I haven’t really been doing ok… (I mean who has been the past two years?) Actually… all things considered, based on how horrible 2021 was, I’m doing great. Relatively. But only relatively. Honestly, I’m surprised I’m not more emotionally paralyzed, too terrified to write
I read the F*ck It Diet first, honestly not that long ago, and pre-ordered TAF because it resonated so well. And now that you’ve spoken so candidly about this stuff—well if I didn’t already think you were the bee’s knees, I sure do now. (I did but you get my point). I run a non-profit food bank—social justice in the true sense is my whole life. But because of that I can’t be real in public without paying a steep price and potentially impacting the 250,000 clients we feed. I don’t know what (TF) to do, but I don’t HAVE to be a public figure to promote my work in the way you do.
All this to say, I’m proud of you as a fellow woman leader. I am inspired by your actual courage and honestly, you’ve put me on a path to genuinely examine my relationship with the expectations of this toxic culture, way beyond food, and wellness, and Christian diets. lol.
Also, I have 3 effing Instagram accounts, not even counting the ones for work. One is semi-anonymous and private, but my bio has been, for like 10 years, “Reach for the stars; punch them in the mouth.” I guess I, too, like to incite violence.
YES CAROLINE!! I've been following your work for yeeeeeears and it changed my life. I still have two of your old e-books that were on gumroad. Fuck instagram. I wanna know what you have to say about all the things, girl. I'll follow you wherever your writing takes you (not in a creepy way, haha!) I just subscribed. Keep being exactly who you are.
Stopped visiting the evil IG last fall and I have been exponentially happier!!! I subscribe to about 4 Substack WRITERS and would subscribe to yours as well. Thank you for being brave and honest.
I came back to say I hope you will discuss how you're dealing with marketing/promoting your work without those platforms because I would really like to know if it's possible. Will your publisher pressure you? Pay someone to do social media for you? As I mentioned in my first comment, I'm considering other fields and am interested in podcasting and writing, but am wondering if it's even possible to get yourself out there without building an audience on social. Maybe my next venture should be some kind of very retro promotional business where I run around town handing out fliers, or like new-school town crier services?
I can’t wait for my birthday. I finished Tired as Fuck yesterday and I wrote an Amazon review for the first time. IG is exhausting and addicting and I’m looking forward to better time when I can less about it. Thanks for sharing.
As I read your post, I had so many thoughts. But mostly I wanted to give you a hug and then to tell you that it sounds like a relationship with Instagram is like having a narcissist significant other. Narcissistic folks always have a script for what you are expected to say, think, do and feel. And when you don’t behave accordingly, out comes the rage and abuse.
I will happily, joyfully, jump up and down like a kid have a paid subscription so you can leave an abusive relationship.
Your work has always been a sane voice in a wilderness of crazy. Can’t wait to hear more Caroline Unfiltered.
Subscribed!! You give off major BFF energy, and are such a breath of sanity and realness that this world is sorely lacking. You continue to vocalize so many of the things that I’ve been feeling about instagram, the cultishness of wokness and beyond. F instagram, can’t wait to follow you here and and wherever life takes you. From nut punching to raw milk drinking (trying to find some myself!!!!), youda bomb Caroline. Thank you for not censoring yourself. Excited for you and your road ahead.
Have you seen this post? It was one of the first that I felt openly talked about the trauma of online SJ spaces and the expectation of pure moral good. I think it might be something you relate to:
Subscribed! I love your writing so much and continue to enjoy hearing your (not so widely accepted) views. Congrats on being the first person to get me over to whatever the hell substack is (yay for no censorship)
I pulled the plug -- okay 1/2 way -- on *IG (you know what * stands for) recently too. (Deleted the app from my phone, but can still access online.) Do I miss the shenanigans of a few friends' babies? And (even more) cute doggies doing things? Yes, I do, including MOLLY. But mostly, I miss your straightforward, engaging take on life. I haven't always agreed, although mostly I have, but I have always appreciated your thought-provoking notions and willingness to deep dive on your own thought process. It's so refreshing to see "thinking" posted. I'm exhausted by social media and I hope this venue is less spoon feeding and more seeking and finding. DON'T TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW. thank you :) So, I've subscribed, a bit fearfully, because I really don't want to "do" social media. But I trust you. Thanks for being real. I'm not sure you realize how rare that is. PS: Congrats on getting to be Caroline Dooner here - haha!
Thank you for speaking the truth, and thank you for supporting a platform like Substack that does not cave to mobs and does not engage in censorship. Any person, institution, company, culture, etc. that discourages seeking and/or speaking the truth is not only wrong, but dangerous. I don't use Instagram and decided I never would after reading about their censorship. I feel the same way about facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. You can be successful without these companies. Try not to buy into the idea that you can't; I know that's difficult to do.
Your work helped me end my decades-long dieting lifestyle. Angry mobs crusading against phony and/or overblown issues and the media that foments and encourages that is all a distraction that keeps people from doing actual important work, in the same way being obsessed with weight and with food keeps people from doing actual important, beneficial work. Speaking what you know to be true without fear is such an important, impactful job; please continue to do it. Thank you.
I was just about to "get an instagram life" when I read this. Boy, that was a great miss. I'm personally stuck in the middle with other Gen x'ers. I am more moderate liberal that left liberal, and never completely "Progressive" liberal, that doesn't make real sense. Those people will get tired when they realize that they should of maybe been a little more specific instead of trying to change all of the world at once. But, I'm at that age when I'm becoming invisible, so at least, I can lurk in the background and try to help the disillusioned before they check out and become "sheep".
I feel that people like you are trying, and maybe will, open the eyes of those who went along with the "public" free platforms. That nothing is free, and they find that out before they check out of the whole public thing. We all need to focus and participate in things that are important to us and not play keeping up with the internet Jones.
Subscribed! Your are author No. 2 I’m subscribed to on Substack. I actually just heard of you recently but I like what I’ve read so far and I am with you on the life-force-draining relationship with social media. I’m in “communications” (PR), and feel like if I quit social media I’ll have to find a new career but I’m very close to doing it.
Since about 2015 I’ve found it toxic for me personally, but in the last year or so I’ve come to see it as toxic culturally. I stopped eating meat in 1998 not because I think meat tastes bad - let’s be real, a lot of it is delicious. But I objected to industrialized animal (and human/labor) suffering and the environmental toll, so I stopped eating it. Recently I realized my feelings about social media are very similar. It’s fun, it’s entertaining, and I HATE Meta and being subjected to a nonstop stream of 20-somethings trying to tell me how to love myself. Which leaves me little real choice but to bail. Now, what should my next career be …?
I had an IG account on which I used primarily to see what my minor children were posting. I never once posted or even commented on a post. I opened the app the other day to see that my account had been locked for "violating community guidelines." The only way I could appeal was to send a picture of myself holding a paper with my name, username, and a code sent to me. Went back later and just got a message that my appeal was denied, and my account was deleted. WTF? When I tried to create a new account, it said my email was already in use. There is no way to actually contact anyone to find out what happened. I know IG is popular but it's disturbing that a social media site can randomly shut people down and there is nothing that can be done to get reinstated.
I read the F*ck It Diet first, honestly not that long ago, and pre-ordered TAF because it resonated so well. And now that you’ve spoken so candidly about this stuff—well if I didn’t already think you were the bee’s knees, I sure do now. (I did but you get my point). I run a non-profit food bank—social justice in the true sense is my whole life. But because of that I can’t be real in public without paying a steep price and potentially impacting the 250,000 clients we feed. I don’t know what (TF) to do, but I don’t HAVE to be a public figure to promote my work in the way you do.
All this to say, I’m proud of you as a fellow woman leader. I am inspired by your actual courage and honestly, you’ve put me on a path to genuinely examine my relationship with the expectations of this toxic culture, way beyond food, and wellness, and Christian diets. lol.
Also, I have 3 effing Instagram accounts, not even counting the ones for work. One is semi-anonymous and private, but my bio has been, for like 10 years, “Reach for the stars; punch them in the mouth.” I guess I, too, like to incite violence.
Subscribed to stay. Thank you.
YES CAROLINE!! I've been following your work for yeeeeeears and it changed my life. I still have two of your old e-books that were on gumroad. Fuck instagram. I wanna know what you have to say about all the things, girl. I'll follow you wherever your writing takes you (not in a creepy way, haha!) I just subscribed. Keep being exactly who you are.
Stopped visiting the evil IG last fall and I have been exponentially happier!!! I subscribe to about 4 Substack WRITERS and would subscribe to yours as well. Thank you for being brave and honest.
I came back to say I hope you will discuss how you're dealing with marketing/promoting your work without those platforms because I would really like to know if it's possible. Will your publisher pressure you? Pay someone to do social media for you? As I mentioned in my first comment, I'm considering other fields and am interested in podcasting and writing, but am wondering if it's even possible to get yourself out there without building an audience on social. Maybe my next venture should be some kind of very retro promotional business where I run around town handing out fliers, or like new-school town crier services?
I can’t wait for my birthday. I finished Tired as Fuck yesterday and I wrote an Amazon review for the first time. IG is exhausting and addicting and I’m looking forward to better time when I can less about it. Thanks for sharing.
As I read your post, I had so many thoughts. But mostly I wanted to give you a hug and then to tell you that it sounds like a relationship with Instagram is like having a narcissist significant other. Narcissistic folks always have a script for what you are expected to say, think, do and feel. And when you don’t behave accordingly, out comes the rage and abuse.
I will happily, joyfully, jump up and down like a kid have a paid subscription so you can leave an abusive relationship.
Your work has always been a sane voice in a wilderness of crazy. Can’t wait to hear more Caroline Unfiltered.
Subscribed!! You give off major BFF energy, and are such a breath of sanity and realness that this world is sorely lacking. You continue to vocalize so many of the things that I’ve been feeling about instagram, the cultishness of wokness and beyond. F instagram, can’t wait to follow you here and and wherever life takes you. From nut punching to raw milk drinking (trying to find some myself!!!!), youda bomb Caroline. Thank you for not censoring yourself. Excited for you and your road ahead.
Have you seen this post? It was one of the first that I felt openly talked about the trauma of online SJ spaces and the expectation of pure moral good. I think it might be something you relate to:
https://meganjaynecrabbe.substack.com/p/is-it-just-me-or-do-we-need-to-talk?s=r
Subscribed! I love your writing so much and continue to enjoy hearing your (not so widely accepted) views. Congrats on being the first person to get me over to whatever the hell substack is (yay for no censorship)
I really happy to have this content from you free from the IG awfulness!! Thank you. Happy to be a supporter!
I pulled the plug -- okay 1/2 way -- on *IG (you know what * stands for) recently too. (Deleted the app from my phone, but can still access online.) Do I miss the shenanigans of a few friends' babies? And (even more) cute doggies doing things? Yes, I do, including MOLLY. But mostly, I miss your straightforward, engaging take on life. I haven't always agreed, although mostly I have, but I have always appreciated your thought-provoking notions and willingness to deep dive on your own thought process. It's so refreshing to see "thinking" posted. I'm exhausted by social media and I hope this venue is less spoon feeding and more seeking and finding. DON'T TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW. thank you :) So, I've subscribed, a bit fearfully, because I really don't want to "do" social media. But I trust you. Thanks for being real. I'm not sure you realize how rare that is. PS: Congrats on getting to be Caroline Dooner here - haha!
Thank you for speaking the truth, and thank you for supporting a platform like Substack that does not cave to mobs and does not engage in censorship. Any person, institution, company, culture, etc. that discourages seeking and/or speaking the truth is not only wrong, but dangerous. I don't use Instagram and decided I never would after reading about their censorship. I feel the same way about facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. You can be successful without these companies. Try not to buy into the idea that you can't; I know that's difficult to do.
Your work helped me end my decades-long dieting lifestyle. Angry mobs crusading against phony and/or overblown issues and the media that foments and encourages that is all a distraction that keeps people from doing actual important work, in the same way being obsessed with weight and with food keeps people from doing actual important, beneficial work. Speaking what you know to be true without fear is such an important, impactful job; please continue to do it. Thank you.
I was just about to "get an instagram life" when I read this. Boy, that was a great miss. I'm personally stuck in the middle with other Gen x'ers. I am more moderate liberal that left liberal, and never completely "Progressive" liberal, that doesn't make real sense. Those people will get tired when they realize that they should of maybe been a little more specific instead of trying to change all of the world at once. But, I'm at that age when I'm becoming invisible, so at least, I can lurk in the background and try to help the disillusioned before they check out and become "sheep".
I feel that people like you are trying, and maybe will, open the eyes of those who went along with the "public" free platforms. That nothing is free, and they find that out before they check out of the whole public thing. We all need to focus and participate in things that are important to us and not play keeping up with the internet Jones.
Subscribed! Your are author No. 2 I’m subscribed to on Substack. I actually just heard of you recently but I like what I’ve read so far and I am with you on the life-force-draining relationship with social media. I’m in “communications” (PR), and feel like if I quit social media I’ll have to find a new career but I’m very close to doing it.
Since about 2015 I’ve found it toxic for me personally, but in the last year or so I’ve come to see it as toxic culturally. I stopped eating meat in 1998 not because I think meat tastes bad - let’s be real, a lot of it is delicious. But I objected to industrialized animal (and human/labor) suffering and the environmental toll, so I stopped eating it. Recently I realized my feelings about social media are very similar. It’s fun, it’s entertaining, and I HATE Meta and being subjected to a nonstop stream of 20-somethings trying to tell me how to love myself. Which leaves me little real choice but to bail. Now, what should my next career be …?
I had an IG account on which I used primarily to see what my minor children were posting. I never once posted or even commented on a post. I opened the app the other day to see that my account had been locked for "violating community guidelines." The only way I could appeal was to send a picture of myself holding a paper with my name, username, and a code sent to me. Went back later and just got a message that my appeal was denied, and my account was deleted. WTF? When I tried to create a new account, it said my email was already in use. There is no way to actually contact anyone to find out what happened. I know IG is popular but it's disturbing that a social media site can randomly shut people down and there is nothing that can be done to get reinstated.