Can We Stop Being Salty Towards Successful Writers?
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You sound bitter as hell
I came across this guy yesterday, and for his sake, I won’t tag him. I’m not a dick like that. But I won’t lie, the desire is there.
He was ranting and raving like a lunatic about writers who ‘dare to post their earnings’, claiming we’re all liars, posting our successes as a thirst trap. Begging for compliments. Faking our stats.
I have some thoughts on this, and I’m curious about what you guys will have to say.
Success is subjective
A person’s definition of success is totally dependent upon their perspective and experiences.
Success isn’t a set fact or determined for you when you reach an exact number. Success isn’t a science.
Therefore, who is this person to claim whether or not someone is successful?
Some people are here, happy to make five dollars per month, and to them, that is a success. His article makes it seem like their idea of success isn’t enough.
It’s insulting, belittling, and disrespectful.
We’re entitled to our own view of success, and his article (and the others like it) rob us of that privilege.
We shouldn’t feel guilty for reaching what we deem successful.
He also never clearly defined his definition of success.
His threshold might be a low one.
What if he sees $10 per month as a success, and anyone making more than that deserves to be ridiculed?
How entitled is that? How fucking rude is that?
He’s telling us what we can and cannot be excited about. If you’re making more than him, go fuck yourself! How dare you make more money?
And to the people making less than him?
Well damn, if he’s a failure, you definitely are.
I’ve never been this offended.
And I’m not only defending myself. I’m defending the people with whom I’ve built connections.
If someone is more successful than me, props to them
They probably busted their ass to get where they are, and I applaud them.
I’m not bitter that there are writers making thousands of dollars per month on Medium.
I’m happy to have walking proof of the ability to succeed on the platform. It shows me I’m not wasting my time. I can do this.
In the words of the High School Musical cast, we’re all in this together.
I see it as inspiring.
I’m generally inspired by this community until I see ignorant bullshit like this.
I’m thankful for the writers who are willing to be open about their earnings and share their struggles.
We all started somewhere. For fuck’s sake, I’m nowhere near finished.
If I said I was where I wanted to be it would be a bald-faced lie.
Being successful doesn’t make us liars and it doesn’t mean we want to be given compliments
Who the fuck is some random fella to walk around on a high horse, looking down on authors who are working really hard to make it, and say we’re liars?
I’m typically a reasonable person to talk to. I’m not rude or defensive by nature. But this pisses me off to an extreme.
I spend hours writing. Editing. Reading. Interacting with others. Trying and working hard.
And I know that the authors out there making thousands per month do even more. They do research, they edit, they rewrite, and they put everything they have into what they’re doing.
They make enough money. They don’t need to pad their earnings. They don’t need to photoshop their earning statement. (Yes, he said all successful writers are guilty of it.)
If you’re what you deem to be ‘unsuccessful’, you don’t need to be a dick and put down other people. Is it really making you feel better?
Does it boost your ego to slam writers who are trying their best? Does it make you smile to know you’re minimalizing the work people are doing to feed their families and pay their rent?
Being a troll behind a screen should make you feel ashamed of yourself.
Belittling people who put in real effort and are trying to reach their goals makes you look like a petty middle schooler. You’re a Medium bully and a weenie.
Salt only looks good on soft pretzels
You’re only making yourself look bad.
Seething resentment and pettiness are childish and self-demeaning.
Whether you realize it or not, these articles make you look like an idiot.
It takes a lot to get me riled up like this, but I’m here now.
This ‘man’ (and I say man loosely because no grown man would talk to people the way this boy did) went as far as to post screenshots of writers posting their earnings and had his gang of hooligan followers go rake through these people’s articles to validate their claims.
How shameful is that? I would be humiliated to stake my name as a follower of that buffoon.
That makes me as a writer feel violated in a big way. He didn’t point out my stories, but for the authors who were violated, you didn’t deserve that.
If you’re not within your definition of success and you don’t want to try harder to get there, sit at home and waste away.
You don’t have to try like we do.
But don’t drag me and other writers who try their best into your shitty mess.
I swear, I’m not usually this mean.
I’m not usually this harsh.
But I truly feel a connection with many authors on this platform, and I appreciate their hard work and dedication to their art. Because writing is an art.
There’s a sense of community here, and people like this are out to rip it to shit, all because they’re not happy with their own numbers.
The comradery that Medium has established between its readers and writers is something to be cherished, and if it were up to me, articles like that would be taken down and those members would be removed.
Don’t disrespect the people who are also taking the time to read your articles, thus paying you whatever money you are making (and there is NOTHING wrong with not making a ton of money on here), and bash us for our efforts.
These writers are monetizing their aggressive and verbally abusive articles and it needs to stop.
This is supposed to be a community, not a roast.
I’m too mad to leave my usual heart at the end of my article. Look what you’ve done.
