Terms of Service for Under the Crooked Tree

1. Respect the Discourse

Under the Crooked Tree is a place for exploring philosophy, resilience, and the human condition. Sometimes through difficult and uncomfortable conversations. You don’t have to agree with everything, but if you’re here, I ask that you engage in good faith. Disagreement is welcome; bad-faith arguments, personal attacks, and blatant disrespect are not.

2. No Identity Politics or Extremism

This space is for honest discussion, not ideological warfare. If you’re here to push an agenda, engage in culture war nonsense, or spew hate, this is not the place for you. I won’t entertain extremism of any kind, and I won’t argue with people who have already decided they have nothing to learn.

3. No Plagiarism or Misuse of Content

I put a lot of time and effort into writing these essays. You’re welcome to share excerpts with proper credit, but don’t pass my work off as your own. If you want to republish or use my writing beyond personal reading, just ask—I’ll likely say yes, but respect starts with asking first.

4. Paid Subscriptions: Support, Not Entitlement

A paid subscription helps keep this work going, but it doesn’t buy you a personal philosopher on demand. I appreciate every supporter, but I set the pace and topics of my writing. That said, I always welcome thoughtful suggestions or ideas for future essays.

5. No Spam, No BS

This isn’t a marketplace, a networking funnel, or a dumping ground for self-promotion. If you’re here to engage with the ideas, welcome—but if your goal is to push an agenda, peddle a product, or drop links no one asked for, take it elsewhere.

I have zero patience for spam, get-rich-quick schemes, or hollow engagement bait. If your comment serves no purpose beyond boosting your own visibility, it’s getting deleted. Keep the discussions relevant, thoughtful, and actually worth reading.

Let’s keep this space free from the noise that clutters the rest of the internet.

6. Email & Privacy

If you subscribe, your email stays here. I do not sell it, trade it, or hand it off to third parties. No shady data mining, no selling your info to marketing firms, no endless barrage of spam disguised as “opportunities.”

You will only get updates from me, and only when I have something worth saying. No gimmicks, no fluff, no attempts to squeeze engagement out of you. If you ever decide to leave, you can unsubscribe anytime. No guilt trips. No hard feelings.

Your time and attention are valuable. I respect that, and I respect your privacy.

7. The Right to Ban, Block, or Ignore

This space is for real conversations, not performative nonsense. I welcome disagreement and open discussion, but I do not tolerate bad faith arguments, trolling, or those who engage just to stir the pot. If you are here to insult, derail, or push some culture war agenda, you will be shown the door.

And to be perfectly clear, if you are one of those “bro-vets” who thinks being loud, ignorant, and dismissive is the pinnacle of post service wisdom, you are not welcome here. If your idea of discussion is scoffing at philosophy, calling everything “soft,” or ranting about how thinking deeply makes people weak, do us both a favor and unsubscribe now. This space is for those who have the backbone to challenge their own beliefs, not for those who think the loudest guy in the room is the smartest.

I reserve the right to remove comments, block subscribers, and refund or cancel paid memberships if someone is consistently disruptive, disrespectful, or just a waste of time. Free speech does not mean I have to host your nonsense.

8. Stay Sharp, Stay Free

This is a space for thinkers, questioners, and those willing to face uncomfortable truths. If you are here, I assume you value independent thought and honest conversations. That means engaging with ideas seriously, even when they challenge your assumptions or make you uncomfortable. Growth does not come from echo chambers.

I am not here to spoon feed simple answers or reinforce anyone’s pre-existing beliefs. If you expect everything to fit neatly into a box, this may not be the place for you. Some ideas here will challenge you. Some might piss you off. That is the point.

If you are willing to question, to think beyond surface level takes, and to engage in meaningful discussion, then you are in the right place. If not, there are plenty of other places on the internet that will tell you exactly what you want to hear.

Let’s keep this space one of depth, honesty, and intellectual freedom.