Capitalism has as many shades as a human personality. As does any other form of governmental socioeconomic arm-twisting. In the grand scheme, social structure is about who's steering the wealth and what percentage is lucre.

Opportunists and lucre exist on this platform, and it doesn't help when those running it manipulate the rules without being transparent and forthcoming. I want to know what capitalism and democracy mean to Tony Stubblebine. Then, I want to know what he's doing to achieve that idea. Algorithms and quality are smoke screens. As a paying member, I want to see where the money goes. And why it goes there. I'm highly disappointed with the management aspect of Medium. Tony talked about a good game on Medium Day, which unraveled in less than a month.

The reason I'm here and why I upgraded my membership is for you and others I hope I've connected with. It gives my life meaning.

Where I lie on quality curves or in algorithms means nothing when I don't understand the philosophical criteria that drive them. This ambiguous ‘grading’ system fosters uncertainty in many readers/writers and exposes my being to the inevitable less-than-honest game-playing that follows. Granted, dishonesty is always possible, but it's now rampant.

My $150 per year is also an olive branch to Medium management. I hope they use the new member-level fee to raise the bar and strive for the common good of all partners. I expect, probably naively, that they need it for that reason. Most of all, I hope they become honest and forthcoming about our money trail.