Don’t monetize genocide
Updated
Update 18.12.2022
So the podcast is available for free on devices and web:
But why is it paywalled on substack?
Apologies if I’m reading this wrong. Massive apologies. So my bad.
I’m leaving this up because being wrong is good if its learning. Down the line I’ll ask.
There’s a big war podcast. One that has thousands of paid subscribers, live shows and is currently overproduced and pompous. It has been a fantastic war for Angry Planet.
In the wake of the rise antisemitism it has decided to monetize a family tale: “The precarious nature of being Jewish.” It’s ironic that it touches on the story of Nazi West, the ultimate monetizing king.
Um.
What.
Important tales and takes should be free.
We will have a book coming out and it won’t be free (free books don’t get read…) but tens of thousands of words of content on this substack on subjects of genocide, family and trauma is and will be free.
Like this - traumatic but I ain’t putting it behind a pay wall.
I’m not even putting a pay or subscribe button here.
We will probably have a paid option down the line for FUN things.
Not monetizing my grandfather, Ben’s Jewish heritage or Phil’s medical issues.
PS Update 16/12/2022
Thought some more to make my thoughts more precise.
We all need to earn and eat.
But we don’t need to monetize everything.
If I spend time and money writing a book on genocide or prejudice or discrimination - yeah I can expect money from a book or lecture circuit to recompensate myself and my family. They need to eat. This is a substantial investment of my actual earning time.
But a couple of hours spent on a podcast or on substack, on AN important subject, don’t monetize it. If its important, it should be free. There are other better ways to earn money on Substack or social media.
A paid journal offering pay for articles falls in between these extremes. The work might be only a little bit more than for substack. But they’re paying anyway… sometimes peanuts though… and you reach a different type of reader. Diplomats, politicians, academics and lawyers. You can also provide your thoughts on Twitter or substack to accompany the paid article.
Don’t monetize your 45 minute podcast on your family trauma. It might be difficult to talk about but are you actually paying in trauma to get the money? That’s not good. And you should feel better for providing the content, if important, for free.
And Angry Planet is getting bad. Its becoming a paywalled community. Don’t do the Angry Planet.
Phil never got paid by his publisher for Hitler’s Bandit Hunters. Its still an important book which he didn’t write to become rich.
We have invested thousands of hours this year on a book which has been delayed. At lawyer rates I could buy a property on the time invested. The book will not return it. Professor Bellamy, our co-author could have easily done the circuits like rather less interesting characters and made bank.
Ben Skipper got a PTSD attack for a podcast or three on Russian genocidal warfare that we have available for free here.
At most we ask to buy the books or maybe once in a while toss us some Ko-Fi for PTSD therapy modelling and LEGO.
