I barely have subscribers on any of these platforms, so I will be the first to admit that I am coming from a place of privilege when I make this statement—now is the time to leave Substack. 

Now, I know there are tons of folks who like to present the case that we can't be constantly on our guard and ready to boycott anything at the drop of the hat without knowing all the facts and considering things like audience, reach, the possibilities of owning your narrative… 

I don't participate in that because I have the privilege of not having to worry about any of that. I consider the people employed at companies that may see the results of an effective boycott. In fact, I recall in my own history a grad school professor who was discussing his own form of resistance against plastic being used to wrap all produce in a store and how he would buy everything and then unwrap all the items at the register before leaving, just to let the company know that it was a ridiculous waste. I argued, "But what about the cashier who has to clean up your trash?" 

However, in this instance, the employees at Substack may benefit from a mass exodus of content creators. The possibility that statements will be taken back is far greater than the company shutting down. And I say this because the unnecessary, "No one asked for it, so why did he do it?" essay written by the company's co-founder was balls out stupid. 

A direct quote: 

"Elon Musk has been a vocal supporter of free speech. It's no secret that we haven't always seen eye to eye, but he deserves a lot of credit for advancing freedom of speech on X before it was popular and in the face of fierce criticism and opposition."

Let's dispute this: Twitter, forever named, has tripled the account ban rate since Mush took over. It seems that Mush's freedom of speech approach only includes him and those he thinks are cool now. Also, Substack co-founder dude - you actually wrote this after Mush made his salute and also gave speeches that encouraged more of that behavior. So…cue balls out stupid. 

I wish I could make a more eloquent case, but really, what's the point. Facts are facts, statements have been made, words have been digitally cemented, and I think anyone who says that this is an overreaction is also someone who says they don't see race and they've never benefited from DEIA. 

We don't have a lot of power at the moment, or so those in power like to tell us, but…they only have power because we support them. That is our soft power. It's not a threat, it's no hurtful words, it's not bullying and it's not blaming. It is a choice. We still have the power of choice in our actions and where we spend our dollars. Some of my favorite creators are on Substack, and as much as it dings my brain/heart to do so, I have not read their content there. And Substack is a delightfully designed platform. But I am owning my power.