South City Confessions: Talking about politics is bad for subscriber counts

It’s a shame that political discussions are such a turnoff for subscribers

The unfortunate thing for a writer with a subscription list is seeing the total decrease without knowing why exactly. The number goes down, and you’re left wondering if a certain opinion upset someone so badly that it caused them to scroll up and click the “that’s it” button. Cut and dry, goodbye. More likely than not, they’ll keep on reading and checking the site-but they wanted the writer to feel and see their displeasure.

However, I have a good feeling why I’ve lost subscribers more often lately. It’s not my honest yet non hateful Cardinals takes, or my reviews of films and shows. It’s my support of Kamala Harris, and most likely my rabid dislike of Donald Trump that has cost me followers. Keep in mind, every free subscriber is just someone I have to convince to become paid. It’s not a Twitter follower count that basically inflates the ego, and makes one feel good for participating in the hysteria of online connection. The plumbing supply business pays well, but every shekel is required in a day and age where everything costs more. So, a free or paid subscriber jumping off the boat is felt.

All for a political take that will become irrelevant in five weeks. Whoever wins, the other party’s followers will pout and whine about a rigged election, because that’s what they do when a loss is tallied. Our impact as civilians is very limited in actuality; our voting feeds into electoral votes, but we don’t directly elect the Executive in Chief. Popular votes and people’s votes do count, but in a smaller way. All of this to say that I think it’s bullshit to unfollow a writer who posts something political in every 8th or 9th blog post. It just doesn’t add up.

More so, it’s weak. Think about it. 9 of 10 posts will be about neutral ground topics that everyone can love or scroll on from, but some politics becomes the spicy rub on a hot wing because it divides the nation into two. It doesn’t have to. Do you really think your individual life will change drastically due to who is in office? If there was a real life-affected reason to bail on my blog after a Trump rant, I would understand.

I mean, have you heard the man speak in the past few weeks? Yes, I’d like Kamala to give more interviews and get more out there, but the flip side of that coin is Donnie saying anything and everything to lose himself votes. No writer on the planet has to help him bury himself. If he would shut up like Harris, more votes would go his way.

No, I don’t want to stick to sports and movies. No, I don’t want to have to switch websites to fire out a political rant. Yes, I know how to stop reading something that upsets or displeases me. I won’t head to the top of the page, and let that man or woman know that this shit won’t stand. It’s bush league, as Ron Burgundy would say.

Maybe I should just do a 24/7 Panda watch, or make out with a mysterious woman whose language I can’t understand or something weird. If every writer contorted their voice and output to tailor to the masses, it would all sound like robot jargon.

I just can’t get with the notion that a political opinion, not even a Star Wars opinion, can get someone unfollowed on a blog. It’s not like I’m standing in front of their house screaming that J.D. Vance is a giant child with a beard, just in their soon-to-be crowded email trash bin. I can handle that dismissal.

In early November, we’ll vote and get this over with, so the sports and movie takes are run wild and free, attracting the masses and letting them know it’s okay to step foot on this site.

Maybe this was article worthy, maybe not.