Freedom of Speech Wins
As despicable as it may sound, Substack has refused to remove Neo-Nazis material from its platform... And I one-hundred percent support their decision
I rode a bus in Vienna on a warm summer’s day. The sun was at its brightest and the sky deep blue and the grand architecture echoed the greatness of past inhabitants. It was the jewel of modern Western civilization before Hitler annexed Austria. War and drained talent and the unfortunate decline of Western civilization has allowed its bloom to fade.
As the bus made a turn, I noticed graffiti on the side of one of many a historic building. Multiple large swastikas were painted in black with some German slogans above and below. It was in a well-trafficked area and made me uneasy and colored the rest of my stay. Despite Nazism probably being a small demographic within that country, the graffiti appeared to be weathered; no one had bothered to remove it for quite a while. Vienna is somewhere I may never go again.
Nazis are human filth. They were obliterated in World War Two but their evil and vile beliefs—very unfortunately—have lived on. We have recently witnessed Nazism in the Ukrainian war as well as the WWII Ukrainian veteran (who was a Nazis) recognized as a hero in the Canadian parliament last year. Nazism is still a stain on humanity.
In our country, there are Neo-Nazis groups. I don’t know how many there are nor the influence they exert. My opinion is that their numbers are very low—though in troubled economic times, desperate people do turn to desperate fringe groups to “fix” their problems.
Also in our country, most of us—unfortunately not all—celebrate the most fundamental of all human rights: freedom of speech. In supporting the First Amendment, we must remember that hate speech is freedom of speech. If we shut down evil speech, we shut down all speech because eventually, someone with power will find something you say as hurtful and worthy of censorship. If there is any doubt, just remember the censoring by the covid overlords just one and a half years ago. Had freedom of speech been allowed, lockdowns, mask mandates, and actual disease treatments would have unfolded differently and the end result would have been more beneficial to humanity.
I have been writing on Substack for over two years now and have been extremely pleased with this platform and the freedom to say what I want, when I want. I wrote a piece supporting Substack when their former VP of communications Lulu Cheng Meservey made a dig at Twitter employees and their penchant for censorship:
If you're a Twitter employee who's considering resigning because you're worried about Elon Musk pushing for less regulated speech... please do not come work here…
Apparently, Nazis writers and groups write on Substack. I don’t seek out these types and so my ignorance can be somewhat understood. I don’t know how many hateful groups use this platform nor do I care. Substack is a private company and they could very well decide to censor anyone they want. But they don’t—except anyone who incites violence. Extremely acceptable.
Also, apparently, there is a stink being raised because the platform allows these Nazis the freedom to spew whatever it is they spew.
Substack’s co-founder and chief writing officer Hamish McKenzie wrote a statement to clarify Substack’s stance on the issue:
We believe that supporting individual rights and civil liberties while subjecting ideas to open discourse is the best way to strip bad ideas of their power. We are committed to upholding and protecting freedom of expression, even when it hurts.
Accordingly, as censorship-Nazis wantonly demand, writers and news blogs are threatening to take their keyboards and go home unless Substack removes these literal Nazis. Some actually have. Good riddance. Asses, one and all. Unfortunately for Substack, it really may hurt a bit.
Substack doesn’t supply this platform out of the goodness of their heart. They are a for-profit organization, as well they should be. Because there are a ton of writers that charge (and most are profitable I would hope), subscribers support Substack and their commitments to free speech. Substack takes a ten percent share of writers’ subscription income. That income supports deadbeats like me who do write out of the goodness of their hearts for free.
I am as offended by these censorship Nazis as I am the self-identified Nazis. They are the takers of the world. They believe what they offer is a gift to humanity that only they can provide. They don’t acknowledge the very freedoms they have to do what they do for profit. They lack self-awareness and they lack the ability to consider a larger world beyond their small bubble. I suppose they are admirable at some level because they too have standards but to walk away from a fight is cowardly.
If one is offended, fight. If you are a writer on this platform fight for the platform. Seek out these Nazis scum and defeat them with the pen—after all, you claim to be a difference maker.
There are hundreds of thousands of Americans who have died for your right to freely express your opinion, your words, and tales of your good deeds. By crying a river and pompously announcing that you can’t abide by a basic human right, you forfeit your right to spew your own filth.
May Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton have mercy on your soul.