How I Escaped Escape Stories on Medium Last Month
And My Ever Present but Self Sabotaging Resistance to The New Medium
For any of you who are new here, I promise, this place used to be wonderful. And not in a micro dosing LSD or escaping kind of way — but a way that mattered. Then in came the major publications and newspapers and slowly but surely, everything here began to change for the worse.
While I don’t love it, as I’ve said many times over, I’m here for the long haul. I’ve written well over 350 posts in my year and a half here, I’m far too invested to quit now. Besides, there is a world full of marvelously talented writers here who I never would have discovered if it wasn’t for Medium.
Plus, every month or two I like to write a post like this to annoy the higher ups. As someone who was personally invited into the Paid Partner Program a year ago, I’ve earned that right. You don’t get to sell me a dream right before turning it into a nightmare before my very eyes and have me remain quiet about it. Besides, this is my favorite kind of article to write.
For anyone who is unaware, Medium was featuring stories about escape last month, for their monthly digital magazine. I’ll be honest, I don’t even hate the idea of what they’re doing. It’s just this inner resistance to every thing they try and implement here since going full “mainstream” on us, that I can’t shake.
I spent much of August avoiding every single article here on Medium that contained the word escape in the title. I did so by simply going to the profile pages of the writers I enjoy most on this platform, as opposed to letting the corrupt and unjust algorithm decide what I’d be reading. I just realized I could have probably written an escape article on how I tactfully go about escaping the god awful algorithm I mentioned above.
When I was reading on Medium last month, I was going directly to the pages of those who never let me down. Jessica Wildfire has been on, well excuse the corny pun but — fire — as of late. Her story Cynical People Will Save The World was published on my Dad’s birthday, the king of cynicism and one half of who I inherited my misanthropic views from. It was one I really appreciated and definitely recommend.
She just seems to keep getting better and her last two or three stories are all the proof you need. In fact, I’m just going to do you the favor of linking to them as well.
How to Hug Ariana Grande in Public
Screwed: Notes on Bad Luck and Bosses
Thanks for doing your part in helping me escape the plethora of escape stories on my feed last month Jess.
Erika Sauter, who has become what feels like a digital friend of sorts, works really hard on her Patreon page. So hard in fact, she inspired me to start working on one of my own. I’ve spent countless amount of hours last month, brainstorming and writing down possible ideas for my page and potential patreons. I then put those ideas into action and added them to my page, after filling out my profile. My page is nowhere near complete, as I want to get this right before I launch it and make it live. However, working on it was a great way to escape the escape.
Though I haven’t done so myself yet — as I live mainly off a freelancer’s salary — I highly recommend becoming a Patreon of Erika’s. She’s doing a ton of cool stuff over there on top of still publishing great articles here on Medium and running one of my favorite publications in Hopes and Dreams for Our Future.
She is literally offering to send books and handmade art to your home for practically nothing. At the very least, do yourself a solid and check her page and publication out if you haven’t already. Thanks for all you do Erika.
Escaping Escape By Any Means Necessary
So when I wasn’t on Medium, I spent a lot of time listening to comedian Theo Von’s podcast — This Past Weekend. That’s what it’s called, I didn’t just spend last weekend listening to it. If you’re into podcasts and like to laugh, I definitely recommend it, as well as just about any podcast he’s a guest on. Theo is one of those comedians who I find to be funnier in everyday conversation than he is on stage, though I enjoyed his Netflix special as well.
Speaking of Netflix, they finally released season 2 of Ozark, which helped me escape all the escaping that was going on around this crazy place last month. It is such a fantastic show — that I once blocked and reported a tinder match who said she didn’t care for it. I binged on season 2 like Bobby Brown binged on cocaine in the 80’s. Though it’s only ten episodes, I promise they will have you longing for more. And if you haven’t caught the first season yet, do so before I block and report you.
But Why All The Resistance?
Listen, even I don’t know at this point. At first, it was just kind of fun to poke fun at this place as a platform. Then, the changes we’re so drastic — I couldn’t help but write entire stories based on my grievances. I realized, it wasn’t just me who was unhappy with the new Medium. Conversations were started and continued and during them, a deep internal resistance was built in me to all of the changes and anything I felt was undermining the platform this once was.
But it’s not beneficial and has become one of the most pointless forms of self sabotage I’ve ever partaken in — and I used to do drugs. I think it’s time I give it a rest. No more hit pieces Ev, I promise bud.
This month, Medium is featuring stories on quitting for their monthly digital magazine. I literally published a story on all the things I’ve quit in life, sometime last year. So I may just re-frame it, add a little, edit it again and send it in. Perhaps I won’t dislike these reindeer games so much if I finally join them.
Even the newly remodeled version of this place ain’t half bad. The changes are here to stay and if I have no plans of going anywhere, I may as well get used to them. It’s always easier swimming with the current than against it. Besides, there’s nowhere else to go, honestly. This is home for me and always will be.
