The risks associated with the naming of an ink

[Ink Stained Wretch]

Noodler's ink appears to be distributed by Luxury Brands of Fayetteville, Georgia. They might balk at "Sherman's March".

I suspect that they'd be more interested in the color of money than what happened in the area they now occupy 143 years ago. I mean, it's called "Luxury Brands," not "Lost Cause Brands." And that cause was pretty awful in any case.

 

I didn't suggest that the company supported lost causes, rather that they were unlikely to rile people up unnecessarily.

The point was that they'll care about the money.

 

And what cause are you talking about?

The one that centered around the right of a State to ensure the right of its citizens to own slaves.

 

The War of Northern Aggression

Awww, you've got a cute name for the Civil War.

 

wasn't fought over slavery, if that's what you're suggesting, and 143 years isn't that long ago.

Yeah, all those people in the 19^th Century yelling at each other and killing each other only thought that was a central issue of the Civil War. And 143 years ago is a pretty long time ago. No one alive remembers anything from then. They didn't even have any decent fountain pens then.

[Possum Hill]

Noodler's ink appears to be distributed by Luxury Brands of Fayetteville, Georgia. They might balk at "Sherman's March".

I suspect that they'd be more interested in the color of money than what happened in the area they now occupy 143 years ago. I mean, it's called "Luxury Brands," not "Lost Cause Brands." And that cause was pretty awful in any case.

 

I didn't suggest that the company supported lost causes, rather that they were unlikely to rile people up unnecessarily.

The point was that they'll care about the money.

 

And what cause are you talking about?

The one that centered around the right of a State to ensure the right of its citizens to own slaves.

 

The War of Northern Aggression

Awww, you've got a cute name for the Civil War.

 

wasn't fought over slavery, if that's what you're suggesting, and 143 years isn't that long ago.

Yeah, all those people in the 19^th Century yelling at each other and killing each other only thought that was a central issue of the Civil War. And 143 years ago is a pretty long time ago. No one alive remembers anything from then. They didn't even have any decent fountain pens then.

 

Events of 143 years ago affect us today. Some people today think descendants of slaves are owed reparations. Families that split over issues back then have lost track of relationships.

 

Remember that the Emancipation Proclamation applied only to Confederate territory, not Union.

 

The War of Northern Aggression isn't a cute name; I'm surprised you haven't heard it before. There are no cute names for wars. It's a reminder that people look at things from different perspectives, and that ignorance and intolerance of other perspectives leads to ugly things like wars.

 

If you won't study history you're doomed to repeat it.

[Red Devils forever]

And what cause are you talking about?

The one that centered around the right of a State to ensure the right of its citizens to own slaves.

 

wasn't fought over slavery, if that's what you're suggesting, and 143 years isn't that long ago.

Yeah, all those people in the 19^th Century yelling at each other and killing each other only thought that was a central issue of the Civil War. And 143 years ago is a pretty long time ago. No one alive remembers anything from then. They didn't even have any decent fountain pens then.

 

 

At the risk of being flogged with 0&1's, I must ask - Was it not really about the right of the State to declare itself independent of the Federal gov?? (that dirty "S" word) Not the right to own or not own people, but rather the right for the State to set its own laws independent of the federal gov?? And yes it was a central issue - not the main/original war starting issue. History books can be prettied up - muddied up and also dirty downed by those that wright them - easily. Ever hear of Nanking in school?? I know some of you are gonna have a field day with this - go for it - flame wars do everybody loads of good. As do real wars - everyone wins right?? (As a side note: I spent 6.5 years in the US Army and would gladly do it all over again - I'm neither for nor against what is going on in the middle east, I am however, completely behind my brothers and sisters in uniform today, tomorrow, and forever.) Now, can we get back to the bloody ink for cripes sake??

 

 

Many happy pages to you all!!

Mike

[scribbler77]

Aren't we supposed to be discussing inks on this thread? Did anybody you know refuse to buy an ink because they didnt like the name?

[Possum Hill]

Aren't we supposed to be discussing inks on this thread? Did anybody you know refuse to buy an ink because they didnt like the name?

 

Why yes, yes I believe we are. The original question was (apparently) whether "Heart of Darkness" as an ink name might keep people from buying it, or might offend them.

 

I don't think a literary reference will be a problem. Some historical and political references are likely to be controversial.

[fenrisfox]

I don't think "Heart of Darkness" would offend anyone. However, at least one title of a Conrad novel would probably be a bad choice for an ink name.

 

Joseph Conrad was and is one of the masters of the English language. Not bad for a guy whose mother tongue was NOT English. Personally, I like his writing.

 

If you named an ink after the novel in Conrad's bibliography that I think you're thinking of, you might end up with an incident like the one in this news story:

 

WARNING: Potentially offensive content linked - but in a news context.

Click here.

 

I think it's time the Chinese updated their translation software! :roflmho:

[fenrisfox]

Personally, I'd like names to reasonably indicate the colour. "Heart of Darkness" would give few colour clues beyond ruling out the paler shades. You'd be better off with Shakespeare: "Othello" (black), "Richard III" or "Julius Caesar" (blood red), "King Lear" (grey), "Arden" (leaf green).

 

I'd buy a good red ink using "Julius Caesar" in the name - particularly if it has a Roman Empire-related graphic label.

 

I'm a sucker for anything Roman... :embarrassed_smile:

[fenrisfox]

(snip)

so payment (not monetary) is in part received through the pleasure of selecting the name and artwork for the label.

(snip)

 

I love the artwork on the label on Legal Lapis - it's a real showpiece, and probably influenced me a bit into getting it.

[fenrisfox]

\[...\] You'd be better off with Shakespeare: "Othello" (black), "Richard III" or "Julius Caesar" (blood red), "King Lear" (grey), "Arden" (leaf green).

 

Lady MacBeth would make a great name for a Bullet-proof Red (out, out, damned spott)

 

 

Hey, now that IS clever!

[fenrisfox]

Bush League--with a picture of Bush with the "Mission Accomplished" banner behind him.

And the bottle would be empty.

 

LMAO! :roflmho: Bad!

[captnemo]

Bush League--with a picture of Bush with the "Mission Accomplished" banner behind him.

And the bottle would be empty.

 

LMAO! :roflmho: Bad!

 

Oh dear, that IS funny. Nice label but an empty bottle. :ltcapd:

 

I'd have to buy that one.

[captnemo]

I don't think "Heart of Darkness" would offend anyone. However, at least one title of a Conrad novel would probably be a bad choice for an ink name.

 

Joseph Conrad was and is one of the masters of the English language. Not bad for a guy whose mother tongue was NOT English. Personally, I like his writing.

 

If you named an ink after the novel in Conrad's bibliography that I think you're thinking of, you might end up with an incident like the one in this news story:

 

WARNING: Potentially offensive content linked - but in a news context.

Click here.

 

I think it's time the Chinese updated their translation software! :roflmho:

 

 

Oh dear, what a screwup. It's clearly a spelling error. I hope people are smart enough to figure that out.

 

I collect photos of signs found in Asia where the translation is, um, poor. Some are hilarious, and some are very disrespectful, but all quite unintentional. However, this does not excuse in my opinion. My opinion is that if one is going to attempt a translation, it had better be right.

 

In the 60's and 70's I remember getting instruction pamphlets with equipment ranging from audio equipment to film washers, made in Japan, and the translations to English were incredibly bad, absurd, almost incomprehensible. I was frankly offended that they did not have sufficient respect for a foreign language to make sure the translation was decent and not a transliteration using a dictionary. A statement like "On until swirling down the bubbly" is not English and I should not have to try and decipher that this means to turn on the water flow. Also, substitutions such as "Blake Reray" for "Brake Relay", while amusing, do not instill confidence in the company. The Japanese figured this out and now the Chinese must also learn to have some respect for foreign languages.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

The War of Northern Aggression isn't a cute name; I'm surprised you haven't heard it before.

I never said I hadn't heard that usage before.

 

There are no cute names for wars.

Your "The War of Northern Aggression" is exactly that.

 

It's a reminder that people look at things from different perspectives, and that ignorance and intolerance of other perspectives leads to ugly things like wars.

Do you have a similarly cute name for any wars from the Nazi perspective?

 

If you won't study history you're doomed to repeat it.

I hope this means that you've learned not to attack Fort Sumter.

 

At the risk of being flogged with 0&1's, I must ask - Was it not really about the right of the State to declare itself independent of the Federal gov?? (that dirty "S" word) Not the right to own or not own people, but rather the right for the State to set its own laws independent of the federal gov??

Look at the debates of the first 6 decades of the 19^th Century. Slavery was the issue over which secession occurred.

 

Ever hear of Nanking in school??

I can't recall precisely if I ever heard of it in school. I may have. I do know about the events there in 1937, however. I'm not at all sure how you're relating that to anything in this thread.

[Possum Hill]

The War of Northern Aggression isn't a cute name; I'm surprised you haven't heard it before.

I never said I hadn't heard that usage before.

 

There are no cute names for wars.

Your "The War of Northern Aggression" is exactly that.

 

It's a reminder that people look at things from different perspectives, and that ignorance and intolerance of other perspectives leads to ugly things like wars.

Do you have a similarly cute name for any wars from the Nazi perspective?

 

If you won't study history you're doomed to repeat it.

I hope this means that you've learned not to attack Fort Sumter.

 

At the risk of being flogged with 0&1's, I must ask - Was it not really about the right of the State to declare itself independent of the Federal gov?? (that dirty "S" word) Not the right to own or not own people, but rather the right for the State to set its own laws independent of the federal gov??

Look at the debates of the first 6 decades of the 19^th Century. Slavery was the issue over which secession occurred.

 

Ever hear of Nanking in school??

I can't recall precisely if I ever heard of it in school. I may have. I do know about the events there in 1937, however. I'm not at all sure how you're relating that to anything in this thread.

 

You'll probably get a little different perspective on history when you get to college, but I encourage you to develop your interest.

 

And thank you for assuming I'm a Southerner. It's flattering, even though I'm not.

[Titivillus]

What redneck ever wrote with a fountain pen? Or filled one with a Noodler ink?

 

Uh.. me

 

[penhound]

I have been searching to see if the ink discussed in this topic has become available. The Heart of Darkness, a red-black ink is something I woul like very much to see and try out.

 

Anyone have an update on it?

[Tournevis]

For the record, I think au coeur des ténèbres is a great name for an ink - I loved the Russian ink names for much the same reason. I'm not entirely sure if the average ink buyer will make the connection between that and The Heart of Darkness - Conrad was a native Polish speaker who wrote in English - but hey, that's half the fun of literary inks, isn't it? IMHO, the name matters almost as much as the color ... I write for a living and frankly, the fountain pen, the paper, and the ink are all important elements of my writing time.

 

I find nothing offensive about a Joseph Conrad inspired ink - and in fact am enthralled by the idea of a 19th century lit line of inks - especially one that crosses national boundaries. Part of the fun is where the name leads ... Violet leDuc (the 19th century architect who spearheaded the renovations of Notre Dame) "sounds" like a purple ink and the name might just be the inspiration for a "user" to do a bit of research. It's like getting two products for the price of one. One gets to write with the ink on an ongoing basis, and revel in the knowledge that buying it brought them.

 

For the record - I'm a Noodler's fan (Squeteague and Nightshade in particular) - and think you do a great job of the ink, the packaging AND the naming.

 

FrenchConnex

 

Oui, mais, weren't Voilet le Duc's prefered colours blues and yellows?

 

BTW I love the idea of an ink called Coeur des ténèbres/Heart of darkness.

Edited December 2, 2007 by Tournevis

[Farace]

How about an orange-red w/ white highlights called ``White House Burning'' to evoke the War of 1812?

 

Just a picayune (but fun) little point, and I hope I'm remembering correctly, but I think the White House wasn't white until after the War of 1812; that in fact it was painted white in order to cover some of the damage from that war.

 

It's a reminder that people look at things from different perspectives, and that ignorance and intolerance of other perspectives leads to ugly things like wars.

 

I have a very good friend who grew up in Quebec. He was taught in school that Benedict Arnold was a hero. "Different perspective" was driven home rather forcefully when I heard that. (And you're certainly not going to find that point of view very popular on the Connecticut shore, especially around New London.)

 

[FrenchConnex]

For the record, I think au coeur des ténèbres is a great

Oui, mais, weren't Voilet le Duc's prefered colours blues and yellows?

 

BTW I love the idea of an ink called Coeur des ténèbres/Heart of darkness.

 

 

C'est tout à fait possible - moi, je n'en sais rien.

 

I have to admit, beyond a passing knowledge of his writings about stained glass in the West window of the cathedral at Chartres, I'm more than a little clueless about Monsieur le Duc and his color theory. :embarrassed_smile: Still, he's got a great name, eh?

[Sousy]

I'd quickly buy a red-wine colored ink called "Cask of Amontillado".

 

"For the love of God, Montresor!"