[atdrummond]

The users Substack doesn’t want are the ones demanding censorship. The moment they succumb to this pressure, they’ll continue to have their content further and further brigaded by people associated with various advocacy causes. They’ll never be able to be an internet publishing platform; they’ll be another anodyne, political newsletter service. That model doesn’t work for vaunted names like The Guardian or The Nation. It won’t end any better for Substack.

[JumpCrisscross]

> moment they succumb to this pressure, they’ll continue to have their content further and further brigaded

There isn’t much evidence for deplatforming Nazis being a slippery slope. They don’t even have to ban them; just turn off monetisation.

Also, given Substack “moderate[s] some content, including spam sites and newsletters written by sex workers,” it would seem the ship has sailed. Drawing the line at Nazis is, at best, naïve.

[bruceb]

How do you define who is a Nazi?

Quick search on Twitter will find many, many people calling many many other people Nazi. Those alleged to be Nazis include the former President, members of congress, and the head of a prominent auto maker.

TOS are open to wide interpretation.

[JumpCrisscross]

> How do you define who is a Nazi?

The article answers this efficiently:

“What does ‘Nazi’ mean, or signify? Many things, but among them is ‘Kill all Jews.’ This is not an opinion. It’s a call for actions, such as blowing up a synagogue with people inside or murdering 6 million people who are Jews.”

Put another way, I don’t see Atwood calling for banning Nazis per se. She’s calling for doing something about people calling for the extermination of Jews. That is precise and narrow.

[atdrummond]

That is not at all a reasonable conclusion or a sufficient criteria.

I am frequently called a Nazi (despite being on, and identifying as left wing, my entire life) on X simply for having the temerity to challenge certain orthodoxies.

Denying that the term has been stretched to its breaking point, especially in light of its use by Russia in justifying the SMO in Ukraine, strains any kind of reasonable credulity.

[JumpCrisscross]

> I am frequently called a Nazi

Are you calling for the extermination of Jews? No? Then you are fine.

> Denying that the term has been stretched to its breaking point

This is a straw man. Nobody is denying this. It’s not even relevant—the article never calls for banning anyone anybody considers a Nazi.

[The_Colonel]

How about putting Jews into ghetto, making them second-class citizens, calling for abolishment of Israel? The lines can get pretty blurry.

I don't think outright censorship is a good thing, but monetization / not putting them into suggested content (not sure what's the proper term) should be used. There will be judgment calls made, but that's IMHO OK.

[the-dude]

You mean Ford?

[janalsncm]

I don’t think they want any of the ideological battles. They want people to write friendly little newsletters and don’t rock the boat too much.

[e40]

It is interesting that you didn’t say “that’s not my twitter account” … is it??