today - ink between the teeth

Jun 1, 2020

today

I hate talking about politics in this sphere. Let's be honest: the fountain pen community skews older and more conservative. I'm in my twenties, I'm not straight, and I refer to myself as a leftist. These characteristics are not usually met with fanfare here.

But I don't know where else to put this so it has to go here.

Shortly after the 2016 election, a very well-known calligrapher made an Instagram post. It featured some of her beautiful calligraphy over artwork of Trump. I politely commented that I felt uncomfortable with the piece. After all, Trump had shown us who he was up until that point: a millionaire with an inflated ego who has consistently insulted women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Why give him the benefit of the doubt? I immediately received a reply from a locked account that, well, let's just say it repeated many of Trump's rants about "liberals." The calligrapher herself responded that she would not accept arguments in her comments but did not outright condemn the individual's statements. I unfollowed the calligrapher shortly thereafter. It's been four years since that occurrence. I wonder if she remembers it. I do.

Not too long ago Ravelry made a stand against right wing content on its website. I saw several knitters in the fountain pen community angry about this. "But if they remove things they don't agree with," they cried, "that means they can remove everything else! I don't agree with the content, but they shouldn't be allowed to do that." This also struck me as patently ridiculous. Removing abusive content is not censorship. It's about protecting minorities and individuals who have already been dealt a poor hand in our society and communities. Being a centrist in this argument is not a viable option. You are either against abusive content or you aren't—and if you aren't, you're the same as the people who publish abusive content. It is that simple.

Several popular pen companies have made "Thin Blue Line" pens that... I cannot even come up with the words to describe what I felt. After the deaths of countless black men and women, countless trans men and women, countless indigenous men and women... Countless people taken from us before their time, and you want to release a pen that proudly declares police as above the law, as the only shield standing between people and tyranny? This weekend a group of policemen in Ohio took down the American flag and raised the Thin Blue Line flag in its place. This weekend police all over the country fired baton rounds and tear gas and pepper spray at protesters and journalists and citizens in their homes; drove through protesters in cars; kettled protesters for mass arrests; doxxed a mayor's daughter. This in the middle of a pandemic where the virus ravages the respiratory system. Leaving behind what you think of "looting" protesters, is this behavior of the men and women who are supposed to serve and protect? Who (or what) are they defending? I don't think it's people, let alone us.

I don't know if this post will go over well. I suspect some people will decide that I'm a left wing nut. I'm happy to sit here posting reviews every week to a brick wall. But I don't think I'm capable of being silent. Not right now. I have been sitting in front of my computer scrolling through social media feeds, unable to look away. I don't think I should be able to look away. I don't think you should either.

Please donate to national bail funds. Please donate to local bail funds. Please. He couldn't breathe. Black Lives Matter.

11 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for writing this. Now is not the time for inaction, and I appreciate some of my favorite blogs (been following for a while but I mostly lurk WOOPS) using their platform to speak out.

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    1. Hi Sanaa, thank you for your comment. Genuinely, I appreciate your lurking. Thank you for sticking around.

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  2. I am from Ukraine and rather distant from the US debate. But it is interesting that all US FB bloggers that I follow (The Gentlemen Stationer, Pen Addict, The Well-Appointed Desk) are on your side.

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    1. I am incredibly lucky that I'm able to share this community with Joe, Brad, and Ana. Without them the pen community at large would be a much different—and indeed much less vibrant—place. I have found that they share many of my political opinions. To say I'm relieved about that would be undercutting them, I think. I respect them very much and in that respect is an understanding that they believe in my, well, humanity, I guess?

      I don't think pointing out that the pen community skews older and less... accepting isn't wrong. Maybe a little callous! There are a decent amount of quieter voices that are not so kind (luckily very few if any of them have the pull of the blogs and writers you mention). I do my best to stay away from that but the Internet is what it is and sometimes you run into it. I point it out because I love this community very much for all of its obsession over strange things, and I want to try to see it be better.

      I'm not sure if this reply makes sense at all. I do appreciate your response though.

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  3. I am from Ukraine and rather distant from the US debate. But it is interesting that all US FP bloggers that I follow (The Gentlemen Stationer, Pen Addict, The Well-Appointed Desk) are on your side.

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  4. I should have popped in here sooner to let you know that I am behind you 100% and know that, like you, speaking out about politics on a blog about pen and inks seems a little out of place. We know, though, that not speaking out is unacceptable. Our goal is not to alienate anyone but to support everyone in the pen community including POC and the LGBTQ+ community. No pen person shall be left behind!

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  5. Thank you for this; I felt similarly and had to unfollow a few people who I just no longer wanted to support in the pen community. Don't feel bad for raising your voice for what you believe in.

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  6. Thank you. Still. Nothing has changed and nothing will change if this election in your country does not change things. Even from as far away as Berlin, Germany, all of this is hard to grasp.

    And not, you're not a crazy nut, just a humane being with a sense for the right.

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