I’m a fan of the social identity approach in psychology. The groups we belong to shape our identity, and different cues 'activate' which membership feels most important in the moment. For example, we may see ourselves as fountain pen people, but when a brand discussion arises, we shift to thinking as Team Pelikan or Team Sailor. When tempted to criticize or elevate our group over another, we should remember that we’re ultimately Team Fountain Pens-or even Team Human. Group thinking is natural, but no group is homogeneous. And when we position our group above another, the most likely result is that others will dislike us 😂
@user-ro3mn5eb9d2 күн бұрын
Excellent and a first! ''psychology says, no matter how good your intentions are, people will judge you according to their insecurities'' but reality is the allegory of Platos cave. who dares to see.......
@AdamWolanski4 күн бұрын
I'm Pelikan guy, I"m Montblanc guy, I'm Sailor guy. I wanted to be an Visconti guy but my Ravenclaw Divina was drying to fast. Thank you for you content. My personal choices are different from yours. But I feel the same vibes. You once advised me based on my preferences to consider the Pelikan m800 even though it's not in your range of interest, which you really impressed me with. I see this as maturity and evidence of consciously sharing passion. Self-confidence without the need to seek signs of recognition for one's own choices.
@senzen26925 күн бұрын
Some phenomena: the compulsion to buy; the need for affirmation; the void after purchase; benefits of going beyond consumption, for instance to improve your handwriting and then beyond to think things through when our attention span is receding; the need to brag; "I would never..."; and all while using toxic media and with people trying to flog pens: "doesn't this look just like the more expensive original?".
@cdgarcia4 күн бұрын
Yup. Right or wrong that’s how we connect with others. The feeling of community and the support it brings.
@user-br3sl9go3b3 күн бұрын
@@cdgarcia The danger (I confess to it) is joining in enthusiastically and then being disillusioned.
@waynesamardzich94593 күн бұрын
Well said, your comments are very wise. Every group I've been in goes through these phases. Thanks again!
@JonSzanto_Always3 күн бұрын
Espousing an outlier viewpoint in a niche community is an interesting way to experience herd mentality at it's finest, as they come to eat your face. Your straight-up, clear-eyed discussion of the community dynamics is well-done and welcomed; your stature in the pen community allows you the operating space to illuminate these aspects without undue pushback and attack, and it would be nice for people to be aware of these elements of behavior. Of course, the hobby being populated by humans, the behavior won't change. That is why understanding it is so important.
@InkquiringMinds5 күн бұрын
Nicely done, as always, Sir! :)
@guitardad543 күн бұрын
Thank you for this well thought out video. Keep it up!
@paulmchugh14304 күн бұрын
It is funny in a peculiar way that you mentioned the difference between sociology and psychology. In university I had a dual major in both fields. I found a common bond between the two and both disciplines had courses pertaining to the same topic, obviously the approaches were from two sides of the same topic. That being said I did an independent study concerning autistic children; the one on one interaction and how they interact in society. Needless to say I got criticism from both sides, having a professor from each discipline mentoring me with one saying there was too much sociology in my paper and the other said too much psychology. In my mind, it was a win 😊. Going back to the discussion, yes the need for being in a group that has the same interest is strong. My fountain pen collection is relatively small, having only started 3 years ago. I have over 300 ballpoint and rollerball pens I did not see many compatriots who are willing to discuss anything other than fountain pens which I think is a shame. I am not talking about 19¢ stick pens. I went to the Pelikan Hub event this year. I have a number of Pelikan ballpoint and rollerball pens and no one wanted to even discuss these pens. I was not ostracized but really.... As for the individual who was ousted from a company he co-founded, I know him but he was looking forward to working with his new company and not dwelling on what happened. Good for him.
@FrauStaenki4 күн бұрын
As always: On point! It is always soooo interesting to listen to your view of humanity and the communities therein!!
@EfotoBiz-Daniel-Hermann4 күн бұрын
Thank you sharing this with us. I appreciate that you made me think about this topic
@followyourbrush4 күн бұрын
Great video. I know for a fact I’ve been influenced to purchase pens. “Herd mentality”, I think I’m old enough and have seen enough to be able to stand back and look at both sides. (I’m in my late 70’s, experience is a perk of old age) Good explanation.
@River_uwu5 күн бұрын
Fantastic and fascinating discussion, very enjoyable!
@tancreddehauteville7644 күн бұрын
I used fountain pens a lot as a kid in school, during the 1970s and '80s. Then I just lost interest as I entered the work place. In the early 2000s my interest was sparked again because in a world of rapidly developing digital technology I wanted a link with the past - and fountain pens was that link. Likewise with mechanical watches, which I also started collecting. For me, these objects are 'food for my soul'.
@alexwhiteowl4 күн бұрын
Really appreciated your thoughts and observations on this one. The FP community is, like any community, formed on a preference for some things, but the rest of their preferences differ so much... I have recognized all the situations you've talked about, you've resumed 2024 easily here. I hope we learn things from others, even if we're different and like different things
@janwilson94854 күн бұрын
An interesting 'canter' through group psychology. Something we should all be aware of to protect ourselves from its at times incredibly powerful extremes, and to value its 'up-sides'. As long as we are 'social' animals the positives and negatives of in-group/out-group thinking and behaviour should be understood and discussed openly as being an integral part of the human condition. It may help us to live in more functioning societies that avoid the madness of extreme behaviour and prevent dangerous manipulators, felons and frauds from controlling mainstream views and taking power. Keep up the good work. I love this content as well as the sardonic pen reviews.
@user-nu9so2ki6w3 күн бұрын
I don't understand and have never understood why people refer to fountain pens with the word 'hobby'. I think what such people really mean is that buying stuff is their hobby. Scrolling online storefronts is their hobby. You can use a fountain pen all day and every day and have no need for the fountain pen community because 80% of it is mostly just consumerist yearning. I think a person's hobbies are the range of things they do in the gaps of free time between one thing and the next.
@KM-ge2pr3 күн бұрын
I like the example with the colour of the front door. Very sad but, unfortunately, very common behaviour these days.
@robinmosenfelder62264 күн бұрын
Very entertaining! Brought up some thoughts when applied to USA political parties. I"d rather focus on pens though, more peaceful.
@danravenna29745 күн бұрын
Good topic. But I guess I am too old to play. I buy what I like and spend what I want to spend. Some in my group will spend thousands on MB, while I am buying Platinum 3776s and having the nibs modded. I just don't care as I enjoy what I have. I just hope they enjoy what they have. Life is too short.
@blaiseutube4 күн бұрын
Platinum 3776 are good pens!
@teresaharris-travelbybooks55645 күн бұрын
Was the underlying message that we shouldn't publicly express opinions or take sides, without the facts? As far as sub cultures; every hobby; almost every hobby; has them. I'm a serial hobbyist and I've been a part of many diverse groups and still am.
@chi-towncalifornia59164 күн бұрын
I’m certainly within the fountain pen community, and with every other hobby or special interest of mine, I notice fountain pens and planning seem to attract both introverts and neurodivergent people. What I’m not however is a “team-this vs team-that” person. I don’t pick sides over brands and deliberately shun or refuse to buy or use another brand. Why should I ignore this one brand or another brand when each might have something I’d enjoy? I love Pilot and Lamy pens, but I also own a Sailor, a Kaweco and a Platinum. Surprise, sacrilege, I also like using Japanese gel pens and low viscosity ballpoint pens, as well as high tech mechanical pencils. Each tool has its function and purpose. Variety is the spice of life, and you can have a fountain pen as a tool for each occasion. I don’t like to place myself into boxes, because there might be something out there that works well for me. Fountain pens are like wrist watches, in that they are both highly personal choices, so we end up placing much of our personality into these items, and thus an attack on them feels like an attack on us. Keep in mind that fountain pens are also used as tools to express our thoughts, so we develop a personal connection with these tools as we pour our thoughts out onto paper.
@Crowquill2774 күн бұрын
Well done, speaking as a fountain pen collecting anthropologist who’s worked a lot with psychologists.
@dansv12 күн бұрын
I was expecting this to be about the compulsive buying of hundreds of pens and bottles of ink.
@theprof_0014 күн бұрын
I agree! Great subject to discuss. 👍
@georgeluke18835 күн бұрын
I just like fountain pens. There is a wide variety of people who like fountain pens. What people do or think is irrelevant to me. I just want to know about the pens, how they're made, how they work, what they look like, etc. I enjoy hearing the opinions of the presenters about the pens they review, but who or why someone is employed or fired, or any other personal issues really don't matter to me. All that matters is the pens, the papers, and the inks.
@jkatkat79505 күн бұрын
West Side Story...but Montblanc vs Pelikan ??
@bruceschlickbernd84755 күн бұрын
Somewhere, there’s an ink for us, a paper and pen for us, dip the nib and we’re halfway there, post my cap and we’re almost there…
@andykellens72374 күн бұрын
@@bruceschlickbernd8475 You made me spill my coffee with that comment 🙂
@janwilson94854 күн бұрын
@@bruceschlickbernd8475wonderful! Now rescript the full musical, if you could produce it it would definitely go viral!
@takesbonnets40633 күн бұрын
Where’s the unexpurgated version?
@mastermix46444 күн бұрын
Thanks for the translation audiotracks
@dorotheemackenbach48085 күн бұрын
Psychology is always interesting. You could have said a lot more about this subject.
@AndrewWertheimer5 күн бұрын
Interesting topic. I was thinking how our FP world divides into subcultures not only following brands, but Journalers and sketchers and ink swatchers and prn collectors vs restorers etc and how our tribes form norms- so many of which seem very gendered. To be honest I’m an information studies researcher and want to someday to a comparative international study of the information needs of our subcultures.
@denmarkleopesi71084 күн бұрын
Office supply psychology, new heights for you.
@444Buckley5 күн бұрын
Love it! I'm a Historical Sociologist who has researched Collective Memory and so I've had some crossover with Psychology, but I am NOT a psychologist at all. I'd love to do some research on the sociology of pen communities, especially at pen shows.
@t0dd0005 күн бұрын
I am not a collector or hobbyist. I just like nice things. And when I swing focus on a thing, anything, I tend to overanalyze to the point of ridiculousness. Note also … I'm a writer. I write copiously. I like good tools for my work. With ballpoint pens, I bought everything under the sun until I finally found the One Perfect Pen, the Parker Jotter. I tossed all the other ballpoints / gel pens I had and now I only have about 5 Parker Jotters. Fountain pens are more challenging. With fountain pens, there are the pens, but also the nibs. You really need a small suite of nibs. And then there are the variety of inks … That being said, I am slowly gravitating to a set of pen : nib combinations. And once I settle in, my "shopping" will be done and I will stop watching all of these videos. ;) And I'll likely shed all of the pens i have collected that are not top tier. And I haven't even discussed paper yet. ;) That being said, I do find the "community" interesting. But when I'm done overanalyzing (shopping), I'll likely quietly exit. As for the psychology of it all … oi. Why do we obsess? And then we find other people who obsess. Fortunately, my obsession usually has an expiration. We'll see.
@bruceschlickbernd84755 күн бұрын
As you note - it’s a universal thing. You can say “…of the fountain pen world”, but the principles apply to virtually anything. Board games, politics, baseball, model train scales, you name it. And yes, the whole Goulet thing which blew up faster than anyone could follow based on a dubious trail of assumptions. Heck, it even affects the scientific world, which is stunningly and almost unique unto itself, where opinions are subject to review based on testable parameters (and if it isn’t testable, it isn’t science). Scientists will stick by their guns and double-down same as anyone else, but - a compelling demonstration and test, new facts that support one side or the other, eventually win out. Whole continents move? Float about over time? Har-de-har-har! Evidence…well, okay, maybe you have some circumstantial evidence, but where’s your mechanism? Har-de-har….oops, sorry, Alfred Wegener got the last laugh (if posthumously). The mechanism was simply hidden by crushing ocean depths. But opinion based? Well, my tribe! Valhalla! And you won’t get there armed with a Japanese pen! Have at you! And someone will probably freak out about the Japanese pen thing (ignoring I’m armed to the teeth with Pilot pens, and it was just an ironic self-mocking). At least I’m playing Jethro Tull and Led Zeppelin songs…
@judyjacobs58275 күн бұрын
Ah, the unpredictable and very dead, brilliant Canadian, Leonard Cohen! Personally, I nurture no brand loyalty whatsoever, prefer to be right than wrong, and occasionally will post something completely illogical just to see if anyone is paying attention. Too often, some know-more-than-you will correct a suggestion, like clean pens whose ink has dried with a 10% solution of household ammonia in water, by scolding me and claiming that ammonia will invariably destroy a pen. I disagree, and others on other forums repeated what I'd said. Withdrawal of insult? Apology? Never. There have been all manner of insults, but none of my digits has been pulled out and few of my pens have disappeared. Several have been broken by members of pen club, oh, bother. It is a hobby, not the meaning of life. Take a breath, dear reader.
@willbaker19865 күн бұрын
What was the other thing than Drew?
@basta.dotto_4 күн бұрын
I think he was talking about Dante, not Drew, as he mentioned it happened a few years ago. Dante was forced out of Visconti, the very company he founded; he then joined Pineider and retired a few years later. As far as Drew's situation goes, even though it sucked getting fired by a friend and losing a friendship in the process, I'm happy that he is now Fahrney's President. They've gained a choice ambassador in the "everything fountain pen related world" as well as a great human being. About taking sides, I confess: guilty ☺
@williamcatalano17625 күн бұрын
Bravo!
@jbkerns5 күн бұрын
So like any other hobby
@ichirofakename5 күн бұрын
So why was he fired?
@robbinallan37674 күн бұрын
I wondered if it was a conflict between business and personal belief of the separate parties. I wish them all well and am heartily saddened by the loss to the fountain pen community of their collaboration.
@feelz_4_dayz8855 күн бұрын
One of the most champagne socialist community of all hobbies
@archivist174 күн бұрын
How so?
@Dennis2777-x2r4 күн бұрын
Exactly
@zahariastoianovici85903 күн бұрын
“Expurgated” ?!?!….. wow !!! What a word to use! ….. on another matter the melody on start as terrible!!! Luckily the content very good