I had no idea people were following things so closely - and this is a very good assessment of the situation as it unfolded - though it is perhaps a little more one sided than it suggests. One of my main issues with Katie is not that she can't write (she absolutely can) but that she doesn't engage with the community, particularly if they disagree with her. Medium is a marketplace for ideas and I like to haggle and make sure I'm getting value for money. She is perhaps akin to a jeweller who lays out her wares for admiration only.
I've had spats before - I wrote about one I had with Jeannette C Espinoza probably before your arrival on the platform. https://medium.com/p/935fca9a7c5
Jeanette and I still comment on each other's work. I still go and read her because she's an awesome writer. Even when I wrote a piece defending white supremacy (as an exercise to see if it could be done). Jeanette rocked up to say how much she didn't agree but was still up for a discussion about it.
Jeannette and I are aligned with the end goal, we disagree about the methodology of how to get there. That's true of Jgln. The main difference between the two of them is the size of the echo chamber they have generated and their financial rewards for writing which appeals.
I very much enjoy Jgln's work for all the reasons you've outlined. She's an incredibly readable writer and a part of me hopes we can sit down at some point and debate whether what she writes is helping or hindering progress. I think it's hindering it, but I'm prepared to be proven wrong. Lots of people came to defend Jgln when I wrote the initial article, but Mark Larsen summed up my thoughts in one of his comments on the same story. He should've written the damn article (he would've got in less trouble).
Interesting discussion if it’s fair to compare Jgln here. It’s an asymmetrical comparison, but gender has some asymmetrical problems. Men writing into bro chambers generally have to own being assholes. Women writing into feminist echo chambers can sell themselves as heroes. Dismantling patriarchy, inspiring women and protecting feminism from unwarranted criticism. The worst part is Jgln is a bright, talented writer, surrounded by awful incentives. Her mix of feminism and faux feminist is hard to argue with. But any space that systematically shuts down polite disagreement is destined to become more biased and less feminism.
My concern is now that society is moving to a place where the echo chamber protectionism means that authors who disagree will not get a chance to have a meaningful discussion because the outrage machine will kick in ahead of time.
One more thing. Jgln and I were never talking to each other. The conversation was never begun and that's a shame - that's on her. I haven't blocked her. I rarely block anyone. I'll sit down and shoot the breeze with most people. My beak is not as sharp as it first appears on first reading.
Thanks for a thoughtful and centre ground article. Let's hope Katie finds it too :o)
