Bad Press

J

JBoS6

Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Messages
157
I don't know how many of you have heard about the slayings of two Dartmouth professors a few weeks ago, but it has been front-page here in Boston for a while. The suspects are two teen-aged boys.

So I look at the front page of the Boston Globe today, and hey, there are two knives! Hmmm, they look like SOG's ... sure enough, the story reports them as SOG Seal 2000's. This is they type allegedly used in the murders (2 SOG sheaths were found near the victims).

This sort of press, we *don't* need!
 
JBoS6, many of us are very familar with this story. You are right, this sort of 'press' we do not need. Thanks for bringing this BTTT.
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You may want to read this thread from about a month ago: Knife Maker gives list to police

It details exactly what happened in regards to SOG. The fact that these knives made by SOG was a material clue in the investigation which eventually led to the arrest of these two 'suspects'. I know that this has been a nightmare for SOG public relations. Here at BFC, the 'controversy' ended pretty fast. Read the thread I linked above.

It is indeed regrettable that the specific knife was mentioned in the press, and that such murders make all people who love knives look like criminals to some sheeple. It is unfortunate that a legitimate manufacturer of knives has their name so closely associated with such a heinous crime.

Hopefully those with some intelligence will realize that the murders were not the fault of the knives, or their maker, but rather had something to do with whatever is wrong with the minds of the 'suspects'. The press loves to print pictures of weapons because it is inflammatory and sensational. But it is not fair, and non-biased. In this case however, it is accurate. The article, or the picture, makes a connection between a crime and a legitimate manufacturer of tools. Sad really. But hardly unusual.

Paracelsus

[This message has been edited by Paracelsus (edited 03-27-2001).]
 
I agree with Para (did I say that?? ;-) ) this was discussed to death when it happened, time to let it lie. People already have opinions of how they perceive knives, and 1 slaying with 2 of a certain type of knife is not going to cause a call for banning of knives. Just means some people will say in their minds, see I knew knives were bad! Question I have, how many people, sheeple got enraged when OJ used that knife to kill his ex? That also was a black eye to the knife community. Is it less so because it was a lesser known/unknown manufacturer?

I like this forum because it focuses on the good and positive aspects of knives and knife collecting. Things happen, knives are used to kill people, let's not harp that it's gonna give the knife community a black eye, people have been using knives to kill since Cain and Able.

Back to our regularly scheduled forum!

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Peace

Paul
Custom Knife Purveyor
Circle P Knives
 
Very interesting thread you referenced. It's intriguing to read what the forum's assumptions and judgements were of how the police/coroner work and reporting were handled.

It's just a shame that things were sensationalized like this. I mean, the picture of these two SOG Seal's is *plastered* across the front page.

Take a look here.
http://www.bostonherald.com/todays_paper.html
 
I certainly don't mean to harp, or dwell on the topic. I wouldn't have even brought it up had the knives not been plastered in full color on the cover of today's Boston Herald. That's the part that gets me, I think.
 
I saw the Herald this morning and thought "Hey my new issue of KnifeWorld came and they are using color print now" Sad to say that wasn't the case. Funny thing is you can substitute any large kitchen knife for the pics of the SOG's yet then where would the sensationalism come into play. Hell the media would have no fun with a mundane butcher knife like they can with a quasi-combat knife.They just don't get the fact that knives cut. Any knife will cut whether a $2 paring knife or a hi-tech $1000 folder. A tool is a tool. Of course a story isn't always a story though unless spiced up with exotic weapons.
Bob
 
Strider has it right in that a knife is a tool an extension of man's hand and is a term that we as knife makers and collectors should use more often to describe to the general public the objects that we all here enjoy so much,a screw driver or a hammer can inflect as much if not more trauma than a knife and we do not call them Tactical screw drivers or Tactical hammers.
We need to use the proper terminalogy,call it for what it is a tool,mans first tool.

Kevin

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Member--Texas Knife Makers and Collectors Association

Usual Customizer

[This message has been edited by K Robinson (edited 03-27-2001).]
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by viper5192:
people have been using knives to kill since Cain and Able.</font>
Click to expand...

It says "he set upon him," not 'he stabbed him'.
 
And, of course, the reporter didn't do his/her homework when they wrote the article... spelled SEAL "Seal". It's Naval Special Warfare , NOT an f-ing circus animal... I hate it when people do that...

Sorry - pet peeve of mine.

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Of course, that's just MY opinion - I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
 
As an occasional buff of "COPS", the TV show, have vicariously ridden along with officers to a number of stabbings. Every one I can recall was done with a kitchen knife, mostly steak knives or paring knives. Haven't heard any calls for eliminating them from households, tho guess if you have a set in a bag on your way home from store in England you could find it dicey. -- Still can't believe that.

On a more political note, remember that Ralph Nader has tried to get rid of cars, at least some of them.

On non-silly note, I sure hope that all available knife knuts are barraging the editor of the Boston papers with letters pointing out that the two victims would be just as dead if whacked with pipes/bats, poisoned, shot, or attacked with any similar sized kitchen knife. (Actually, just realized that we all could do that via e-mail, most likely.


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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
Hey John - I didn't know james Taylor was involved in all this! Where's he hiding the knife??
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Of course, that's just MY opinion - I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
 
I just emailed them on their link to express my displeasure at the celebrity status of both knives and scumbags. The juxtaposition of the "killer nurse" headline beneath was not to my liking, either.
"If it bleeds, it leads" is alive and well...

Karl


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"Celebrate the diversity of inclusive, self-esteem nurturing, multicultural weapons arts." Karl Spaulding, The Safety Guy
 
Seems that link changes daily to reflect thier current front page.

The link has been changed to a photopoint link

John
 
i think the whole thing is absurd. If a certain knife is used in a murder, it becomes a weapon of evil. If someone gets drunk, hops in his Ford Taurus, and drives over a little kid, the guy is evil, but the car isn't.

Why the difference? They've both been used to kill someone. If the knife is evil, the Taurus must be evil too.

The problem is the way people view tools. People view knives as evil. They're not. They can't be. A knife is a thing. You cant anthropomorphize it by saying it's good or evil. It's the person using the knife that uses it in a good or an evil way. Unfortunately, most people don't think the right way ;)



 
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