You tell that buffoon who's boss! These are fighting words! I love the passion and energy you've conveyed here. I detect plenty of jealousy and frustration for poor Michael. In many ways, what he's done is cringe and it's quite apparent here on Substack that it's becoming increasingly difficult to tell what people's ulterior goals are, whether it's for clicks and to game the algorithm or whatever else. He's probably eager for attention, but it looks like he messed with the wrong woman :)
Thank you, Daniel! This was surprisingly fun to write 😂 The strange thing is that apparently he has loads of subscribers, so he doesn't need attention. Anyhoo...I've said my piece.
Oh yeah, that was something I forgot to mention - how cathartic and fun these things can be, in an odd way. They say never to write when angry (or hungry) but I'm not sure I'd agree. Some of my best work (in my opinion) is when I'm channeling my emotions into something. It might also be some of my worst work, but that's another story (lesson I've learned: sarcasm is risky in these things, but that's a note to myself!)
Tired old patriarchal tropes! It's so boring when men think they are being all clever but actually they are just being jealous or upset because the little ladies are using their brains and their voices. Let's all go back to being quiet, good little girls, keeping our wandering wombs in check 🙄
This is great. You're a much better person than I because I'd have named him 100%. I take extreme issue will bullies, so I don't tend to let them one iota of leeway. Also, comparing him, even poorly, to the classics is more respect than he deserves.
As a senior citizen who has never had a social media account before Substack (and a bit of YT) parts of these comments have resonated but parts have been baffling. My initial reaction to the original post was “oh yes, here are the social media ‘elites’ who from their lofty perches look down upon us stumbling ‘newbies’ and think it is fine to offer up ‘constructive’ criticism from their years of experience as a social media ‘elite’ “. When someone makes the judgement that content is “cringe”, that means to me that their opinion of their own social media participation has become somewhat narcissistic.
Those of us who are still stumbling newbies in social media have become embarrassing and inconvenient to the social media “elites” (don’t get me started on the issue of media tech jargon). Some feel they are so much more “evolved” than we are, they think we’re in the way. This seems to be the rationale for why it is perfectly acceptable for an “elite” to call us “newbies” out if they feel our content is “cringe”. IMO all of us newbies are just on our own evolutionary paths in the social media content we post. There is nothing “cringe” about what we’re doing (unless we are promoting hate/violence or criminal behavior). We’re all just in different places in our social media journeys.
I really wouldn’t worry. Some men just don’t like women having opinions or being educated or breathing. I have only been in Substack one week and I have been told that I am emotional and that some of my opinions are just feminist stuff. A What’s wrong with having emotions and B. I have never been classed as a feminist. The fact that I believe that women are entitled to good education and self respect does not make me a feminist.
I appreciated your first note for exactly what you're saying it was. One of the issues I see is that those of us who have not spent the past decade immersed in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and AI don't know what he's talking about. I attend online writing classes in which they assume that, if you are educated and claim to be a writer, you are up to date with the social media lingo. (Ooo, I feel another essay coming on.)
I can understand the concern of not wanting Substack to devolve into just another social media platform. But isn't playing gatekeeper as immature as anything he accused you of?
Michael just wants someone to direct his hatred towards. I’m glad you’re not letting it get you down! I’ve had similar interactions recently,, my new approach is to just ignore the bigoted comments -no matter how infuriating- because I realised that the more I interacted with them, the more Substack’s algorithm sent them my way! From now on my energy goes to likeminded (and sound-minded) individuals.
I have made one post on Insta that went viral. Calling out the rise of fascism. I get lots of bots responding, they're always the same. Communism is the real threat blah blah blah. But one was a bit like your example. The attack was very personal. He was coming from a very dark place I could see, when checking out his page. Making so many wrong assumptions about me. I came to the conclusion that he was paranoid schizophrenic, though I'm not a psychologist. I think you might have found one in the early stages. Strange that he mentions Onlyfans. M's own behavior is certainly cringe and obsessive, to say the least. I told my guy to seek therapy
I am curious - Why spend so much time corresponding with Michael? Why not just ignore him? (Obviously, I’m too old to really understand communication in the age of social media.)
That's an interesting question, thanks (a genuine thanks, not a sarcastic one!).
Firstly, this didn't take long to write (no more than an hour) and, since my day to day is tapping away at my keyboard writing anyway, it didn't seem like a great task. It was just an extended coffee break and quite fun.
The debacle also touched upon themes I'm very interested in. A lot of my essays (and novels) explore the intricacies of perception, when humans become art and when art becomes human (sounds a bit loftier than it is, but hopefully you get the idea). Therefore, the idea of a stranger taking my image and using it for his own "art" interests me.
Those are the two main reasons, I think! Those, and it gave me an excuse to open up my old copy of the Amores!
Well, as long as you found it a worthwhile use of your time!
Michael’s post showed up on my screen. I was going to suggest to him that there was no need to be critical of others when it’s easy enough just to block their accounts. But it occurred to me to me that I ought to flow my own advice and ignore him!
I look forward to reading your thoughts on art and perception! To be honest, I have no idea what
People who feel the need to post those kind of attacks are saying more about themselves and their delusions of expertise than they are about anything else. Not worth your time. Oh, but please don’t let that taint your view of others named Michael! We aren’t all like that. 🤪
You tell that buffoon who's boss! These are fighting words! I love the passion and energy you've conveyed here. I detect plenty of jealousy and frustration for poor Michael. In many ways, what he's done is cringe and it's quite apparent here on Substack that it's becoming increasingly difficult to tell what people's ulterior goals are, whether it's for clicks and to game the algorithm or whatever else. He's probably eager for attention, but it looks like he messed with the wrong woman :)
Thank you, Daniel! This was surprisingly fun to write 😂 The strange thing is that apparently he has loads of subscribers, so he doesn't need attention. Anyhoo...I've said my piece.
Oh yeah, that was something I forgot to mention - how cathartic and fun these things can be, in an odd way. They say never to write when angry (or hungry) but I'm not sure I'd agree. Some of my best work (in my opinion) is when I'm channeling my emotions into something. It might also be some of my worst work, but that's another story (lesson I've learned: sarcasm is risky in these things, but that's a note to myself!)
Tired old patriarchal tropes! It's so boring when men think they are being all clever but actually they are just being jealous or upset because the little ladies are using their brains and their voices. Let's all go back to being quiet, good little girls, keeping our wandering wombs in check 🙄
In my case it’s a wandering “childless” womb and I’ll be followed by my “2 cats.” Or am I being too political/ugly?
This is great. You're a much better person than I because I'd have named him 100%. I take extreme issue will bullies, so I don't tend to let them one iota of leeway. Also, comparing him, even poorly, to the classics is more respect than he deserves.
Haha, poor Ovid...he's taken a bit of a beating in my estimation, lately. This has got me reframing much of the Heroides...
Your responses were more than generous. But posts like his are the worst of social media - harassment and public shaming. 😣
It's just so unnecessary, isn't it?
As a senior citizen who has never had a social media account before Substack (and a bit of YT) parts of these comments have resonated but parts have been baffling. My initial reaction to the original post was “oh yes, here are the social media ‘elites’ who from their lofty perches look down upon us stumbling ‘newbies’ and think it is fine to offer up ‘constructive’ criticism from their years of experience as a social media ‘elite’ “. When someone makes the judgement that content is “cringe”, that means to me that their opinion of their own social media participation has become somewhat narcissistic.
Those of us who are still stumbling newbies in social media have become embarrassing and inconvenient to the social media “elites” (don’t get me started on the issue of media tech jargon). Some feel they are so much more “evolved” than we are, they think we’re in the way. This seems to be the rationale for why it is perfectly acceptable for an “elite” to call us “newbies” out if they feel our content is “cringe”. IMO all of us newbies are just on our own evolutionary paths in the social media content we post. There is nothing “cringe” about what we’re doing (unless we are promoting hate/violence or criminal behavior). We’re all just in different places in our social media journeys.
I really wouldn’t worry. Some men just don’t like women having opinions or being educated or breathing. I have only been in Substack one week and I have been told that I am emotional and that some of my opinions are just feminist stuff. A What’s wrong with having emotions and B. I have never been classed as a feminist. The fact that I believe that women are entitled to good education and self respect does not make me a feminist.
I appreciated your first note for exactly what you're saying it was. One of the issues I see is that those of us who have not spent the past decade immersed in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and AI don't know what he's talking about. I attend online writing classes in which they assume that, if you are educated and claim to be a writer, you are up to date with the social media lingo. (Ooo, I feel another essay coming on.)
I can understand the concern of not wanting Substack to devolve into just another social media platform. But isn't playing gatekeeper as immature as anything he accused you of?
Michael just wants someone to direct his hatred towards. I’m glad you’re not letting it get you down! I’ve had similar interactions recently,, my new approach is to just ignore the bigoted comments -no matter how infuriating- because I realised that the more I interacted with them, the more Substack’s algorithm sent them my way! From now on my energy goes to likeminded (and sound-minded) individuals.
If irony was not already dead then Michael surely killed it making a cringe post about cringe posts.
You're right...this could, of course, have been a very convincing piece of performance art.
I have made one post on Insta that went viral. Calling out the rise of fascism. I get lots of bots responding, they're always the same. Communism is the real threat blah blah blah. But one was a bit like your example. The attack was very personal. He was coming from a very dark place I could see, when checking out his page. Making so many wrong assumptions about me. I came to the conclusion that he was paranoid schizophrenic, though I'm not a psychologist. I think you might have found one in the early stages. Strange that he mentions Onlyfans. M's own behavior is certainly cringe and obsessive, to say the least. I told my guy to seek therapy
I am curious - Why spend so much time corresponding with Michael? Why not just ignore him? (Obviously, I’m too old to really understand communication in the age of social media.)
That's an interesting question, thanks (a genuine thanks, not a sarcastic one!).
Firstly, this didn't take long to write (no more than an hour) and, since my day to day is tapping away at my keyboard writing anyway, it didn't seem like a great task. It was just an extended coffee break and quite fun.
The debacle also touched upon themes I'm very interested in. A lot of my essays (and novels) explore the intricacies of perception, when humans become art and when art becomes human (sounds a bit loftier than it is, but hopefully you get the idea). Therefore, the idea of a stranger taking my image and using it for his own "art" interests me.
Those are the two main reasons, I think! Those, and it gave me an excuse to open up my old copy of the Amores!
Well, as long as you found it a worthwhile use of your time!
Michael’s post showed up on my screen. I was going to suggest to him that there was no need to be critical of others when it’s easy enough just to block their accounts. But it occurred to me to me that I ought to flow my own advice and ignore him!
I look forward to reading your thoughts on art and perception! To be honest, I have no idea what
It means for humans to be art or art to be human.
I don't know, being a "bot boss" sounds kind of wicked to me.
Glad you can handle this with grace and humour - Michael can go pound sand!
Haha – thanks! Yes, we could perhaps put a more complimentary spin on "bot boss"!
Excellent!
Thank you!
…sorry you have had to endure such no sensery but if nothing else good comedy?…
Absolutely! He writes himself.
It sounds like Michael has too much free time on his hands.
I agree!
People who feel the need to post those kind of attacks are saying more about themselves and their delusions of expertise than they are about anything else. Not worth your time. Oh, but please don’t let that taint your view of others named Michael! We aren’t all like that. 🤪
Haha - not at all! Most Michaels I know are actually brilliant...he's doing you all a bad service.
Flattery will get you everywhere!