I’m Jon. This is my blog.
And that’s all I’m going to reveal about myself, at least for now. I tend not to share my personal info on the internet. I don’t do social media. I value my privacy.
For some reason that rubs some people the wrong way. I’ve even had people tell me that they “don’t trust anyone who’s not on Instagram.” They said it looks suspicious, as if I have something to hide. But I think that’s ridiculous. I’m far from the first person to want privacy.
I was actually inspired to protect my identity after watching a documentary-style movie about one of the most famous, yet unknown, Americans of all time. When the mood struck, he would send his writing, under a pseudonym, to a few local newspapers. What he wrote became a sensation.
The local papers didn’t just publish what he wrote, they printed his work on their front pages. Newspapers around the country—around the world—republished his letters. The public clamored to find out the author’s identity. But to this day, though there are theories, no one knows for sure who he was.
Because he wrote under a pseudonym, he was able to share his work with the masses while still having complete privacy to live his life to the fullest. He could do whatever made him happiest without being detected by random strangers. Why shouldn’t I get to do the same?
How bad of a person could I really be, just because I want to keep my life private? When did we all get so cynical?
Anyway, the movie is called Zodiac. I highly recommend it.
People on the internet are mean. I prefer to spend time in the real world, where people are still mean, but I can buy the Costco hot dog. It’s nerve-racking to post online and open yourself to criticism. I almost didn’t do it. But one day I was reading lyric poetry, and came across a line that stuck with me: “Sticks and stones may break my bones but I don’t care what y’all say.” That was from the bestselling 2014 work by the writer Armando Christian Pérez. You may know him better from his spoken word performances under the name Pitbull.
Of course, that’s easy for Pitbull to say. No one would ever be criticized who can write like this:
My girl got a big ole booty
Your girl got a little booty
My girl got a big ole booty
Your girl got a little booty
My girl got a big ole booty
Your girl got a little booty
My girl got a big ole booty
Your girl got a little booty
This is one of my favorite poems because he somehow manages to make every line rhyme! That’s hard to pull off.
I may never be as good as him, but critics be damned, I’m going to try.
I’m sick and tired of how everything in society is bought and paid for by large corporations. The government, the media, you name it. I need you, the people, to subscribe to Jon Blog so that I can remain an independent voice, calling it like I see it.
I will never accept ads or cater to brands. Not even Vitamin Water, the only beverage whose nutritional value is matched by its wide range of flavors. Whether you’re working out or working from home, Vitamin Water is there to give you the vitamins and electrolytes you need to get through the day.
And especially not Vitamin Water Zero, which offers the same great taste of Vitamin Water with none of the calories.
Another reason to sign up for a paid subscription: at the end of each year, I will donate 10% of my subscription earnings to GiveWell’s Top Charities Fund.
You might be thinking: “Why should I pay for your dumb blog when I could just give that money directly to charity?” That is a good idea that hurts my feelings. If you donate $50 or more to GiveWell, send me the receipt—jon(at)jonblog.org—and I will comp you a free subscription for a year.
