People Throw Pens Away?

[A Smug Dill]

I suspect people have been 'shoulding' on you at some time in the past. I wish humans wouldn't do that, it's a dirty habit.

 

 

Thank you.

[Honeybadgers]

 

I didn't know I was supposed to sell an idea. I was opening up a discussion of generalities. Not focused on any one individual. But since you asked...

 

I already help others repair their things and teach classes on how they can do this themselves. It's wonderful to see people empowered with new skills.

 

Although not fountain pens yet. I have so much more to learn about these delightful pens. It's wonderful how easily these are adjusted to suit the personality of the user.

 

 

 

That's not what I'm advocating at all. I'm not sure how you got there. I suspect people have been 'shoulding' on you at some time in the past. I wish humans wouldn't do that, it's a dirty habit. We live in a time where individualism is valued and the ability for an individual to make their own choices is valued above most anything else. Telling each other what we 'should' do doesn't help make the world a better place.

 

I'm curious about choice.

 

One choice isn't a choice at all. We need more than one option to have a choice.

 

Say if there was an option to throw the thing away and an option to not do so (repair it yourself, gift it to a friend, whatever), and you chose to toss the thing in the bin, then that's great. You made a choice that is according to your personal values. That's what our society is all about.

 

 

 

Different people have different values. My personal preference is to empower other humans by providing them with opportunities. That's one of the reasons why I also donate my time to teach people who cannot afford classes to learn to create or repair things. But I don't do it for 'free'. It doesn't cost them money, but they do need to show that they put the effort in. If I assign them books from the library (which is free here if you avoid late fees) then they don't get a second class until they show that they have read it and done their homework. They learn a lot more and work a lot harder than most of the people who pay money for the same lesson.

 

My local guild acts as a central place for unwanted tools and equipment. Someone has something they don't need anymore, they pass it on to the guild with the understanding that it will be passed on to someone just learning the craft. Sometimes there's money exchanged. Sometimes there isn't. But the goal of the guild is to teach and perfect the craft. The equipment is expensive so they have this system for new people to acquire affordable secondhand equipment. Sometimes I have to take two or three of these old items to make one working one, but it's very satisfying because now we have equipment that people can learn on. Our guild has helped a few people develop this skill so they can make enough income to move off social assistance and earn a nice living. That's what empowerment looks like to me and I'm happy to be a small part of it.

 

And yet, my net gain is not nil.

 

I donated my most valuable resource - my time. What I got in return were skills and experiences which lead to me becoming a better teacher. I got my dream job through my activities with the guild. I got the experiences and contacts I needed to monetize my writing. These are things of value to me. I couldn't see myself donating my time if my net game was nil.

 

 

I'm just gonna stop you right here. This argument will go nowhere. You're both right, in that you're both wrong. This is an insanely touchy subject that will only bring up bad blood. I think you both made your points well enough to just leave it be.

Edited February 20, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[Studio97]

Happen to have older cheap fountain pens that would no longer work. They became dip pens for testing ink, artwork or writing a paragraph or two. The landfill waste of a pen or empty cartridge is a microscopic micron of waste compared to everything else we throw away in my opinion. .( I have rescued a lot of working microwaves and vacuum cleaners at the dumpster from departing college students. ) I did sell off pens I didn't care for anymore to someone at a flea market.

[sirgilbert357]

 

 

I'm just gonna stop you right here. This argument will go nowhere. You're both right, in that you're both wrong. This is an insanely touchy subject that will only bring up bad blood. I think you both made your points well enough to just leave it be.

 

 

LOL, you're right about that. Let's just laugh it off, shall we?

 

Critical thinking seems to be dying off and it makes it hard for people to endure thoughtful discussion without getting "offended" or emotional. Attacking the idea is not the same as attacking the person that holds the idea, yet fewer and fewer people seem to be able to make the distinction.

[inkstainedruth]

I'll admit. I'm now wanting to get ahold of inkstainedruth's Parker Urban from hell

 

I'm not sure that you really do. It's that much of a piece of cr*p. But if you're serious and want to futz around with it, PM me. Because right now it's just taking up space in a pen case that could go to a Parker I LIKE using (I have lots more of them).

Basically, the Urban was a (temporary) replacement for when I left my first "good" pen (a Parker Vector) at my brother-in-law's house in Connecticut, a little over 7 years ago. Back then I only used a FP for journaling. In the process of finding a replacement (because by that point, doing the journaling with a BP just didn't have the same je ne se quoi to it. And so, until I got the Vector and the then current journal volume back (which took a month) I went looking for a replacement, and ended up with one of those Urban "sets" (pen, 4 cartridges, a bottle of Quink Black and a slide converter), after the Pilot Varsity I bought died after 3 days. But also in the process, found my way here. The Urban was heavier than the Vector, not overly ergonomic, and by then I'd gotten more used to a fine nib (which actually wrote better than the M nib on the Urban). And when I learned about different converters, I bought an older style twist converter that didn't fit and broke and got stuck. Sent the pen off to Parker and got it back with a snotty note about it having been the "wrong" converter. And when the slide converter they sent me got stuck in the barrel, it went right back to Parker (sooo glad I signed up for the extended warranty!) with a snotty note of my own. And this is the pen they replaced that one with. And it's junk. Complete and utter junk. I used to joke about how went it was past the warranty date I was going to paint it with nail polish -- and that was BEFORE I started having the problem with the nib unit leaking (I can't figure out where it's coming from, because I've soaked and flushed it so many times at this point -- with the possible exception of having somehow opened up a stable wormhole to the "ink" universe...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[sandy101]

I threw away a handful of cheap pens. The last straw was when one leaked and dribbled ink all over the place. Then, I decided life was too short to perserve with the pens that had ill fitting caps, clutch rings that didn't clutch to anything and feeds that dribbled ink rather than retain it.

 

I use inks I don't like much to write to people I don't like much.

[katerchen]

 

People throw away pens?

 

 

A few, yes. Mostly super cheap Chinese ones. More recently though I tossed a few inexpensive FPR pens after removing the nibs and feeds. So at least it's not a total loss. They are made from a material that has this sickeningly sweet smell. Even in a normal writing position they make me nauseous. Hoped the smell would go away after a while, but nope.

[almoore]

I have to say the only pen I have ever been genuinely inspired to throw in the bin is the Pelikan M205 Demonstrator, what I paid for it stopped me.......only just.

 

Now all I need to do is find someone who wants one for a bargain price

 

Al

[sirgilbert357]

I threw away a handful of cheap pens. The last straw was when one leaked and dribbled ink all over the place. Then, I decided life was too short to perserve with the pens that had ill fitting caps, clutch rings that didn't clutch to anything and feeds that dribbled ink rather than retain it.

 

I use inks I don't like much to write to people I don't like much.

 

 

LOL, this made me laugh out loud. I instantly thought, well that's better than me -- I just don't write those people at all! LOL.

[BaronWulfraed]

 

I use inks I don't like much to write to people I don't like much.

 

Sounds a bit like a yellow (car) window card I once had... Alternating large and small print:

 

I Buy Stuff

I Don't Need

With Money

I Don't Have

To Impress People

I Don't Like

[Honeybadgers]

I have to say the only pen I have ever been genuinely inspired to throw in the bin is the Pelikan M205 Demonstrator, what I paid for it stopped me.......only just.

 

Now all I need to do is find someone who wants one for a bargain price

 

Al

 

What do you dislike about it? My only complaint about it is how stupid easily it stains.

[tamiya]

LOL, this made me laugh out loud. I instantly thought, well that's better than me -- I just don't write those people at all! LOL.

I believe there are some that "write letters" to people they dislike citing their displeasure, then file those letters away in their desk drawers never to be posted.

 

It's supposedly good therapy.

 

Never considered it might be a good way of consuming bad ink

 

(Now envious that those ppl have so much free time how's that happen!?)

[inkstainedruth]

I believe there are some that "write letters" to people they dislike citing their displeasure, then file those letters away in their desk drawers never to be posted.

 

It's supposedly good therapy.

 

Never considered it might be a good way of consuming bad ink

 

(Now envious that those ppl have so much free time how's that happen!?)

 

When I was trying to do The Artist's Way that's an exercise to do in an early chapter. I ended up writing a poem that I'm considering sending to the small press that wouldn't publish anything of mine years ago because I wouldn't be their (unpaid) art director....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth