when I see what is plainly your work referred you to without attribution by others, but know that I mutter “yeah, thanks to Andra you twit” every time I hear it. Thank you for your amazing work. You have made a huge difference in the understanding of the “code” being shared by Republicans. Had, they’re not even subtle. Again, thank you
You are an amazing asset! As to the haters, as the immortal Taylor Swift might say, "haters gonna hate. Shake it off."