Fountain Pens Useful Or Hipster Affectation - Article Found Online

[Honeybadgers]

the writer is trying to be 'snarky' and 'conversational' style. but the allusions seems prosaic. in any case, the article doesn't even lend credence to the initial statement of being curious. rather, the curiosity is more akin to superficial interest at best.

 

The problem I think is that a conversational tone only works when you actually know what you're talking about.

[katerchen]

Damn. Apparently I was a hipster before there were hipsters. That makes me a proto-hipster, I guess?

 

I blame Miss Ida in first and second grade, who'd confiscate any non school-approved writing instrument. Ballpoints especially were considered the Devil's invention, created for the sole purpose to corrupt little children's penmanship. Mass-produced cheap felt pens just started to appear around that time, so those were grudgingly allowed, but only in art class.

 

-k

[Bibliophage]

I eschew the proffered ballpoints on a regular basis, because I always have at LEAST one fountain pen in my purse when I go out. I'd rather run the risk of the ink drying slowly and smudging than to sign the machine with my fingertip and have my signature be *completely* illegible.

Makes me think of the scene in the beginning of The Return of Martin Guerre when the notary has drawn up the marriage contract between Martin and Bertrande, and one of the witnesses draws a duck as his "signature" instead of an X. Or later in the movie when the guy is dragged out of bed being arrested and one of the people shows him one of the many Xs on the warrant and says "Bertrande signed this too!"

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

I have a customer (accountant), who actually _has_ a friend who signs his checks with a picture of a duck. That's why it's called a signature, and not a written name. It's a sign that is yours

 

I never knew I was a hipster. I'm too young for the original group (No, I will NOT loan you a comb), and far too old for the wannabes.

[SpecTP]

I have a customer (accountant), who actually _has_ a friend who signs his checks with a picture of a duck. That's why it's called a signature, and not a written name. It's a sign that is yours

 

I never knew I was a hipster. I'm too young for the original group (No, I will NOT loan you a comb), and far too old for the wannabes.

 

do you also have an affinity for flannel and PBR? ;-p

[penzel_washinkton]

Some of his views might validate many general consensus to play devil's advocate here.

It also reflects the mindset of many modern (and mostly younger) population where a product should be simple to use (hence the throwing of the manual).

However he focuses too heavily on the negative stuff and that is being biased from the start and also he did not compare the writing experiences between his usual writing instrument with the fountain pens he used.

 

 

It’s also got blue ink, which came standard. Seriously? In whose mind is blue the standard, or even preferred, ink color? I’m not a child, Kaweco.

 

Blue ink color is for children? Haha

[welch]

Article seems to have been written by someone who knows fountain pens. Covers himself and his writing with an affectation that says, "Hey, I'm a 'hipster'. I wear a wool jacket with suspenders. I put pens in my pants pockets...never wear shirts with a pocket. I live in Portland. Throw in bleeps every few sentences as if my writing is, otherwise, too weak to stand".

 

 

[bobje]

For a crummy website supposedly focused on strengthening skills and careers for writers, this a poorly written, clickbait-headlined, hack listicle approach. It’s so irrelevant that I’m not sure it’s even worth coming to the end of this sent

[Uncial]

More and more blogs and video reviewers seem to be heading down the line of saying virtually nothing other than being 'salty' (i think thats what some call it)*. Im sure it must have nothing whatsoever to do with hit counters and ad revenue.

 

* in Ireland its known as 'saucy' - to be tempermentally argumentative just for the sake of it, deliberately twisting the truth or facts to attract a desired response.

[Bibliophage]

 

do you also have an affinity for flannel and PBR? ;-p

Why, yes. I've found that flannel works wonderfully to mop up the spills made when you use PBR for the only job it performs well. Slug bait.

[bogiesan]

That was an exercise in writing, perhaps an assignment from a high school English teacher who, obviously, did not edit the piece before releasing it for publication. The author wished to use sarcasm and aggressive rhetoric is an effort to be cool. Instead, we were given a display of ignorance, poor form, bad grammar, and, ultimately, an inability to perform basic research on a topic before declaring opinions and making absurd proclamations. The guys a piker. I noted more than a dozen typos and spelling errors, all middle school mistakes.

 

Cannot take stuff like this personally. Move on.

[Honeybadgers]

Article seems to have been written by someone who knows fountain pens. Covers himself and his writing with an affectation that says, "Hey, I'm a 'hipster'. I wear a wool jacket with suspenders. I put pens in my pants pockets...never wear shirts with a pocket. I live in Portland. Throw in bleeps every few sentences as if my writing is, otherwise, too weak to stand".

 

 

 

 

I never wear a shirt with a pocket.

 

I don't think I've seen a doctor at my hospital wearing a pocketed shirt either.

 

I also don't think I've ever seen a hipster wearing a proper business/casual shirt.

 

Man, it's kind of funny how much y'all really have latched onto hating conversational tone. I think his tone and style of writing is fine. It's a style. The passive voice is overused as hell, and irritates me much more.

 

His article was just not very good. But you don't need to nitpick it to death. If anything, doing so just makes us look like idiotic hipsters.

Edited July 21, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[praxim]

There are many articles on line. This is among those I have not read. Reading comments here, I suspect Honeybadgers may have captured the matter best. Hipster, like many social and generational labels over decades, is not a term I bother to define, noting only the tone with which a given person uses it to say "in" or "out".

 

I find fountain pens useful, preferable. These days they are also idiosyncratic. I can live with that.

[Uncial]

Is it possible to be a hipster by accident, or does it always have to be affected?

[praxim]

Is it possible to be a hipster by accident, or does it always have to be affected?

 

It may depend on the incidental effect.

[Bibliophage]

Is it possible to be a hipster by accident, or does it always have to be affected?

I'm sure the first flannel wearing, expensive coffee drinking folks to be called 'hipsters' didn't actually set out to do it. They were just Nirvana/Pearl Jam fans with too much money.

Edited July 22, 2019 by Bibliophage

[Freddy]

I'm sure the first flannel wearing, expensive coffee drinking folks to be called 'hipsters' didn't actually set out to do it. They were just Nirvana/Pearl Jam fans with too much money.

 

Whoa There Nellie! Ain't no such thing as Too Much Money..........................

Doris,

you can take my Frosted Flakes......Doris,

you can take my Shake 'N' Bake......Doris,

you can take my Shrimp Fried Rice....Doris, you can take my Italian Ice....

Even take my Sweet Tooth......

But..Don't Don't Don't....Don't take My Coconuts...

Still your friend and mine...

Fred

[Uncial]

I'm sure the first flannel wearing, expensive coffee drinking folks to be called 'hipsters' didn't actually set out to do it. They were just Nirvana/Pearl Jam fans with too much money.

 

You have to be wealthy to be a hipster? How disappointing.

[Parker51]

I have only worn suspenders for three purposes. The first was to hold up my overalls when I was a kid. The second for performing: a variety Band Uniforms over the course of many years. The third was for marriage: a morning suit with grey striped trousers, one time only.

My wife does not care for me using suspenders as she associates them with old farmers: her deceased father and many of her other deceased relatives who farmed. She said I am too young to wear them she is too young to be married to an old man who wears them.

[Pensei]

Random thoughts:

 

inkstaindedruth, *please* do not let Death in the Afternoon be the only Hemingway book you read.

 

No, I don't see any way someone could be a hipster by accident. It would seem to be one of the most intentional things possible.

[ralfstc]

Ummmm, I thought it was kind of funny. The conceit he was running wasn't timed perfectly, but overall, why not?