Why did "Tanstaafl" shut down The White Network?

By Carolyn Yeager

“I have decided, without consulting with or seeking Carolyn Yeager's consent, that The White Network will no longer be used to record or broadcast any new programs. There will be no further posts or comments.” -April 15, 2014, The End

This says it all … it tells the whole story of “who did it” and that it was a unilateral decision and act of treachery on the part of 'tanstaafl' against me. He reaffirms this and also gives the only answer he's ever given as to WHY he did it in the following written statement from him:

“The White Network started and operated for almost two years* as a joint project, the product of a partnership between Carolyn Yeager and myself. I ended that project and partnership …. when it became clear to me that the mutual understanding and trust on which it was based had ended. -April 28, 2014, Why this Archive (*Considering when we began, it was over two years)

These two statements from 'tanstaafl' are all we need to make it clear that he did indeed, all on his own, without my knowledge, shut me out and shut down The White Network for reasons that remain nebulous, in spite of all his shifting parade of justifications.

The fact that TWN belonged to both of us did not deter him. The fact that whatever real property needed for TWN to function was in my name did not deter him. He thought he could convince our listeners and supporters that an inactive archive of the past two years' content would be just as good as the continuing production of new radio programs, blogs and opportunities to comment. A place where Whites could talk to Whites about White interests. The talk ceased very suddenly, without warning, but hey, it was okay because 'tan' had prevented the dangerous Carolyn Yeager from saying another word on “his” network, using “his” software.

So at least there is no question about who is responsible. He is.

But the question of “why” lingers. He has answered it with an ever changing array of reasons and tales of what took place between us. For him, it is all so very clear, but it is not passing the smell test. This is the case when he gives as his reason something that became clear to him, but not to me. If he thought the “mutual understanding and trust” had ended (irrevocably), I did not have that idea. I still trusted him and thought our mutual understanding about the network was intact. It really does not matter what “became clear to him” because it was subjective. I committed no crime; I had not wronged him or damaged the network in any real or objective way.

TWN was at an all-time high global Alexa ranking of 200,000 as we approached our 2nd Anniversary and 'tan' knew it. Does it seem that this is a strange time, when you're being so successful, to pull the plug?

If I had had any inkling of what he was contemplating doing, I would have spoken about it directly to him. Since I did not, I only acted the following Wednesday morning, after sleeping on it and letting it sink in. I can assure readers that if 'tan' had advised me that he could/would no longer work with me, and we had had a more amicable parting, The White Network would still exist on the Internet today just as it was then. Recall that 'tan' had also deleted his skype contact with me on that same evening of 15 April.

I might say that it is my subjective experience that 'tan' is not a good communicator in personal interactions; he either uses too technical a language or he doesn't come right out with things but expects people to intuit what he's thinking or what he really means. For instance, he repeatedly asked me why I was “trashing white people.” Since I didn't think I was, I would ask him to give me an example. When he offered his examples, I still didn't think I was.

So it was that his outbreaks of hostility over the course of a week to 10 days prior to the 15th did not signal to me such an abrupt ending. I had already experienced isolated hostile reactions and touchiness from him at various times, to which I simply stepped back and accepted that he had very strong “boundaries” that he didn't want crossed. One time in particular, I was surprised by his sharply accusatory reaction to my suggestion that he think about increasing his program to one hour [“You think I should do what you want me to do but I do what I want to do, and what I'm able to do. You don't run my life, yada yada,” spoken in a very cold tone]. That caused me to stop skyping him altogether for quite awhile, except for short informational messages, so as not to appear to be trying to run his life. I found that I was happier that way myself so from then on the relationship was more business-oriented, less friend-oriented, but still on a relaxed level, and that particular incident faded away in importance.

Since 'tan' was so adamant about me not expecting too much from him, I thought he must give the same privilege to me, and even though he sometimes questioned me because he suspected or feared that I might be lying to him about myself (!), we mostly got along without incident. I never stopped liking 'tan' or being generally satisfied with the capable way he handled the network. He was highly security-conscious.

Contrary to being purely for “gossip” sake, what I have written thus far is necessary to explain why I was not prepared for what he did, as he wants people to believe I was in order to take away the blame from himself as the lone instigator of ending The White Network … which he has admitted in the quotes.

The destruction of White Media

All of 'tanstaafl's varying descriptions of how his nose got bent out of shape do not suffice to explain how this was a good idea he came up with after three days of considering what to do about his problem. His problem, no one else's. Why did he have this “problem” when he had never had it before? He accuses me of taking myself too seriously, egotistically thinking that it was “all about me.” Truthfully, 'tan's action tells us he thought it was all about him. His software is the reason more and more people listened to us and came to the website! Oh yes, his logo … that ugly tWn he designed that I always hated but kept that to myself because he was so proud of it. His voice-over in the intros and outros to the programs made all the difference! I picked out my own music of the appropriate length, wrote the words to be said and indicated to him exactly at what point he should say what … which is what he asked for. 'Tan' just went ahead and did it for my Heretics' Hour show, using VoR as the model, so I thought it was appropriate and showed solidarity for him to continue doing it. But now he tries to hold all this up to me as a reason that it belongs to him because of it. 

In the end, he couldn't do what he had previously said he would – simply walk away and allow the programming to continue operating under my use. He had become too identified with The White Network, as I had, and apparently didn't want it to continue without his control. At the same time, he didn't want me to continue at all. He says he spent “most of the 12th, 13th and 14th digesting” what I had said in my program(s) and our 1-hour talk and “considering what [his] response would be.” He gave it lots of thought, while I was preparing for my Monday Heretics' Hour program with Germar Rudolf. His decision was a fully premeditated and planned affair, not a “rash” decision – although his thinking was rash because he didn't take into consideration that he was shutting down what had become some of the most important White Media on the Internet. Everyone says: We need more White Media; the key is having more White media. 'Tan' decided over 10 days, disregarding my four previous years in White radio, that I was a danger to White radio. And plenty of other White Nationalists applauded him for it.

Others will say that 'tanstaafl' did more harm to White media by this action than anyone else in the White movement has done in a long time, while he claims he did it to “protect White Nationalism.” I believe it is not necessary to call yourself a White Nationalist to be a pro-White advocate. Kevin MacDonald doesn't label himself as a White Nationalist. And a lot of men do who one wouldn't want to be associated with.

The End?

I know some people do not approve of going on and on with this topic. I have written it so that they can read it or not read it. No more radio devoted to it. But one catches on a little bit at a time. One gets more insights as the whole matter settles down and can be seen with some distance. I could write three times this much; there are many interesting aspects I have not ever brought up. I'm glad and relieved that my programs and blogs are no longer available on 'tan's archive, but they are not actually gone, simply not visible. For that reason, I don't know if there will ever be a real end to this. But there is too much worthwhile work for me to do to worry about it.