Thank you for that.

Yes, things are not as they appear to be. It's like buying that pretty inexpensive car only to find out the engine is missing and that's why it won't run!

When I realized that the Writing Cooperative charged writers in order to get their submissions published ahead of others who didn't pay I was too through. Naturally they don't call it charging. They ask for "donations". You still get bumped ahead of the line in the queue so the only voices that are heard are those who can afford the "donation".

I find the whole thing sickening. What's worse, as if they could be, is that I've made Medium aware of all of it. I've documented everything and yet...? <shrug>