Alanna SmithDec 19, 2022

Y'all are chasing working artists away from this place by harping on how "sad" and "pathetic" it is for them to hope for a large follower count here.

It's not about attention. It's about their bottom line. More followers means more commissions, more customers in their online shops, more direct exposure to people with hiring power. It's honestly really cruel to keep acting like they want adulation when really they just want to pay rent.

They have ample reason to mourn what they built.

Show threadAlanna SmithDec 19, 2022
You have to understand that, at least right now, losing their audience probably feels like going from having a well-established, high-traffic store in a luxury mall to having a stall at the flea market. They can climb back up from there, of course, but it's going to take time and work. It's silly and mean to shame them for not wanting to start over when they already worked so hard to get where they are.
Show threadAlanna SmithDec 19, 2022
And I'm not blowing hot air when I say you're chasing away working artists. I follow a ton of artists elsewhere, and that's what I see them saying. They feel demeaned and dismissed by this attitude that wanting a lot of followers is vapid, or selfish, or something they need to unlearn. They know what's best for them and their business. Cut it out.
Show threadAlanna SmithDec 19, 2022
And one last thing--I'm saying all this as someone who actually really likes Mastodon and would love to see more creators from my industry show up here! I've done my fair share of evangelizing, but I can't blame them for staying away when so much of this rhetoric is flying around.
Show threadBrian J. CrowleyDec 19, 2022
@alannawrites Same, however a lot of them seem to be addicted to the follower counts.
Show threadAlanna SmithDec 19, 2022

@hamsterrage As someone who knows many, many high profile artists personally, I strongly disagree.

It's not an addiction to not want to lose your customers.

Show threadBrian J. CrowleyDec 19, 2022

@alannawrites

I think it’s troubling to have that perspective VS supporting the 44B investment of a man who’s
-spreading conspiracy theories (Covid/ Paul Pelosi)
-platforming white supremacists
-banning journalists
-encouraging violence

At the end of the day… we have to vote with our dollars and our voices… If the above aren’t red lines then where do they stand?

Show threadLucy WinterDec 19, 2022

@hamsterrage @alannawrites

That's a very comfortable position to take when it's not your rent money you'd be giving up.

Show threadBrian J. CrowleyDec 19, 2022
@alannawrites @LucyWinter agreed, so I’m curious… what’s your red line?
Show threadLucy WinterDec 19, 2022

@hamsterrage @alannawrites

IDK, what's yours? Do you drive a car? Eat vegan? Shop zero waste?

I guarantee you, you are making at least a dozen compromises on your own ethics just to live in this fundamentally flawed society that are at least as bad as keeping your Twitter account going, and I guarantee you don't have as good an excuse as, "It's my literal income."

Show threadBrian J. Crowley

@LucyWinter @alannawrites you’re wrong about that… I’ve often put myself into situations where my principles stand before my income. Including blowing the whistle on bad actors in comics… I’m still owed money from 15 years ago from Fangoria. I’ve also put my name on several letters to C Suite execs that could have turned around fired my ass. Jan 6 was my red line in those cases.

But you’re correct that it feels pointless sometimes.

Dec 19, 2022 at 11:48pmWeb
Show threadLucy WinterDec 19, 2022

@hamsterrage @alannawrites

You're literally posting to me on a computer right now, composed with rare earth minerals mined under horrific conditions. Don't you care about the working conditions of the people in the third world mining those minerals? Sure, you probably make a living at least partially on your computer, but your principles must come before your income, right?

And, congratulations, you've made good choices in the past... did they literally put you on the street? Were they the difference between feeding your kid or not? Because that's what you're asking people to give up, not an opportunity or two. So honestly, your comparisons sound a little obtuse to me.

My point is, there are so many immoral things about our world that are out of our control that we are always making some compromise somewhere. Nagging others whose lives you know nothing about doesn't fix that, but it does let them know you and your platform are hostile towards them when they need help most.