I am not surprised that you got hate on Slate for saying resist libs are corny. That would be like writing on Fox News that selfies taken while wearing sunglasses in the front seat of a truck are not flattering.
I read your Slate article and thought it was so funny I found your Substack, read a zillion free articles and previews, then actually spent money to subscribe! So that can be added to the positive column too!
The writer Steven Pressfield once made the point that when strangers start criticizing your work it shows that you've reached a new level of success, because it means that people consider your work important enough to read and comment on, even if they don't like it. I.e., you're "in the game". Congrats!
Hey CHH, this is a weird question, but: I frequently read your posts out loud to my fiancée because they’re so funny. The post about the genie lamps had us cry-laughing and we’ve been giggling about the Elder for days.
My fiancée is writing her thesis for grad school right now with a focus on child literature and education. Her thesis is largely about how children’s imagination games are more complex, fantastical and abstract than the more coherent narratives in media for children. She’s been collecting anecdotes about weird imaginary friends and imagination games and was wondering if she could cite your genie lamps post as an example.
No pressure if not! The thesis is staying internal to the grad school, but everyone has different comfort levels around strangers talking about their personal blogs/kids and we don’t want to include a reference to The Elder without your permission.
Perfect name for a next door neighbor who is a bougie married mother with a friendly husband and three kids, and who hosts fun parties where kids are invited and cocktails are served!
At the risk of further inflating your forehead... I love your writing! I recently cancelled all my subscriptions due to being DOGEd and trying to save money, but I intend to come back! "Declan the broccoli-haired 15-year old" has me crying.
Also, I was speed reading this trying to get to the part where you explained why we suck, then went back and double checked, and finally realized the "you suck" in the title was not directed at us, your subscribers.
Unless you're saying we suck for coddling you in a cozy bubble of easy-mode comments?
Every now and then, it's good to step out of the cozy little bubble and put your work out into the wild—if only to remind yourself how many people have absolutely terrible taste and even worse opinions. Of course, this is all a valuable exercise in growth, perspective, and, let's be honest, confirming that you're right and they're wrong. Keep pushing forward, keep creating, and let the haters seethe. SAD!
I found Twitter more tolerable once I adopted the mindset that it's just a form exposure therapy -- regularly exposing myself to the most awful people helps me become more stoic and less reactive.
The current state of Slate wouldn’t sting so much if it hadn’t been such an interesting place 10-15 years ago. In addition to being much more doctrinaire, they’re also leaning much more into clickbait headlines than they ever did before. To take one example from the main page right now - “Robert DeNiro’s Star-Studded New Netflix Show is Supposed to Be Terrifying. It’s Something Worse.” I’m not chomping at the bit to buy a Slate Plus subscription to read the horrifying truth about Robert DeNiro’s new Netflix show. And spoiler alert from the top of the article that’s visible to non-subscribers- apparently the terrible truth is that it is “centrist fan fiction.”
I hope you can get published in other places too! I know it’s probably tough with your pseudonym, but I think you’d actually be a great guest post in a heterodox place like The Free Press. Many Such Takes has similar humor to their TGIF newsletter.
I actually really appreciate you’re very humble and not going full “criticism = haters = must be ignored or laughed at” - like half of the branding of one of the cooking/recipe YouTuber I watch is mocking who he considers to be haters(many such influences ig!!) and that’s a bit off putting for me lol (he constantly fights on the hill of using MSG or not)
That said, being an alpha to set up a boundary and ignore out of there criticism (also many such criticisms) is very important, I assume?
I am not surprised that you got hate on Slate for saying resist libs are corny. That would be like writing on Fox News that selfies taken while wearing sunglasses in the front seat of a truck are not flattering.
Well now I have my next article idea!
It might be way too much work for a subtle joke, but you should change your profile picture to have sunglasses on the day you release that article.
I read your Slate article and thought it was so funny I found your Substack, read a zillion free articles and previews, then actually spent money to subscribe! So that can be added to the positive column too!
Hahaha yay!! My plan worked (at least once.) glad to have you here!
Have you also given enough seashells to The Elder?
For what it’s worth, the quality of the comments here (vs say Slate), is the very reason I pay for this and not Slate
Slate comment sections tend to be utterly deranged.
The writer Steven Pressfield once made the point that when strangers start criticizing your work it shows that you've reached a new level of success, because it means that people consider your work important enough to read and comment on, even if they don't like it. I.e., you're "in the game". Congrats!
Hey CHH, this is a weird question, but: I frequently read your posts out loud to my fiancée because they’re so funny. The post about the genie lamps had us cry-laughing and we’ve been giggling about the Elder for days.
My fiancée is writing her thesis for grad school right now with a focus on child literature and education. Her thesis is largely about how children’s imagination games are more complex, fantastical and abstract than the more coherent narratives in media for children. She’s been collecting anecdotes about weird imaginary friends and imagination games and was wondering if she could cite your genie lamps post as an example.
No pressure if not! The thesis is staying internal to the grad school, but everyone has different comfort levels around strangers talking about their personal blogs/kids and we don’t want to include a reference to The Elder without your permission.
Yes she can! Thanks for asking!
Clare Haber-Harris…love it!
Perfect name for a next door neighbor who is a bougie married mother with a friendly husband and three kids, and who hosts fun parties where kids are invited and cocktails are served!
Three cheers for CHH! Keep the hits coming 🎶
At the risk of further inflating your forehead... I love your writing! I recently cancelled all my subscriptions due to being DOGEd and trying to save money, but I intend to come back! "Declan the broccoli-haired 15-year old" has me crying.
Let's be clear, your average Slate reader is not someone you should listen to.
Never read the comments!!!
Also, I was speed reading this trying to get to the part where you explained why we suck, then went back and double checked, and finally realized the "you suck" in the title was not directed at us, your subscribers.
Unless you're saying we suck for coddling you in a cozy bubble of easy-mode comments?
No it was directed at me 😂
Every now and then, it's good to step out of the cozy little bubble and put your work out into the wild—if only to remind yourself how many people have absolutely terrible taste and even worse opinions. Of course, this is all a valuable exercise in growth, perspective, and, let's be honest, confirming that you're right and they're wrong. Keep pushing forward, keep creating, and let the haters seethe. SAD!
I read slate religiously! Loved that article, but had no idea it was you
I found Twitter more tolerable once I adopted the mindset that it's just a form exposure therapy -- regularly exposing myself to the most awful people helps me become more stoic and less reactive.
The current state of Slate wouldn’t sting so much if it hadn’t been such an interesting place 10-15 years ago. In addition to being much more doctrinaire, they’re also leaning much more into clickbait headlines than they ever did before. To take one example from the main page right now - “Robert DeNiro’s Star-Studded New Netflix Show is Supposed to Be Terrifying. It’s Something Worse.” I’m not chomping at the bit to buy a Slate Plus subscription to read the horrifying truth about Robert DeNiro’s new Netflix show. And spoiler alert from the top of the article that’s visible to non-subscribers- apparently the terrible truth is that it is “centrist fan fiction.”
I remember the glory days of slate too.
I hope you can get published in other places too! I know it’s probably tough with your pseudonym, but I think you’d actually be a great guest post in a heterodox place like The Free Press. Many Such Takes has similar humor to their TGIF newsletter.
Other people have asked me about being featured but only if I use my real name, so I had to say no!
Don’t let the haters get you down CHH!
I actually really appreciate you’re very humble and not going full “criticism = haters = must be ignored or laughed at” - like half of the branding of one of the cooking/recipe YouTuber I watch is mocking who he considers to be haters(many such influences ig!!) and that’s a bit off putting for me lol (he constantly fights on the hill of using MSG or not)
That said, being an alpha to set up a boundary and ignore out of there criticism (also many such criticisms) is very important, I assume?