Lincoln, Paywalls, and One Thing at a Time
I’ve reached this point in my life that I can only deal with one thing at a time. And even that is a struggle. My brain is so fried right now that it feels like I can barely put one foot in front of the other and lord knows I can’t handle doing any serious planning for the future. All I can focus on is what is right in front of me and even then, especially when things get hard or confusing or challenging, I get distracted easily or outright avoid whatever it is that I’m supposed to be doing. Here’s the frustrating part…I know that this is bad. This behavior is not conducive to success or learning or growth, yet… Hell, as I type this I’m supposed to be working on an assignment that is due in a few days but I’m freaking out because I have no idea what a syndetic structure is, nor do I care. How is this going to help me to push in chairs, send faxes, and help people with the copier machine? *sigh*
Pick of the Week: Lincoln and the Fight for Peace by John Avlon
I heard about this book from Andrew Yang’s podcast Forward and his interview with the author John Avlon. The interview was super interesting, so I decided to download the audiobook (thank you to my local library system) and so far, it is incredible.
Here’s the description from Goodreads —
A groundbreaking, revelatory history of Abraham Lincoln’s plan to secure a just and lasting peace after the Civil War—a vision that inspired future presidents as well as the world’s most famous peacemakers, including Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a story of war and peace, race and reconciliation.
As the tide of the Civil War turned in the spring of 1865, Abraham Lincoln took a dangerous two-week trip to visit the troops on the front lines accompanied by his young son, seeing combat up close, meeting liberated slaves in the ruins of Richmond, and comforting wounded Union and Confederate soldiers.
The power of Lincoln’s personal example in the closing days of the war offers a portrait of a peacemaker. He did not demonize people he disagreed with. He used humor, logic, and scripture to depolarize bitter debates. Balancing moral courage with moderation, Lincoln believed that decency could be the most practical form of politics, but he understood that people were more inclined to listen to reason when greeted from a position of strength. Ulysses S. Grant’s famously generous terms of surrender to General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox that April were a direct expression of the president’s belief that a soft peace should follow a hard war.
While his assassination sent the country careening off course, Lincoln’s vision would be vindicated long after his death, inspiring future generations in their own quests to secure a just and lasting peace. As US General Lucius Clay, architect of the post-WWII German occupation, said when asked what guided his decisions: “I tried to think of the kind of occupation the South would have had if Abraham Lincoln had lived.”
Lincoln and the Fight for Peace reveals how Lincoln’s character informed his commitment to unconditional surrender followed by a magnanimous peace. Even during the Civil War, surrounded by reactionaries and radicals, he refused to back down from his belief that there is more that unites us than divides us. But he also understood that peace needs to be waged with as much intensity as war. Lincoln’s plan to win the peace is his unfinished symphony, but in its existing notes, we can find an anthem that can begin to bridge our divisions today.
Patreons, Substacks, and the Benefits (and Burdens) of Paywalls
A lot of YouTubers, podcasters, journalists, writers, comic creators, content creators, etc. utilize services like Patreon, Substack, and Subscriptions on YouTube as a way to let their followers show their support monetarily. I love that this is possible.
The other great thing about it is that for said patronage, many creators provide exclusive content. So, not only do fans get to directly throw some coin to creators that they enjoy, but they also get a bonus for their support. Talk about a win-win!
Now here are the things about these situations that bug me.
When the content behind the paywall becomes more important than the, for lack of a better term, primary content. For example, when a podcaster spends more time on their main/free show plugging their Patreon than they do producing an actual show. (Note: The exception to this is the comic book creators who signed up with Substack to specifically produce content behind the paywall because that expectation is front and center.)
An obnoxious amount of Tiers. There are some exceptions to this but generally speaking, I get severely annoyed when I go to a Patreon page and am greeted with five or more Tiers to choose from, especially when the regular bonus content doesn’t start until the third or fourth Tier. Keep it simple! IMHO, three Tiers are best:
$1 (may or may not include any bonus content);
$5-10 (includes most of the bonus content);
$10-20 (includes all of the bonus content plus extra perks)
If you are taking more than $1 a month from your followers, you should provide extra content on a regular (i.e. weekly) basis. If you are running any of these services, then your followers are your customers. Thus you have an obligation to provide value to your customers in exchange for their money. And your regular content that is free and available to everyone, does not count. If you are asking people to pay you, then you need to be prepared to offer them something in exchange.
I have a few other nit-picky complaints but the majority of my issues are addressed in the three situations above.
And for the record, I currently support five people/shows on Patreon and two on Substack. Yes, it’s not a lot but I’m poor so give me a break.
One Band, 5 Songs
Hailing from East Kilbride, Scottland, The Jesus & Mary Chain have been mixing and melding noise with melody, surf with punk, and danger with beauty for nearly four decades. The band's style has influenced the likes of the Pixies, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Raveonettes, and almost single-handedly laid the groundwork for shoegaze (see My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Ride, Swervedriver, Lush, Chapterhouse, etc.).
So Long for Now…
Huh, I made it two weeks in a row. We’ll see how long this lasts. Be safe, be kind, and…