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.
@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.
@alannawrites @hasenschneck
It would be great if there was an artist server where we could browse through to find artists. I wouldn't know who to even search for.
Maybe that is something Mastodon could help with. A boutique type server where those who know who's who could gather.
@hamsterrage @alannawrites "High profile". Of course they'd find fans at a con...
Small, independent artists who work off commissions ordered by Tweets aren't going to have people lining up to meet them at a con.
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?
By jingo, you're right. The point was:
"Artists are sad because holy shit it's a lot of work rebuilding an audience here."
The rebuffal has been "Artists are fascists and are staying on that website."
That's just not good faith.
@alannawrites @hamsterrage Brian, you make it sound easy. Yes, Elmo is a trash human, but for an artist, it can be their livelihood. I have solid principles but if it’s eat or follow my principles, it’s an easy choice.
Additionally, marginalized communities have built up audiences and mutual aid networks and awareness - asking #DisabilityTwitter to cut and run could very well cost lives.
There is no black and white.
@SimplyJennifer @alannawrites I hear you. Iran is facing a similar challenge.
The question I’m asking is what’s the red line? Clearly we’ve made a choice and moved… so what’s the barrier for other folks; and is it real or perceived?
@alannawrites @hamsterrage go read some stories about Texas parents of trans children - read their stories about how they can’t always move, and how that tears them apart. Is there anything worse than knowing you can’t protect your child?
People are complex. Lives are complex. Living under oligarchic capitalism makes everything harder
@SimplyJennifer @alannawrites @[email protected] thus is the “but you PARTICIPATE in society, ha ha!” comic in real life.
staying on twitter is in no way materially worse than staying in the USA, if you’re a citizen. we accept that people should not have to move countries when bad leaders are elected bc the power differential and the cost makes it ridiculous.
nobody should be told to give up their (harmless!) living or human connection bc of musk.
@hamsterrage @alannawrites Consider that most creative sectors have average salaries for people working full time on their own projects near or below minimum wage.
Many can't afford the level of ideological purity you seem to want to demand.
I also don't buy that it's necessarily the right choice - people can just drop Twitter and hope people follow, or stay and try to coax more to leave. I'm not convinced there's one right answer.
Sheet1 Feel free to share this list anywhere to get folks off the birdsite. NAMES,MASTODON LINKS A Jason Tabrys,@jtabrys Adam P. Knave,<a href="https://mastodon.social/@Adampknave">@[email protected]</a> ADRIÁN BONILLA,<a href="https://mastodon.social/@adrianbonillacomics">@adrianbonill...
That's a very comfortable position to take when it's not your rent money you'd be giving up.
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."
@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.
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.
@hamsterrage @alannawrites : most are missing the fact that the follower count is fake. It includes bots, it includes not-active person, it includes accounts following but not reading.
It is just fake and sending the wrong signal to artists that work to increase a fake number provided by a company which earn more money by increasing it.
You don’t earn a living as an artist because you have lot of followers. You have lot of followers because you are a famous artist.
@hamsterrage @alannawrites : wrote a piece about it in French :
Belinda Hankins
Alanna Smith
Brian J. Crowley
Saskia Daniel
londonchimpden
Mncricket
Bill Brown
TheGurkha 🇬🇧🇺🇦
Ciara | Ciaraíoch 🎨
HDHarris
Casey 'CannibalHoliday' Wagner
Nora Reed
Erin Fulmer
PJ "Vote Green" Coffey
Jennifer Johnson
Mellifluence
Amy Hoy
Vidar Hokstad / Galaxy Bound
Patty A. Gray
Elizabeth
Shae M Puckett 🤖🖼
Lucy Winter
Mike Smith
DM (Mike) Draco 
Eniko (moved ➡ gamedev.place)
ploum
Mirre 