Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 21 to 40 of 47

Thread: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

  1. #21
    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Carlisle, Pennsylvania USA
    Posts
    4,909
    Thanks
    1,396
    Thanked 6,390 Times in 2,505 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    For check writing, I only have to warn the recipient to wait until it dries.

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to FredRydr For This Useful Post:

    BlkWhiteFilmPix (July 13th, 2019)

  3. #22
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Chartres, France
    Posts
    1,137
    Thanks
    2,610
    Thanked 825 Times in 446 Posts
    Rep Power
    13

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    As usual, I ensured the ink was dry before handing the form back to her. Yes, I wonder if the animosity was directed at me. I had queried a particular detail and I get an impression she doesn't like being asked to explain herself.

    And since I work as a freelance, perhaps there's a bit of outsider status / insider discontent thing going on there, too.

    But she could have objected to so many other things; it was the pens that got the hate.

    In fact I wouldn't have used the fountain pen if she'd given me the entire form to read through instead of just asking me to fill in certain details with the form already open to the relevant page - "You don't need to worry about the rest". If I'd read the entire form I would have read the request for ballpoint to be used in the small print at the bottom of the first page. (Don't worry; I was filling in financial numbers, not signing anything I hadn't read.)

    Biros are biros in the UK, Bics in France, and ballpoints in the US. Is there a nickname for Kugelschreiber too?
    Last edited by amk; July 11th, 2019 at 01:35 AM.

  4. #23
    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Carlisle, Pennsylvania USA
    Posts
    4,909
    Thanks
    1,396
    Thanked 6,390 Times in 2,505 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by amk View Post
    ...In fact I wouldn't have used the fountain pen if she'd given me the entire form to read through instead of just asking me to fill in certain details with the form already open to the relevant page - "You don't need to worry about the rest"....
    Next time, ask her, "If the rest doesn't matter, how about if we just cross the rest out?"

  5. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to FredRydr For This Useful Post:

    amk (July 14th, 2019), calamus (July 11th, 2019), NDAzone (August 8th, 2019), NibsForScript (July 28th, 2019), Sailor Kenshin (July 11th, 2019)

  6. #24
    Senior Member SchaumburgSwan's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Schaumburg, Northern Germany
    Posts
    394
    Thanks
    266
    Thanked 158 Times in 85 Posts
    Rep Power
    6

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by amk View Post
    Is there a nickname for Kugelschreiber too?
    Yes, Kuli!

    Best
    Jens
    .................................................. .................................................. .

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/136145166@N02/albums

  7. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to SchaumburgSwan For This Useful Post:

    amk (July 14th, 2019), BlkWhiteFilmPix (July 13th, 2019)

  8. #25
    Senior Member guyy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Brooklyn NY
    Posts
    775
    Thanks
    381
    Thanked 618 Times in 344 Posts
    Rep Power
    8

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?


  9. #26
    Senior Member Freddie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Gold Coast, NY
    Posts
    199
    Thanks
    47
    Thanked 283 Times in 133 Posts
    Rep Power
    11

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    kazoolaw..Hear Hear.....
    This person who talked to the OP...Is an honest asshole....You learned something about her....Except it for what it is and move on.....
    Much Ado About Nothing........Every day a curve ball is thrown at us..catch it...move on...........
    Fred

  10. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Freddie For This Useful Post:

    amk (July 23rd, 2019), Brilliant Bill (July 13th, 2019)

  11. #27
    Senior Member BlkWhiteFilmPix's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Looking up at the sky
    Posts
    539
    Thanks
    1,076
    Thanked 787 Times in 335 Posts
    Rep Power
    10

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    "I had queried a particular detail and I get an impression she doesn't like being asked to explain herself."


    So she lashed out at that.

    Keep on using your pens.

    bonne journée,
    Bob

    Making the world a more peaceful place, one fine art print and one handwritten letter at a time.

    Paper cuts through the noise – Richard Moross, MOO CEO

    Indiana Jones used a notebook in the map room, not an app.

    www.bobsoltys.net/fountainpens

  12. The Following User Says Thank You to BlkWhiteFilmPix For This Useful Post:

    SchaumburgSwan (July 13th, 2019)

  13. #28
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Chartres, France
    Posts
    1,137
    Thanks
    2,610
    Thanked 825 Times in 446 Posts
    Rep Power
    13

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    Thank you Jens - I should have realised that - I have a few Rotring Tintenkuli!

  14. The Following User Says Thank You to amk For This Useful Post:

    SchaumburgSwan (July 20th, 2019)

  15. #29
    Senior Member Scrawler's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    1,263
    Thanks
    1,818
    Thanked 1,254 Times in 562 Posts
    Rep Power
    13

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    Biro is the word I learned for a ball point pen. They were all biros, even if Parker made them.

  16. The Following User Says Thank You to Scrawler For This Useful Post:

    Kaputnik (July 23rd, 2019)

  17. #30
    Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Posts
    32
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 37 Times in 16 Posts
    Rep Power
    0

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    Let's be honest: the majority of humanity has moved on from fountain pens to ballpoints. Even if they were subjected to lots of advertising propaganda, it is undeniable that ballpoints have certain advantages. Puzzlement at someone still using a precedent technology is therefore justified, just like with a cyclist insisting on riding a penny farthing. That's fine. Normally I explain that already at the age of eight I hated having to press hard on paper with ballpoints and so gladly took over my father's humble Pilot fountain pen (the office he worked at moved from fountain pens to ballpoints at that time) and never looked back. The practical inconveniences of fluid ink are a small price to pay in comparison to the constant irritation of having to emboss paper to write. I don't expect them to get enthused and switch to fountain pens, too, only to understand that different people have different priorities. If they fail to understand or listen, it's their own problem. The world is filled with intolerant, boring people . I have no time for their stupidity.

  18. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to a_v_l For This Useful Post:

    Kaputnik (July 23rd, 2019), Morgaine (August 11th, 2019), SchaumburgSwan (July 30th, 2019)

  19. #31
    Senior Member SIR's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    GB
    Posts
    1,635
    Thanks
    725
    Thanked 732 Times in 466 Posts
    Rep Power
    10

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    My favourite Biro is a Bic.

    p.s.

    I am another who still has to deal with so-called carbon copies as a daily de rigeur...

  20. The Following User Says Thank You to SIR For This Useful Post:

    Scrawler (July 23rd, 2019)

  21. #32
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Posts
    369
    Thanks
    115
    Thanked 247 Times in 125 Posts
    Rep Power
    11

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    There's a fair number of people who think it's either (a) pretentious or (b) it's a superficial "hipster" type thing. It's not a majority of people, but they're out there. Just don't get concerned with people's reactions. Write and reactions be damned. Bother to leave the house and you're bound to offend someone at some point.

    I started using fountain pens 20-25 years ago and prefer them by a lot over ballpoints. What is annoying is the fact that so many places these days use bad paper for their forms, and the fountain pen ink bleeds and feathers on the paper.

  22. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Ray-VIgo For This Useful Post:

    amk (July 25th, 2019), Kaputnik (July 23rd, 2019)

  23. #33
    Senior Member Kaputnik's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    By the long tidal river.
    Posts
    1,043
    Thanks
    2,713
    Thanked 2,570 Times in 695 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    On the whole, I think that indifference is the most common reaction to my use of fountain pens. And some of that indifference may actually be a complete failure to notice that I'm using them, it's hard to say.

    In an earlier post, I mentioned the co-worker who thought that I was writing outside my social class by using a fountain pen, but again, I didn't interpret this as hostility, although perhaps he was a bit impolite about it. And again, there can be a reaction when somebody asks to borrow a pen and I give them a ballpoint rather than the fountain pen that they see in my pocket. But in that case, it's just a momentary pique that I don't trust them with my "good" pen. And it's never gotten out of hand.

    But part of it may be that I'm older than most of the people I work with (62), and there simply isn't the same expectation of fitting in. To the really young ones I must seem like an antique codger indeed; they probably wouldn't be surprised to see me pull out an inkwell and a goose quill. And people my own age, although they use ballpoints themselves, are a bit more understanding of individual eccentricities.
    "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly."
    G.K. Chesterton

  24. #34
    Senior Member Kaputnik's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    By the long tidal river.
    Posts
    1,043
    Thanks
    2,713
    Thanked 2,570 Times in 695 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by Scrawler View Post
    Biro is the word I learned for a ball point pen. They were all biros, even if Parker made them.
    The thing that strikes me about it is that the British people I've heard saying it pronounce it "Bye-row". But the name of the Hungarian inventor of the first practical ballpoint was pronounced more like "Bee-row". Poor Mr. Biró. He was conned out of most of the profits for his invention. And the Birome company that he co-founded is now out of business, anyway.

    Regardless, I know what is meant.
    "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly."
    G.K. Chesterton

  25. The Following User Says Thank You to Kaputnik For This Useful Post:

    amk (July 25th, 2019)

  26. #35
    Senior Member Scrawler's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    1,263
    Thanks
    1,818
    Thanked 1,254 Times in 562 Posts
    Rep Power
    13

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by Kaputnik View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrawler View Post
    Biro is the word I learned for a ball point pen. They were all biros, even if Parker made them.
    The thing that strikes me about it is that the British people I've heard saying it pronounce it "Bye-row". But the name of the Hungarian inventor of the first practical ballpoint was pronounced more like "Bee-row". Poor Mr. Biró. He was conned out of most of the profits for his invention. And the Birome company that he co-founded is now out of business, anyway.

    Regardless, I know what is meant.
    You are quite correct. And Lazlo deserves to be remembered as a world changer.

  27. #36
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Kingman, Az. U.S.A.
    Posts
    827
    Thanks
    26
    Thanked 157 Times in 96 Posts
    Rep Power
    13

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by kazoolaw View Post
    Hate to break it to you: the animosity is aimed at you. The FP was merely the conduit to funnel her venom.

    Question regarding your term "triumphant look:" what do you think happened to make her appear triumphant? Was the ink bleeding/running the cause of the form having to be redone?
    Jerk.jpeg

  28. #37
    Senior Member Pendragon's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Posts
    233
    Thanks
    198
    Thanked 204 Times in 126 Posts
    Rep Power
    11

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by amk View Post
    Has anyone else experienced this kind of animosity to fountain pens? What drives it? I can understand she might have been annoyed that the form had to be completed again - but if it was that important I would have expected her to ascertain the fact that ballpoint was required in the first place.
    Because fountain pens are old school and therefore stupid, backwards and useless? At least that seems to be the line of reasoning some people use. A coworker once said a number of times "Why are you using an old ink pen? You should use a regular pen." Another coworker was intrigued by my pen, and started using a fountain pen himself.

    My mother used to use fountain pens in the 1950s, had a strong dislike of them, and very much preferred to use a ballpoint. Her job, with the US government, mandated that only fountain pens with black ink could be used. Her biggest complaints were that fountain pens leaked, were sometimes hard to get started, and were messy. Ballpoints just worked and refilling simply meant swapping an old refill out for a new one. She dislikes fountain pens to this day.

    Then delivered herself of the sentiment that by using a fountain pen I am somehow putting myself above other people and being arrogant.
    There are some people who use pricey fountain pens as status symbols, in much the same way as an expensive watch or luxury car. Such individuals are seen as snobs, which creates resentment. The problem is that anybody with a fancy fountain pen can be seen as snobbish, even when they are not. Montblancs and their owners seem to be the target of particular ire, and for many years were excoriated even on the pen forums. A form of pen poor pride, it seems.

    The above is not really all that relevant, though. What is relevant is that the person in question was giving you a hard time for no reason. Maybe she needs to be sent to obedience school? Better yet, why not give her an inexpensive but good pen, a Wing Sung 601 for example, and a bottle of ink. Show her how to fill and use the pen, compliment her handwriting even if it looks like cuneiform, and you might have a new convert.

  29. #38
    Senior Member pajaro's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Tecumseh, MI
    Posts
    1,373
    Thanks
    561
    Thanked 614 Times in 411 Posts
    Rep Power
    13

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?


    Anyone could despise fountain pens if they had used some of the Wearevers I used when I was in school.

  30. The Following User Says Thank You to pajaro For This Useful Post:

    VertOlive (August 12th, 2019)

  31. #39
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Chartres, France
    Posts
    1,137
    Thanks
    2,610
    Thanked 825 Times in 446 Posts
    Rep Power
    13

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    Thanks guys for all the responses! I was feeling pretty irritated and low when I posted - you've given me lots of food for thought and more importantly made me feel 100% that it's not the fault of my lovely fountain pens.

    So I just celebrated by buying a new one :-)

  32. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to amk For This Useful Post:

    azkid (July 30th, 2019), jmccarty3 (August 4th, 2019), Pendragon (July 30th, 2019)

  33. #40
    Senior Member Zhivago's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Posts
    2,743
    Thanks
    496
    Thanked 243 Times in 154 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default Re: Animosiity - why do some people hate fountain pens?

    I used to listen to the Erasable pencil podcast. One its three regulars seemed to genuinely hate fountain pens. I think it offended him that people would spend so much on a writing instrument when they could use the wonderful and humble wooden pencil. I also got the impression he thought that it was fountain pens that kept more people from being fans/users of wood pencils. Strange.

  34. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Zhivago For This Useful Post:

    amk (August 8th, 2019), Kaputnik (August 10th, 2019), Pendragon (August 10th, 2019)

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •