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> Packed around a table with notepads and test pens, the group, ethnically diverse but mostly men, lacked the slick appearance you expect of customers at a luxu

> Packed around a table with notepads and test pens, the group, ethnically diverse but mostly men, lacked the slick appearance you expect of customers at a luxury boutique. Why do we have to know the demographics? How is it pertinent info, and why is it bad that it was mostly men?

barry-cotter 8y ago
It’s the New York Times. Everything is always about race.
JumpCrisscross 8y ago
> How is it pertinent info It’s an observation. You colored it with a value judgement. I’ve had many a “huh” moment because of such randomly-scattered details.
ternaryoperator 8y ago
The demographics are the least of it. The whole article reeks of a kind of superficiality and condescension: "...who had the handsomeness of a 1950s young dad, thick hair like mink, broad shoulders, a warm handshake." I do wish that when newspapers describe a trend, they would stop trying to write literature and simply provide the information. If I want more detail with off-topic asides, I'll subscribe to a magazine or read blog posts.
- JohnBooty 8y ago
  Honest question. How would one write about a trend/subculture/community/etc without... writing about the sorts of people who comprise it and the community itself? As somebody who's always been into pens but never taken the plunge into fountain pens, I found this to be the most interesting part of the article. Sure, it could have been a simple list of links about places where one can buy pens or whatever. But I already have Google and a Reddit account for that. If I'm reading an article in the NYT or some other publication, the bare minimum I'd expect would be for them to for them to bring some things to the table that I can't get from thirty seconds of Googling or looking for the most popular relevant subreddit.
  - ternaryoperator 8y ago
    I am totally on board with your point. Giving color to the feel of a community is indeed an important part of reporting. And I think in that context, the inclusion of demographics make sense despite OP's displeasure. What I object to is the characterization of a single individual based on his looks ("Hair like mink"). Not only does it tell the reader nothing useful, it doesn't give any sense of the community being covered. It's just a superficial aside, which if removed from the article would not lessen the reader's understanding.
    - JohnBooty 8y ago
      By all logical measures, what you say about those superficial descriptions is of course correct. However illogical it may be, though: I enjoy reading them! Though in this case, perhaps the article would have been better served by a picture of this person (who's apparently a big deal in the pen world) Certainly there is some threshold after which I'd consider those physical descriptions distracting. I'm not sure what that threshold is.
JohnBooty 8y ago
why is it bad that it was mostly men? Where did the article say/imply that? I don't think it's a bad thing, and I don't feel the article said/implied that it was either.

barry-cotter 8y ago

It’s the New York Times. Everything is always about race.

JumpCrisscross 8y ago

> How is it pertinent info It’s an observation. You colored it with a value judgement. I’ve had many a “huh” moment because of such randomly-scattered details.

ternaryoperator 8y ago

The demographics are the least of it. The whole article reeks of a kind of superficiality and condescension: "...who had the handsomeness of a 1950s young dad, thick hair like mink, broad shoulders, a warm handshake." I do wish that when newspapers describe a trend, they would stop trying to write literature and simply provide the information. If I want more detail with off-topic asides, I'll subscribe to a magazine or read blog posts.

JohnBooty 8y ago
Honest question. How would one write about a trend/subculture/community/etc without... writing about the sorts of people who comprise it and the community itself? As somebody who's always been into pens but never taken the plunge into fountain pens, I found this to be the most interesting part of the article. Sure, it could have been a simple list of links about places where one can buy pens or whatever. But I already have Google and a Reddit account for that. If I'm reading an article in the NYT or some other publication, the bare minimum I'd expect would be for them to for them to bring some things to the table that I can't get from thirty seconds of Googling or looking for the most popular relevant subreddit.
- ternaryoperator 8y ago
  I am totally on board with your point. Giving color to the feel of a community is indeed an important part of reporting. And I think in that context, the inclusion of demographics make sense despite OP's displeasure. What I object to is the characterization of a single individual based on his looks ("Hair like mink"). Not only does it tell the reader nothing useful, it doesn't give any sense of the community being covered. It's just a superficial aside, which if removed from the article would not lessen the reader's understanding.
  - JohnBooty 8y ago
    By all logical measures, what you say about those superficial descriptions is of course correct. However illogical it may be, though: I enjoy reading them! Though in this case, perhaps the article would have been better served by a picture of this person (who's apparently a big deal in the pen world) Certainly there is some threshold after which I'd consider those physical descriptions distracting. I'm not sure what that threshold is.

JohnBooty 8y ago

why is it bad that it was mostly men? Where did the article say/imply that? I don't think it's a bad thing, and I don't feel the article said/implied that it was either.