Americans are the worst fountain pen people

[cashew]

Every time I happen on an obnoxious fountain pen person claiming a knock-off is a "counterfeit" (for those who are genuinely confused, a knock-off is a cheaper copy of something more expensive under a different brand; a counterfeit is a cheaper copy that's trying to pass as the genuine article — knock-offs are legal, counterfeits are illegal) they're inevitably American.

So no, they're not misusing the words because English is a foreign language, they're intentionally misusing the words to portray the, inevitably Chinese, company in a poor light.

Sinophobia is so fucking rampant in the fountain pen community. I need to take a break from this entire BS for my own mental health.

Comments

[cashew]

Given that these people are the ones who are deliberately using "knockoff" when it's an Eastern European company and "counterfeit" when it's a Chinese company, the answer to your question is YES.

The fountain pen community is one that is perfectly aware of the differences between those two words. I'm defining it here on DW because I'm talking to a non-hobbyist audience who are not immersed in the culture.