The Fp Pledge

[Eoghan2009]

I have for some time now been thinking of writing a "Fountain Pen Pledge" in which the virtues of fountain pens are extolled and the single use, plastic, disposable biro is denounced.

 

I would start by targetting banks that chain down their biros and suggest that they embrace the rejection of single use, plastic, disposable biros and put a lovely fountain pen on the end of their chain.

 

Still working on the pledge but I am sure there are others more skilled in initiating a campaign to restore fountain pens to their rightful place in society! So let me see what you can write!

[Parker51]

I am sorry to tell you, but Banks here do not chain down their pens. They give them away as they are disposable ballpoints with advertising on them for the bank in the banks colors. Here we have a rather large consumer bank segment that vigorously competes and so the give away of pens is another method of competing. As example, in the small town where I live there seven different banks which have one to three branches, a saving & loan with a couple of branches and a credit union branch.

Thus, if I wanted to I could today walk into bank branches and be given a dozen disposable ballpoints by their staffs as a routine thank you for doing business with them in an hour or two if I wanted.

It has been a very long time since I have seen any chained down pens, at least thirty years.

Edited December 11, 2019 by Parker51

[WalterC]

My only ball point pens are from my bank. They last a little while, then disappear.

[essayfaire]

But there are disposable fountain pens such as the Pilot Varsity as well; I find they often fuel people's interest in more permanent, refillable fountain pens.

[Parker51]

We could suggest to our banks that they give out Fountain Pens with their advertising on them.

Does anyone know of a Company that provides such a product?

[Eoghan2009]

When I grow up and start to write

The use of biros I'll resist with all my might

 

Disposable, plastic - I WILL FIGHT

- a forever pen is morally right!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little tongue in cheek and seeking to parody the way the [redacted] weaponises language but single use disposable plastic biros should be denounced. Move over Greta Thunberg

Edited December 12, 2019 by Eoghan2009

[Karmachanic]

This single use body of mine is disposable.

[tamiya]

  On 12/12/2019 at 10:43 AM, Karmachanic said:

This single use body of mine is disposable.

Why waste if theres still life left in some parts? Consider Upcycling by the gift of organ donation!

[Parker51]

  On 12/12/2019 at 8:49 AM, Eoghan2009 said:

When I grow up and start to write

The use of biros I'll resist with all my might

 

Disposable, plastic - I WILL FIGHT

- a forever pen is morally right!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little tongue in cheek and seeking to parody the way the left weaponises language but single use disposable plastic biros should be denounced. Move over Greta Thunberg

Please do not incorrectly bring in politics. I say incorrectly as it has not only been the left that has done that and politics are Verboten here, if you get my meaning.

[sombrueil]

  On 12/12/2019 at 3:02 PM, Parker51 said:

Please do not incorrectly bring in politics. I say incorrectly as it has not only been the left that has done that and politics are Verboten here, if you get my meaning.

 

Wait, recycling is political now? Geez.

[Eoghan2009]

I was rather hoping someone would be inspired to do better ...

 

 

In part I was inspired by Noodlers who included a leaflet pointing out just how many biros a fountain pen replaces. Anyone got that leaflet? I have sadly lost my copy.

[Parker51]

  On 12/12/2019 at 3:42 PM, sombrueil said:

Wait, recycling is political now? Geez.

 

No, the other part,

"Parody the way the left weaponizes language", is political and by omission incorrect in that both left and right, as well as likely other political movements and positions weaponizes language. Research into this phenomenon shows that in the U.S. it was the Republican Party, a party typically referred to not as left, but as right, which initiated the weaponizing of language as a result of research conducted by one of their supporting "Think Tanks" that came up with This method of persuasion to increase the effectiveness of their messages as at the time they were loosing arguments based on logic. This is not a secret at all as the Think Tank and the researchers there are quite proud of what they initiated as it has been very effective and talk very openly about it. They are proud of there work for their causes. At this point, the different Political parties note each others tactics, successes and failures and use similar techniques to push their respective messages. They carefully craft there messages based on focus groups, market research and the well researched and predictive mechanisms of human decision making. It is quite disturbing to someone such as me who would prefer honesty, truth and a debate of subjects based on there merits, rather than emotional arguments keyed into what Psychology, Social Psychology, Economics and Advertising has taught the message crafters, even if at least one of the teachers of how people really think and make decisions received a Nobel Prize for his research and was quite clever and accurate in his observations and research.

Edited December 13, 2019 by Parker51

[taimdala]

  On 12/11/2019 at 11:10 PM, essayfaire said:

But there are disposable fountain pens such as the Pilot Varsity as well; I find they often fuel people's interest in more permanent, refillable fountain pens.

You can refill these.

 

(Which I think is pretty awesome!)

[taimdala]

  On 12/13/2019 at 1:56 AM, Parker51 said:

No, the other part,

"Parody the way the left weaponizes language", is political and by omission incorrect in that both left and right, as well as likely other political movements and positions weaponizes language. Research into this phenomenon shows that in the U.S. it was the Republican Party, a party typically referred to not as left, but as right, which initiated the weaponizing of language as a result of research one of their supporting "Think Tanks" that came up with it in regard to increase the effectiveness of their message. This is not a secret at all as they actually are quite proud of as it has been very effective and talk very openly about it as they are proud of how smart they were to do so. At this point, the different Political parties note each others tactics, successes and failures and use similar techniques to push their respective messages. It is quite disturbing to someone such as me who would prefer honesty, truth and a debate based on its merits, rather than emotional arguments keyed into what Psychology, Social Psychology, Economics and Advertising have taught the message crafters, even if at least one of the teachers of how people really think and make decisions received a Nobel Prize for his research.

Wow.

 

@.@

[Karmachanic]

  On 12/13/2019 at 1:56 AM, Parker51 said:

No, the other part,

"Parody the way the left weaponizes language", is political and by omission incorrect in that both left and right, as well as likely other political movements and positions weaponizes language. Research into this phenomenon shows that in the U.S. it was the Republican Party, a party typically referred to not as left, but as right, which initiated the weaponizing of language as a result of research conducted by one of their supporting "Think Tanks" that came up with This method of persuasion to increase the effectiveness of their messages as at the time they were loosing arguments based on logic. This is not a secret at all as the Think Tank and the researchers there are quite proud of what they initiated as it has been very effective and talk very openly about it. They are proud of there work for their causes. At this point, the different Political parties note each others tactics, successes and failures and use similar techniques to push their respective messages. They carefully craft there messages based on focus groups, market research and the well researched and predictive mechanisms of human decision making. It is quite disturbing to someone such as me who would prefer honesty, truth and a debate of subjects based on there merits, rather than emotional arguments keyed into what Psychology, Social Psychology, Economics and Advertising has taught the message crafters, even if at least one of the teachers of how people really think and make decisions received a Nobel Prize for his research and was quite clever and accurate in his observations and research.

 

Read Edward Bernays' 1928 book for a real eye opener.

Edited December 13, 2019 by Karmachanic

[essayfaire]

  On 12/13/2019 at 2:01 AM, taimdala said:

You can refill these.

 

(Which I think is pretty awesome!)

You can, but you have to know what you're doing. I don't think a new FP user would refill it; I think it would be more likely they'd move on to a Preppy or Petit. I've thought about refilling them but have never gotten around to it, though I have recently converted a Preppy to an eyedropper.

[Parker51]

  On 12/13/2019 at 6:48 AM, Karmachanic said:

Read Edward Bernays' 1928 book for a real eye opener.

Late in life Mr. Bernays acknowledged that Dr. Goebels appeared to have read his books and used the information in them, thus my comment of what was said being Verboten.

[Karmachanic]

  On 12/13/2019 at 9:37 PM, Parker51 said:

Late in life Mr. Bernays acknowledged that Dr. Goebels appeared to have read his books and used the information in them, thus my comment of what was said being Verboten.

 

Everything that comes at one through the media uses these same manipulative techniques.

 

Anyway. That aside, I'm all for reduced disposable plastic use. Pens included.

Edited December 13, 2019 by Karmachanic

[Parker51]

Well, I disagree that everything is manipulated. Perhaps a plurality is crafted, but in general people are too lazy and in general lacking in the knowledge and skills to do so, including those who work in the various media, which is one of the reasons the general public believes what they see and hear is real, honest and not manipulated. People in general are rather naive, assume default positions and don't think about what they hear and see, for the same reasons they use heuristics.

 

In regard to disposable plastic, all plastic is disposable, eventually. But, yes, I would prefer that people used beautiful and functional works of art that last routinely fifty years to write with rather than ugly poorly functioning tools that are designed to be used for one occurance and then discarded.

Edited December 14, 2019 by Parker51

[essayfaire]

  On 12/14/2019 at 1:49 PM, Parker51 said:

 

In regard to disposable plastic, all plastic is disposable, eventually. But, yes, I would prefer that people used beautiful and functional works of art that last routinely fifty years to write with rather than ugly poorly functioning tools that are designed to be used for one occurance and then discarded.

Philosophical question: what do you think of the works of art that are meant to be ephemeral? Sand sculptures by monks or umbrella installations by Christo, for example. The former is a natural material but the latter is not. A performance of a concert requires disposable resources and after the concert the music is gone. Just being a bit of a devil's advocate here.