I'm Stubborn, But Not (Too) Stupid

Switching Channels + Gears

Jul 27, 2024

It only took nine days, but I’m finally starting to see things clearly again.

As a stubborn man, I’m prone to do stupid things: Like fighting with YouTube bots and bot-like humans for the last nine days (and quite a few before that) and making myself nuts in the process.

But after nine days of countless chats and emails with bots and bot-like humans that have resulted in nothing but high blood pressure, hurt feelings, and sleep deprivation, I am coming to my senses—I think—and starting to, finally, wise up.

NOTE: A big THANK YOU to all subscribers for your patience and support while I’ve bitched and glitched far too long/much about my trials and tribulations as a YouNoober. That part of this show is now over. Time to get back to the good stuff!

Long story short(er), despite the latest email from “Rox,” I think even they know I have zero patience, understanding, or zucks left. For YouTube Creator Support or YouTube as a whole. And it’s never gonna stop…until I wise up.

I have resigned myself to the fact that YouTube can't/won't help me and that the company/platform is a record broken beyond repair.

Unless they somehow manage to pull their collective bot/bot-like heads out of their collective bot/bot-like asses, I predict YouTube will die (or be as good as dead) like so many other companies once thought “too big to fail” sooner than later.

Given the amount of arrogance and indifference directed at me and the amount of outrage I had to display to get anyone/anything to respond, I doubt that a course correction is possible.

List most “too big to fail” companies, Google/YouTube has become so big they flail, losing their way and/or refusing to change with the times. They’ve let their popularity and power go to their heads and can’t see past their policies to see their problems.

Much like some of these infamous examples:

BLACKBERRY
COMPAQ
K-MART/SEARS
KODAK
MYSPACE
RADIOSHACK
YAHOO!

The past nine days have been detrimental to my mental and physical health.
So I’m doing my best to switch gears. As gently and as swiftly as possible.

If my work is optional to YouTube, I have to make YouTube optional for my work.

SO NOW WHAT?

If you’re reading this, you likely already know the answer: Substack!

Along with the Shop, I’ve decided to focus on making Substack the hub for the work I’m passionate about: Art + Design, LGBTQ+, and Photos + Videos.

With a growing number of free and paid subscribers—thank you, all!—I’m encouraged that this is the right platform for the type of work I create and curate.

Over the past 18 months, I’ve tried more platforms than I care to admit, but I have yet to find one that “just works” like Substack.

And unlike SOME platforms, I haven’t had to spend even a minute contacting Support. Why? In my opinion, it’s because the team behind the platform gives a zuck and respects its creators and subscribers. Based on how easy and enjoyable it is to use, Substack’s team loves elegant, simple, user-centric design.

And when I don’t understand how something works? There’s always a FAQ (written in common-sense language) to help me figure it out. For myself. Like an adult.

Since Tumblr reminded me how much I enjoy blogging (and “micro-blogging”), I’ve decided to refocus my Substack to be more blog than newsletter, enabling me to publish what and when I want without worrying that I’m spamming anyone.

While I plan to continue sending regular newsletters, my focus will be building out the blog. Over the next few days, I plan to add (or update) posts in all the sections. And even premiere a new video or two too. Only on Substack.

I welcome you to check in on my progress on the web or via Substack’s app.

Available for iOS and Android

Going forward, email newsletters will be more like a Reader’s Digest version of new and featured blog and video posts. With news, quotes, and/or views added when the mood strikes.

If you have any constructive suggestions (or special requests), please feel free to leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading,
Clint

POSTSCRIPT = ABOUT PORN

While YouTube is extremely (and ridiculously) sensitive about any/all nudity and displays of sexuality, Substack has common sense content guidelines:

Nudity, porn, erotica
We don’t allow porn or sexually exploitative content on Substack, including any visual depictions of sexual acts for the sole purpose of sexual gratification. We do allow depictions of nudity for artistic, journalistic, or related purposes, as well as erotic literature, however, we have a strict no nudity policy for profile images. We may hide or remove explicit content from Substack’s discovery features, including search and on Substack.com.

Anything I post that contains artistic nudity will include “(NSFW)” in its title.
Simple enough? Substack is a platform made by and for adults.

While I will not be post anything I consider pornography, definitions for that word abound. So let me be clear: I will only post work I find artistic and/or creative and could be seen in an art gallery and/or museum.

If butts and genitalia bother you, please kindly be bothered elsewhere.
Or just don’t click on posts marked “(NSFW).”

WORDS OF WISDOM = ABOUT PORN

“One man's pornography is another man's theology.”
Clive Barker

“Pornography: That which excites, whether from approval or disapproval.”
Leonard Rossiter

“It is a fact of human nature that we derive pleasure from watching others engage in pleasurable acts. This explains the popularity of two enterprises: pornography and cafés.”
Eric Weiner