“We don’t think that censorship (including through demonetizing publications) makes the problem go away.”

More than 200 Substack authors asked the platform to explain why it’s “platforming and monetizing Nazis,” and now they have an answer straight from co-founder Hamish McKenzie:

I just want to make it clear that we don’t like Nazis either—we wish no-one held those views. But some people do hold those and other extreme views. Given that, we don’t think that censorship (including through demonetizing publications) makes the problem go away—in fact, it makes it worse.

While McKenzie offers no evidence to back these ideas, this tracks with the company’s previous stance on taking a hands-off approach to moderation. In April, Substack CEO Chris Best appeared on the Decoder podcast and refused to answer moderation questions. “We’re not going to get into specific ‘would you or won’t you’ content moderation questions” over the issue of overt racism being published on the platform, Best said. McKenzie followed up later with a similar statement to the one today, saying “we don’t like or condone bigotry in any form.”

  • @badaboomxxEnglish
    76•9 months ago

    Nazism doesn’t deserve tolerance, any person who doesn’t punch it in the face is equal or worse.

    • @drmeanfeelEnglish
      24•9 months ago

      Agreed. Unfortunate that many times this is met with some smug shit about “wanting echo chambers”

      Not wanting a feed full of modern phrenology and a 20 page analysis about how this weeks 13 year old black kid getting murdered by the cops for looking at them wrong is “totally fine and actually should happen more” does NOT mean I “want echo chambers”

    • @SquirtleHermitEnglish
      10•9 months ago

      What about my friend No-Arms Norman? All he can do is kick a Nazi in the ass!

      • @T00l_shedEnglish
        6•9 months ago

        Not true! Norman can also kick the teeth out of those fucking nazi mouths!

      • NickwithaCEnglish
        2•9 months ago

        But can he kick a nazi so hard in the balls he tore a tendon in his foot?

    • @SeudoEnglish
      -17•9 months ago

      Fists aren’t a cure to intolerance. Probably doesn’t hurt so knock yourself a nazi out. As long as force isn’t being used to prevent open discussion and debate, it would be most unwise to drive dangerous ideologies underground where they can’t be monitored and understood.

      • @badaboomxxEnglish
        8•9 months ago

        You should read the tolerance paradox, to understand why you shouldn’t be tolerant to intolerant people.

        Why would someone would know myself? you idiot? I am not nazy or plan to tolerate them.

        Those ideologies should be put in the mud where they belong, it is good to read history to understand why they are bad, and only stupid untolerant and racists edgelords are the ones that think that being nazi is cool.

        Lol, you think you can monitor and understand those? lol. Just look how dangerous racist idiots are, for example the maga, who tried to overturn the election, in an attempt to inssurection, all of those idiots are traitors, and if they want to say that it is not that bad, then they are also as stupid as those inssurectionits.

        • @Wolf_359English
          1•9 months ago

          I like the idea that tolerance is a social contract.

          You’re only covered by it when you practice it.

          You break the contract by being intolerant, nobody is obligated to be tolerant to you anymore.

          • @badaboomxxEnglish
            1•9 months ago

            That is the paradox of tolerance. And describes how you need to stop being tolerant to groups like the nazis.