As I have entered my 60’s, I become more and more oblivious of my own birthday. Even as a child it was not a big deal to me. On my 62nd birthday I had gone the entire day without realizing it (honestly) until my oldest daughter called me late in the afternoon to say Happy Birthday. Oddly enough, the birthdays of others mean a great deal to me, and I do not forget them. Go figure.
Three weeks ago marked my second anniversary on Substack. It went totally past me and I still may have not realized it had the staff not reminded me. I have written for the largest black owned newspaper in the United States (The Los Angeles Sentinel), have been designated as a Medium.com Top Writer, been a contributing columnist for Black Agenda Report (having worked with the legendary Glen Ford), cited in lawbooks and a plethora of other publications. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/law-and-the-invisible-hand/impartial-spectator-homo-economicus-and-homo-identicus/89AD48DAB5B0FD3FE020D22383CB4DCA).
But it is my Substack experience that has been most profound.
A Trinity Of Sorts
The Metrics: Few publishing platforms provide, or bombard, the author with statistical data and “tools” the way that Substack does. This, in my experience, is a bit of a dual edged sword that one must be very careful with. In one sense it can be an insightful blessing in that it shows the author what articles do best, on what subject, on what day, at what time, in what location(s), etc. Without question, this analytic data can be used to “grow” an audience.
On the other hand it can, in it’s most benign sense, become an addiction and a form of slavery (as are all addictions). In it’s most malignant sense it can become a creative coffin of slow motion self-censorship depending on the author’s priorities. I have just decided to hell with it. I am a writer, and as long as I have one solitary reader, I am good.
Ergo, I have neither time nor inclination to preoccupy myself with that bullshit. The very nature of my writing does not lend itself to a popularity contest. I write about truth and the truth is always unpopular, especially in the “US” because I am one of “them.” Rebels, are we.
2. The Reality of The Metrics: The metrics for this publication confirm why it exists. Articles that make European-Amerikans feel warm and fuzzy about themselves, from my Negroid perspective, do very well. The Martin Luther King articles exponentially outpace the Malcolm X articles. The articles that say something “nice” about a white boy (i.e., my recent article on Beach Boy Brian Wilson) exponentially outpace the much more N-trospective articles in the Yo White Boy “sublication.”
Geopolitical articles critical of Israel? Fahgeddaboudit! In fact, I have a significant decline in subscriptions when I publish such an article. I trust that decline will continue and I intend for it to as far as that matter goes and one can read the tealeaves as their ability permits.
This reality validates my mission, my purpose, my existence.
3. The Priceless Payoff Happy Birthday To LookingNWords: The priceless payoff has been the recognition and respect of some heavyweight authors. I need not name them, they will read this and they know who they are. Even more priceless is the connection(s) that I have made with other authors with incredible abilities that serve to keep me humble and realize that I must be a giant among giants, not a giant among midgets. Given the talent pool I am in the latter group.
Substack is unique in that it is a curated audience. It is not a place where stuff is just thrown in a pot and you pick out the peas in the stew. There are thousands of people (now) that want to hear what I have to say; that understand the experience. Thousands in dozens of countries and (here is the mind blowing aspect) a significant portion of them are European (aka “white”).
Irrespective of their ilk, they are incredibly intelligent people, and that gives me a modicum of hope, however slight. As a man with no extended family other than my children, they are my family. That, for me, is the most priceless of gifts and if this publication never makes a dime I shall leave a rich man.
I was just lucky enough to hear you on the Thom Hartmann program way back when?! and have been blessed to have you in my mind and spirit ever since. Here's to you, Rohn, Cheer's and Blessings 🪕👗👈
Rohn,
All the best and looking forward to many more years of the hard truth we all need to hear. Thanks.
Bill