Editing The Pen Addict 633/transcript (section)

== Fountain Pen subreddit drama ==

* If you need the drama, if there's drama existing, where is it being recorded? Read it. And so I went to the Fountain Pen subreddit and I got exactly what I needed, which was the mega thread. I'm like, that's, that's it. I found it. I found the drama. And so then I found the drama. And yeah. And then from there I did what I should, then I did what I should have done first, which is I should have gone to the Penge channel in the discord where people were talking about it. And they also included a video that I'm going to put in the show notes for people to go watch where you give, I think maybe more context than you're going to give now. I don't know what you're going to want to say. But yeah, there's been drama.
* Yeah. And so there's a lot of context around this and I will give a little bit of like the introductory, but like I, what I'm going to say, you know, is really not going to cover everything. Um, because like I said, it's been a week and a half, like we've gone through a lot as a community over the past week and a half. Um, and so, yeah, we'll, we'll put a couple of links to some of my statements that I've made and I'm actually glad it's the wrong term, but I'm happy. We had a little bit of time to get here to where we're at today to where no, I'm there's I'm happy that you're pre-recorded last week's episode. So we can talk about it now, which has, I don't know, there's at least the thing that we wanted, which was a statement, right? Like, yeah, at least wanted that. And that has now happened. So, yeah. So let me give a little background for people who may not be interested. And I totally get, if you don't want to hear this and you're going to tell me to stick to stationery. And if you know me, you know that I'm not, I'm not gonna, because I believe in standing up for what's right. So what happened, I'd say it was last Monday. So Monday, like a week and a half ago, um, it came to light that Brian and Rachel Goulet from Goulet Pens are members of a church that, uh, is starting to form in their area that they're helping raise this church in this area. And it, it, this all came to light because they mentioned it in their newsletter, right? They talk about, um, you know, family stuff in their newsletter, which I'm like, I've always thought that companies should be to a degree, um, you know, open and talk about personal stuff and, you know, show that have been themselves on camera and things like that. And so they talk about their church in their Goulet Pens newsletter that they send out to everyone and people started looking into the church. And when they started looking into the church, um, they learned that this church has some very extreme beliefs and some very hateful beliefs, um, to the point where the parent church of their, there's this new church that they're raising, um, has a podcast where they equate being gay to being a murderer. Huh. And I can't think of anything more extreme to like to say about someone else. I'll be honest. I haven't bothered listening to this because it's all just nonsense, right? To me. But I can't even, um, like, I don't want to know, but like, I can't even imagine how you link those two things together, but like, there's no point in me even listening to that. You know what I mean? Cause it's like, I'm, I'm not going to get a satisfying answer. Right. If, if that's where you're, you're starting at, you know what I mean? Right. Right. So the key point right now, which will, will come to light here in a minute is that the pastor of their new church was on this podcast. So we'll, we'll circle back to that, but pin that. That's an interesting bit of information that I didn't have. Yeah. So, um, this all came out Monday. Um, Goulet just bunkered down, you know, from that point, trying to tamp down the flames, deleting comments and everything, not making any real public statements or disavowing anything. Yeah. Um, and then they continued to not say anything. So it took them a full week to get a message out on their YouTube channel. Um, and over that week, like nothing had, had simmered down. Like this was a serious, you know, event in our community, nor should it have simmered down. Right. It was, it's very extreme. Um, what these, these words and the amount of hate coming from, from this church. Um, so they put out a video called a message to our community on their YouTube channel. Um, and I'd say it did not go over well. Um, the church, uh, the video, um, you know, it's, you know, people were looking for answers and people were looking for them to disavow, you know, the church and like none of that happened. So a couple of important points on the video. If you do go watch the video, we're not going to link it. You can find it, um, on Goulet's YouTube channel.
* This isn't an apology video. Like just the title. It's just a selection of, of pieces of information, right? Like they're not, exactly. They're not, it looks like an apology video. It feels like an apology video, but they're not apologizing. And like, yeah. So people will take this and say, oh, they posted an apology video. They don't have to, right? You know what I mean? They don't have to apologize, but then the way that people react to them going forward is based around how they approach this right now. Right. Right. Right. So yeah, the intent of the video is to give them a marker to say, we've discussed this and we're going to move on now. Right. It's, it's, it's a PR move, right? But they don't really get to decide like when it's time to move on. Right. It's just like this PR buzzword video trying to save face. Mm-hmm. Victim blaming when like, there's really no discussion of the, the victims who they're really affecting, which is the LGBTQIA plus community, the members of our community who have to deal with this hate every day. Right. Like, like, like this is, this is tough stuff. Um, and then Brian also says in the video, and I'm going to quote this part. Um, we want to be very intentional about the words we use. And we should believe Brian when he says that. And especially the words he doesn't use.
* The hate on that podcast that was mentioned earlier, where they were talking about equating, equating things that should never be equated. Um, Brian addresses it and tries to pass it off as someone related to the parent church made the comments and leaves it at that. What he doesn't say, and he's correct in that, he's correct in that statement, but what he doesn't say is that there are two other members on that podcast, one of whom is the pastor at their new church. Yeah. You see, this is what I, he conveniently leaves that out. I, I, all I knew is that there was a thing. And then the information I got was from watching their video. Right. And like, so I, as a person who doesn't have that information, I watch that and I go, okay, that's fair. Right. So like they got me on that. Right. Cause without what you just told me, it is a thing of like, yeah, well you can't control what everyone says. Right. Sure. And so it's like, oh, well, if someone in the church is saying this thing, well, that's their opinion. They don't have to follow that opinion. Sure. But it is a bit strange when it's like the, the guy that they look to as their leader, right. I don't think that's a bad way to describe that. Like the, yes, no, it's right. Is one of the people, I don't, was he saying these things or was he like engaged in a conversation or was he just there? I don't know. Yeah. I think it was just an all around conversation. It was a, it was the topic of conversation. Like the, the podcast title, I don't have it in front of me is something about like, you know, let's talk about pride month. So it's like a little, the entire show about how to, to handle that. Yeah. As, as people, there's certain beliefs. So yeah. Um, and I just want to say, and I know you're not saying this either. I should make this incredibly clear. Like the issue is not that they are religious, right? 100%. Yeah. That is not the problem here. The problem also is not that they may believe in a faith that has these opinions, right? Like, correct. Correct. Because there is a spectrum of opinion. And like, even, even to a point, like the fact that somebody in their church has these opinions is also not necessarily the problem. But I feel like, given this information, one of two things should have happened. They should have said anything faster, although it probably wouldn't have helped. But realistically, in the situation that they are in, they should be leaving that church, I think. That would be the statement that people might be happier with. Yep. And that's my next point. If they want to protect their business and their community, they should be like, they should not just be like trying to excuse this. They should be wanting to disavow this. Now, I will just state, I'm not telling them that's what they have to do, right? Absolutely. I'm saying that's what I think is the way to resolve this situation. They don't have to resolve this situation. They can be perfectly happy with how people feel. Because that is a very valid thing for them to do. Because, do you know what? We have free speech, right? You can choose to do whatever you want. But what you can't expect is that people will just treat you the same as they did before with new information.
* I agree with you across the board on all those statements. So, they can do whatever they want. They can say whatever they want. They can believe whatever insane things they want to believe, if they believe them. I'm not saying they do, but if they do, right? Or they can be associated with people that have these beliefs, if they want to. But then you have to be willing to accept the way that people will react to you. And if what you want to do is just sell pens to people that want to buy them, great. If you want to sell. But what you can't do is stuff that they have done in the past where they try and encourage this wider community. Which is more diverse because it is a creative community. So, it's more diverse in opinion and belief and thought.
* You have to encourage that. And this is not encouraging that. Right? Like, look at us. I'm not queer. I'm a straight man. Right? I'm a straight white man. But I believe that I do everything I can to encourage anyone and everyone to listen to our shows. Like, I understand that by having these conversations, we do actually shut down a particular type of person. But that is one that I'm fine with. And similarly, I feel like if you don't agree with me, I'm not telling you that you should. Right? Like, I'm just saying, like, this is how I feel. But, like, and I think you go many steps further than me. Like, you're way more eloquent about these things than me. I think they hit you even more strongly from an emotional perspective than me.
* But, like, that's kind of the spectrum of it all. Right? Like, and I think what we try and do is try and encourage people. And, like, what we're not doing is trying to shut these people down. And I feel like that's what they're doing here. And, but then also at the same time trying to say, oh, yeah, but we're just the same as we were a week ago. But nobody sees you that way anymore. It's so complicated. But, again, I think a lot of people would say, right, like, you should not believe this. And I agree with that. But I'm not telling them what to do. Like, it's up to them what they do. But then they have to accept that their business has changed now. Yeah.
* Absolutely. Like, you have to take ownership of your beliefs. And if that's what you believe, you have to act in accordance to that. What they want, though, as business owners to have it both ways. Right? They want to present that they're inclusive. So, like, they made a point in the video that they love everyone and we're an inclusive community at Goulet Pens. But what they didn't say is that they're personally against the beliefs of the church or that they're leaving the church. Right? Yeah. So, it's just a really, really trying to have it both ways. And putting a video up like this is just trying to hand wave away, like, the real issues. And, you know, they didn't commit to any change. Right? There was no next step in this video. There was no mention of change. They didn't call the apology. Didn't call it an apology video because it wasn't apologizing for anything. Right? There's no changes coming that, as far as I can tell, you know. So, it's just tough when, like you said, we just have an amazing community. That our community is smart and they're diverse and, you know, they're just really, really strong in their beliefs. And it means a lot to see our community stand up against these types of beliefs. Right? You know, my friends in the LGBTQIA community, like, they're the strongest of all of us. Right? Because they have to fight this every day. Yeah. We just get drawn into this once a month or whatever. You know what I mean? Like, they're out there fighting these things on a daily basis. And we're fighting for them. They're fighting for themselves. And that is a whole different kettle of fish. Yeah. And there was just a complete dismissal of really, like, it was basically, you know, we're sorry if we offended anybody. And that's just completely missing the point.
* I just want to be clear that I love my LGBTQIA friends. Like, I just love you all so much. I'm going to fight for you. And that's why we're going to talk about this today. You know, are we going to talk about this every week? No. You know, we really, like, this is a podcast about pins. But I'm telling you what, if there's someone that I can help stand up for and I'm able to, I'm going to use my platform to help stand up for people that are fighting against hate. And this is one of those times where it was an easy decision for me to make and make the comments that I did over the past week. So, if you all have any questions, definitely feel free to reach out to me. If we're wrapping this up, I will finish it with just one thought, which is, if you're listening to this and you don't agree with us, right, that's fine for you. Right? But the one thing that I'll say on this is, try and keep in mind, why do you have the right to tell anyone what to do?
* Right? Like, and what people choose to do in their lives doesn't affect you, shouldn't affect you. That's their choice. Right? If someone wants to love someone, they can just love them. Somebody loving someone, no matter who they are or where they come from, does not affect you. It's nothing to do with you. You love who you love. Let them love who they love.
* It's very simple. Right? That's the frustrating thing. It's like, ah, this isn't hard. Because you know what doesn't happen? Gay people don't fight against straight people. Right? They're not out there being like, what you're doing is disgusting. They're not doing that. So why do you have to do it? Just let people live their lives. It's so simple.
* Your life would be easier if you didn't care. Right? Your life would be easier if you just let them do, everyone do, whatever they want. Like, it's not hard. Just let people love. Love is love, man. It's nice. Like, we should all be able to have it. Like, it shouldn't be complicated.
* Yep. And I love the people the most who love themselves and live their true selves and live their true identities. And, yeah, I just wanted to know, everyone, that, you know, you have my undivided support and our undivided support. I'll put it to Myke's mouth. But I think it's pretty clear where we stand on this issue. And I don't think it's going to go away because nothing's changed. I don't think we're – we're not saying that boycott Goutlet, right? Like, but just – Absolutely not. Make your own decisions, you know? Exactly. Yeah, make your decisions. But this is the thing of, like, they're a shop, right? They're a shop. They're a business. That's what they are.
* But this stuff gets more complicated when people are trying to build a brand.
* And if someone's trying to build a brand, a brand has beliefs and ethics that are pushed forward by the people that lead that brand. They can choose whatever they want those to be. You just have to – and you don't have to align with the ethics of a brand. You don't have to do that. But you can make those decisions based on that stuff if you want to. And maybe you choose a different company to buy from because they reflect your ethics a bit more. Like, it's just another decision you have to make. And, like, you can choose on price. You can choose on quality. You can choose on availability. You can choose on shipping. You can choose on ethics. It's just one of the things that you have in your availability to choose from. I think the ethics of Goulet has changed, right? Right. So you have the decision now if you want to continue buying from them or not, which you can.
* But just know that. It doesn't mean you're supporting bad people, essentially, right? But it's just a thing – it's just a decision you have to make. And maybe now it's, like, maybe one company, their shipping is, like, $3 more. But you like their ethics more. So you support them instead. It's kind of as simple as that, I think. Yeah. Yeah. So, again, just to wrap it up, it's been a tough week for a lot of people. Yeah. And I'm here to lead as much support as possible. And, yeah, we're going to keep supporting all of our friends out there. So – Turns out I'm not done. Yeah, good stuff. You're the best. Do you know that? No, I'm being serious right now. Like, I think this community is so lucky that you lead it. And I know you won't accept that, but I mean it. Like, you are at the top of this thing. That's just the end of it, right? Like, everybody knows this. You're Brad Dowdy, right? Like, you are the guy. I think this community is as good as it is, and we are as lucky as we are because we have someone like you at the top of it. Like, you're so inclusive. You're so warm. You're so welcoming. You're such a good communicator.
* Like, we are so lucky that you are here because what you say matters. And I'm convinced, convinced that you're part of the reason that pushed them to say anything. Right? That if you would have said nothing, they might have been able to try and get away with this. But like, the fact that you are pushing on them as hard as you are, and this goes for all companies in this industry. Like, you push people and things change. Because that is who you are. People care about what you have to say. And I think that we're lucky that you care about everybody as much as you do when you think about what you have to say. So, take that. I've never thought of it that way. Well, you should. Because it's just who I am. No, it's just who I am. So, when you live who your true self is, everything is easy. Or easier. Not easy, but easier. Right? It's easy for me to stand up against hate. Shocker.
* Shocker. Super simple. I'm glad I cried a lot last week because you'd have me crying there. I know you're trying to get me to cry, but... Yeah, I'm just going for it. I ran out of tears last week. Give me them tears. I want them.
* You make me better. You make everyone better. It's just amazing. I appreciate that. I try. I'm not infallible. I make mistakes. I try to get better and learn from those mistakes and implement change. And I think a lot of people could learn from those very, very basic things. Let's all live our lives hoping we never need to make an apology video. You know? Yes.