Rob Williger

Writer | Marketing Strategist This is the main place I'm writing. I'm stepping back from social media to focus on my creative projects and mental health. If you are new here and stumbled upon this, I'm Rob, a US Army Veteran dealing with PTSD and depression. Prior to and after the Army, I worked in several marketing roles with a specialization in copywriting and strategy. I am the author of Copywriting for Non-Marketers and numerous essays and articles. My current projects are a re-write of that book, a memoir of my time in the Army, and a couple of dramatic works, one related to the military and another about religion. I write on various topics, including privacy, technology, marketing, secularism, free thought, persuasion, and the human condition. I'm writing for humans and not algorithms, and I expect people to disagree with some of my views. My historic time travel dinner party guests would be Robert G. Ingersoll, Albert Camus, Mary & Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, Baltasar Gracián, Helen Gardner, Baruch Spinoza, and Thomas Paine. We only have our time here in this absurd world, and we should use it to make the world a better place for our fellow humans, not for a unproven supernatural being. All should be free to live as they choose, so long as it doesn't impact someone else's ability to do the same. The best way to communicate directly is via e-mail. You can check out my profile page at https://rob.omg.lol and see what I'm up to on my now page at https://rob.omg.lol/now.

www.robertwilliger.com

Find What Works for You

September 4, 2023•346 words

There's quite an industry these days telling us the systems and processes we must use to be efficient, productive, happier, and I'm sure a bunch of other things that aren't going to actually happen. I think my real internet journey began around 2004 when I started learning about productivity tools, lifehacks, and more. For years, I tried different systems recomended by the so-called experts and thought leaders, before they all became influencers. I'll admit I never was able to fully implement t...

What Is Propaganda

September 4, 2023•1,358 words

What is propaganda? What is propaganda? This was originally posted on my Medium page but I wanted it to live here as well. What is propaganda? How you can learn to identify lies and defend yourself. Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash We hear a lot about propaganda and we think we understand what it is but there are many aspects to it that have a direct impact on our lives so it is important to gain a better understanding of it. Dictionary.com defines propaganda as, “informatio...

The Danger of Attention

September 1, 2023•308 words

Paying attention to news and current events doesn't require giving attention to idiots saying outrageous things just to get clicks. In our attention based world where anyone can get a message out to millions just because someone is an elected official or in some position doesn't mean that you need to follow what they say or even worse amplify their message. It's remarkable how many people find the need to amplify messages by people like Musk, Trump, Boebert, Andrew Tate, and the rest of the onl...

Two Other Places I'm Writing

September 1, 2023•528 words

While this is the primary place I'm writing there may occasionally be pieces I publish on one of my other sites. I will probably cross post here or put a notice up that I posted elsewhere but if you want to check them out. rob.weblog.lol religion.weblog.lol As this site has a pretty broad spectrum of things being discussed you may be wondering why I've got other places to write at, doesn't anything really fit in here. On rob.weblog.lol it will likely be more experimental, fictional, satirica...

Too Much Noise

August 31, 2023•372 words

As a follow up to the post on Time to Start Writing In Public Again there's just too much noise in this world and I'm not going to add to it. I don't want to create artificial posts just for the sake of meeting some imaginary target. With the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence and tools like ChatGPT to be able to write basic articles I'm getting a lot more careful about what I read and what I trust. I get spammy emails daily about new writing software that can do amazing things. I'm inte...

Time to Start Writing In Public Again

August 30, 2023•536 words

Concentrate on what you want to say to yourself and your friends. Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness. You say what you want to say when you don’t care who’s listening. —ALLEN GINSBERG This year has been a unique one for me and one of the things that has slipped was putting my writing out on the internet. Towards the end of 2022 I decided to significantly cut back on social media in order to focus more on some of my creative projects. At the start of the year I had some trav...

Talk Beliefs Interview

December 26, 2022•56 words

I was recently interviewed by the Talk Beliefs YouTube channel about growing up in a Jewish family, becoming Orthodox in high school, and maintaining a orthodox Jewish life through a move to Israel, a return to America, and eventual enlistment in the US Army. The first part of the interview can be watched on YouTube here ...

Anti-intellectualism

December 20, 2022•55 words

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” ― Isaac Asimov This problem certainly hasn't gotten any better. The people who now pride themselves even more on their ignorance. ...

It Is Good To Change Your Opinion

November 23, 2022•107 words

When a man you like switches from what he said a year ago, or four years ago, he is a broad-minded person who has courage enough to change his mind with changing conditions. When a man you don't like does it, he is a liar who has broken his promise. FRANKLIN P. ADAMS It is sad in our society that people get judged for changing their opinions. As long as you are open and honest about why you did it, it should be looked at as a positive. Many of my views have changed over the years and I co...

Argument by Noise

November 22, 2022•63 words

He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak. MICHEL de MONTAIGNE This is from someone who never even encountered social media. This is an accurate statement and one that we should always keep in mind. When people are making noise about how right they are it is a good time to tune them out. ...

The Downfall of Twitter Could Be Great for Democracy

November 21, 2022•379 words

There is a lot of noise about the future of Twitter and I have been tuning most of it out. One thing I have seen though is the potential danger to democracy if Twitter was to go away. This may be a controversial take but personally I think the fall of Twitter could be a step forward for our republic. I will certainly acknowledge that many grassroots efforts have been able to get attention because of the virality of social media. But we also have stories of democratic uprisings being muted and s...

Some Housekeeping on my Rob's Random Writing

November 20, 2022•91 words

I posted today over at Rob's Random Writing about where I am taking that project going forward and some other housekeeping item. You can see that post here. I have been playing around with Mastadon again as it seems to be what I originally liked about Twitter. I have tried it before a couple of times as I do like open source and platforms that aren't all about your data. If you wish to connect with me there @rob@social.lol is my name. I will be back tomorrow with more thoughts. ...

Influencers Are Showing Their Weakness::

November 19, 2022•140 words

One should never rely on someone else’s platform. I have written on this numerous times over the years as have many others. But we see in the latest panic about Twitter how weak the influence of so called influencers really is. If you really have built up a loyal following you should be able to move to another platform without an issue. If you have the 1000 True Fans then you should be able to take those fans to a new platform. Sure we get comfortable where we are but whenever you are on som...

Doing Some Information Intake Housekeeping

November 18, 2022•110 words

These last few weeks I have been working on putting more care into the information that I am intaking so I can put more focus on creative output. This week it expanded to a lot of email list unsubscribing and removing some of the RSS feeds I was subscribed to. I think I am going to institute at least quarterly going through and deciding what I really need to be subscribed to. We all sign up to a lot of lists and as we grow some things may no longer fit our needs. It is good to take some time a...

No, You Didn't Overhear Anywhere But in Your Own Thoughts

November 17, 2022•154 words

There is this trend towards people sharing conversations, that clearly took place only in their own minds, as something they overheard out in public. It usually goes like this, "I was in a coffee shop in a majorly [insert demographic here] and these two [insert people that wouldn't typically match the comment about to be said] and they were talking about [insert the pretend conversation]. It is just ridiculous as most of the time the conversations aren't things that people would actually say. ...

One Has The Right to Their Beliefs, Not to Impose It on Others

November 17, 2022•238 words

We must respect the other fellow’s religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart. H. L. MENCKEN This quote sums up quite well how religion should be treated in the public sphere. People are free to have their beliefs that others should be respectful of. But those with religious beliefs don't have the right to try to impose those beliefs on others. When people talk these days of the dangers to freedom of religion...

Nobody Is Obligated to Give a Shit About Your Issue

November 15, 2022•278 words

There are a lot of social issues out there and I see people who have good intentions causing more damage to their cause with their online behavior. There are many issues in the world, we have ones that are important to us because they impact us and others because we feel it is best for society. The most ridiculous thing I see is lists of demand for those that want to be allies. You can tell a person an issue doesn't impact them and that may be true, but that means they have no obligation when v...

The Most Formidable Weapon

November 15, 2022•39 words

The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is Reason. I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall. —THOMAS PAINE We would all do better to use more reason and less emotion. ...

If You Need to Claim Being Known As Something You Probably Aren't Known for It

November 13, 2022•226 words

I'm known as the Godfather of internet marketing I'm known as the X of [insert location here] I'm a real leader If you need to declare yourself something then you probably aren't really known for it. I see on social media profiles all the time crap like that and all it tells me is you are trying to be known as something. If one is really known as the "Godfather of internet marketing" then there would be no need to put that into the bio as people already know that. Those that don't either won't...

Streamlining

November 12, 2022•170 words

Better to actually get a few things done instead of multiple half-assed attempts. I have decided to streamline and combine some of my projects. I need to be realistic as to what I can do and where I want to put my efforts out. As I mentioned the other day I realized I don't want to put crap out into the world. Along those lines I realized that I shouldn't force myself to something that doesn't feel right to me. I had some plans for a couple of newsletters to publish my more formalized writing...

Veteran's Day 2022

November 11, 2022•190 words

So today in the United States, November 11th is Veteran's Day. I had started writing some detailed posts about my feelings on this day and just didn't have it in me to actually do it. I am proud of my service but have questions on what it really means when freedom is under threat. That people can't separate someone's politics from their service. That is really one of the things that bothers me the most. We can disagree politically but whether someone put their life on the line to defend this c...

Other Writing Projects I Am Working On

November 11, 2022•157 words

Today I am going to talk about a couple of the other writing projects I have going on. I am currently working on a memoir of my experience joining the Army in my thirties as an Orthodox Jew and my experiences in Afghanistan. I am also working on a play that takes place in a hilltop outpost in Afghanistan. I never thought that writing for theater would be an interest but last December I heard about a Playwriting for Veterans course being offered through Indiana University. You can learn a bit m...

My Plans for This Page

November 9, 2022•372 words

I am thinking this page will be the central hub of my creative projects. It will be the place I will cross post the articles and such that I am sharing on some of the other sites that are more specialized. I will be continue to move away from social media for a variety of reasons that will be covered in future posts but the bottom line is that it isn't good for my mental health. Based on many recent world events I wonder the benefit it provides. I think that it has helped people connect which ...

Establishing the Argument by Noise

November 8, 2022•44 words

"He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak." Michel de Montaigne That quote is from someone who lived centuries before social media platforms. Another great example of how the methods of communication have changed but humans haven't. ...

The Fear of Liberty

November 7, 2022•51 words

"Fanatics fear liberty more than they fear persecution." Ernest Renan We are seeing this in America and in other countries right now. There are people who are clearly scared of liberty. They don't realize it and they accuse the other side but that is why they are fanatics. ...

Little Minds

November 7, 2022•67 words

Little minds are deeply offended by little things; great minds see comprehensively, and do not take offense at trifles François de La Rochefoucauld This is excellent advice especially in our hypersensitive world. It would be better if people didn't get offended by minor things. There are enough things in our world to cause offense, we should set aside the little things and look past. ...

League of Frightened Men

November 5, 2022•41 words

Every mob, in its ignorance and blindness and bewilderment, is a League of Frightened Men that seeks reassurance in collective action. Max Lerner Something to keep in mind when dealing with mobs whether online or in real life. ...

People Telling You to Wake Up Are In the Deepest Trance

November 4, 2022•83 words

It is common in online or real life conversations for people to tell someone to wake up. Whenever you hear that you should be alerted that the person saying it is probably in a trance themselves. Hitler, Goebbels, and other authoritarians in history have told the people to wake up to what is around them while at the same time putting them into a waking trance. Question yourself. Look at all the evidence. But don't listen to someone telling you to wake up. ...

Rules Are Inflexible

November 3, 2022•94 words

Rules are inflexible; no book of instructions will ever compete with the randomness of human activity; and any “habit” or pattern of behavior makes us predictable and therefore vulnerable to others. Baltasar Gracián Beware of anyone trying to tell you rules you must follow. Our world is changing at a rapid rate but the human mind doesn't evolve as quickly. For every guru who is preaching one thing there is another on the other side with a contrary message. Focus on what is right for you and w...

Deepest Sin of the Mind

November 3, 2022•67 words

"The deepest sin against the human mind is to believe things without evidence." Thomas Huxley Science and Education – Essays, 1897 I fully agree with Huxley on this. It is scary to see what people will believe and accept not only in the absence of evidence, in many cases contrary to evidence. We need to rely on facts and evidence and not rely on the imagination. ...