This post comes about after reading the "apology", followed by reading the thread to which the apology was attached. Rather than adding a month late to a conversation that has thankfully died a natural death, I want to start a new one with a different angle.
Why exactly does the PCA exist? I say that in total ignorance; really. What is its purpose? The pretty italics under its name on the website says "Keeping the history of writing instruments alive through member support and community education". So, its all about keeping the history of writing instruments alive (what follows "through" is just the how).
Is it the best vehicle for this sort of thing? Do we need to associate with one another to keep the history alive? (Does this association really give us a vehicle to associate with one another?) Is it better at keeping the history alive than FPN, Pentrace, Zoss, or this board? Is it better at keeping the history alive than Richard Binder's site, David Nishimura's site or Phil Munson's excellent site?
If I felt it was a better vehicle than those listed above, I would probably renew my membership when it expires and pay whatever it costs. But frankly, I'm finding it hard to understand how its better.
To be clear, I'm not talking about which is the best site for ME. I'm talking about what is the best source of information for our community. All of us. Capable of spending $40 or not.
My concern is this - if keeping the history alive is the reason for its existence, and they did it very well, then I'm sure people who believed in that mission would pay (including me) regardless of what they got in return. However, the way in which this association seems to be headed is offering exclusive services that would compel me to pay them. That does not strike me as the definition of the term "association", as in people associating with one another for a purpose.
To take it a step farther, as a seller of pens, I WANT a lot of people to know vintage pens. I want them to have plenty of information, and plenty of catalogs. PCA not only seems to not share that objective, but it wants to RESTRICT access to information. That is not a mission I want to be part of, and its not something I'm willing to financially support. I don't think that serves the objective of keeping the history of pens alive.
If you are a volunteer - and you either write articles or scan old documents for the library - why do it for a group of 1000, and not simply post it on the major internet boards for tens of thousands to read? It just seems as though we are working to perpetuate an organization that only lives for its own survival.