damn..what are you gonna do with that???

A

Angelus1781

Joined
Feb 22, 2003
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Is one reply I got when showing my new knife at work, followed by a few other comments on my new becker crewman. Comments like that are very annoying and stupid. Gee..its a knife...what do you think I'm going to do with it? Play checkers?

Anyone else run into this? Stupid people that don't understand the need for a different knife for different job.
 
I run into this from time to time and I would chalk their comments up to ignorance rather than stupidity. By giving people an informative explaination without insulting their intelligence usually brings them around. I have converted many a "sheeple" just by giving them some information on a knife I carry.
 
Man, that would be an interesting game of checkers. I bet most people would let you win.

I get comments like that even when I pull a pocket knife out to use. It has stopped bothering me. I just tell the person that I am going to use it to open a box or cut some strapping or do whatever else I use a knife dozens of times a day to do. The reactions these people have are due to ingorance and to the sensationalism with which the media report on all cases of knife related violence. The fact that knives are no longer considered tools, instead they are considered weapons by most people, is the reason you get these reactions.

I could write a five thousand word article on this subject. You don't want to get me started.
 
I haven't run into it lately, since places that I go (like to church, out with guys who share my hobby, and to work) are all knife-friendly.

I have been to places where some sheeple think a Microtech mini-SOCOM with a grey handle is a 'weapon,' but see the same Microtech mini-SOCOM but with a purple handle as a 'cute knife.'

Sheeple have weird slants. They'll pay big bucks to see the latest Mel Gibson action flick, but condemn you when you buy the same pistol. That's the way it is, and I don't foresee a change.
 
And then the same people who give you a hard time will come looking for you when they need something cut. Never ceases to both amuse and infuriate me at the same time. Thankfully my friends and family are the very antithesis of sheeple, so I have a great support group when the world gets to be too much. I guess I've got this place for that too, although you all can be a little strange at times. :p
 
Originally posted by Roadrunner
And then the same people who give you a hard time will come looking for you when they need something cut. Never ceases to both amuse and infuriate me at the same time. Thankfully my friends and family are the very antithesis of sheeple, so I have a great support group when the world gets to be too much. I guess I've got this place for that too, although you all can be a little strange at times. :p
Click to expand...

While not sheeple, my family did look at me a little strange when I got my Livesay RTAK. That was until a coral snake wandered into the yard.
 
LOL. It took me a few years to convince my Dad to let me get a machete. One day when I was 14 he said, "If I let you get a machete, will you clear out all of the brush on our ATV trail?". :D I of course was happy to oblige, of course now I have a lot more brush-clearing gear in my arsenal. My Mom is so cool about my knives, her first comment upon picking up my Himalayan Imports Gelbu Special was "Wow, you could take someone's head off with this thing!". I love my family! :)
 
My favorite response (that I never use) is "Well isn't it obvious? This knife's for killin'!" Actually I'll say something like that to my knife friends when they pull out thier latest tactical thingamabob, "That's not good for anything but killin', Bob!" Mostly I use a medium stockman or small SAK around non-knife folks so I don't get that much.

Rob
 
I've always had a problem with this. I have good sized hands... the biggest pair of work gloves I can find in a typical hardware store are skin tight on me. Thus I like knives with big handles and/or good ergonomics, which lends me to carrying large knives. For the love of Pete I used a CRKT M16 as a work knife for a good long while since it fit my hand well.

I have found however I can avoid freaking certain people out by not letting the knife leave my hand. If you don't have anything beyond my hand to compare to the knife to judge its size, it looks smaller than it really is.
 
I've never really had any trouble or negative comments about the knives I carry. I guess that's mostly because I tend to favour small folders and multi tools. Sheeple don't tend to regard a Leatherman as a knife, even though the blade is probably as long as some fixed blade knives I've seen. The Meerkat is probably regarded as too "cute" to be a "real knife".

Things might change however when I start waving around my new custom made fixed blade ... :D
 
most ppl around me are used to my knives, so they don't ask much. though when ppl do ask me, it's usually because I have it out and using it. for those times when it's out to play with or check the edge, looking at them with a gleam in your eye usually has the sheeple run.
 
I hate to be the wet blanket here, but am I the only one who thinks we cutlery enthusiasts need to show a little more restraint and discretion instead of waving combat knives around the job, then coming here to complain when our hobby is not well recieved? Unless you work on a farm, a camping store, or a military base, it's probably not a good idea to show off your new fixed blade military-style knives at work.

"What are you going to do with that?" is a perfectly legitimate question, unless like I said, you are an active duty soldier. Are you a camper? A hunter? A collector? All are legitimate answers to a reasonable question, instead of taking umbrage at their "ignorance".

Enjoy your knives at home, come here and share with like-minded hobbyists, but don't expect your coworkers to share your enthusiasm. If anything, your enthusiasm will concern them.

If you fancy yourself a "knife evangelist", it's best to start small - open a bag of chips with your SAK the next time someone is trying open them with a ball-point pen.
 
Originally posted by Angelus1781 Re: damn..what are you gonna do with that???
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"And one day I will use it to take over the World Mwahahahahaha!!!"

Most of my coworkers actually never knew I had a knife until a couple of weeks ago(been there for about a year). One of them said it was very out of character for me to have one.:p
 
Everyone I work with knows I make knives in my spare time and they're all cool with it. However this woman I work with can't seem to understand that knives can be tools, not just weapons.

I made a Nessmuk style knife that would make the worst weapon imagineable, it literally has no point, a big belly for chopping, it's
thick, etc. A knife made for use as a tool in the woods. It also has a nice Ironwood handle and brass fittings. Not very scary looking.

Well, she looked at it and said something like "What a vicious weapon! That looks like it could just mutilate someone!" I explained to her that it's not even designed for that purpose and pointed out the features that make it a utility knife, not a weapon, but she only views knives as weapons.

Click here to see my "Vicious Weapon" which I call the Nessmuk...
 
I've actually had more problems with acceptance of my hobby since I joined the Army. How's that for messed up? I had one platoon sergeant go so far as to threaten me with a psych eval for carrying a Camillus EDC. This was the same woman who ended up using my knife and lighter to cut up and burn the ends of a bunch of 550 cord we needed to set up a tent. Even that didn't drive home the point that it was a tool, and an extremely useful one at that. The sheeple are even infiltrating our armed forces, it's despicable.
 
I like to give a shifty, slighlty enigmatic reply, in my best Hannibal Lecter voice, like;

"Don't worry, I'm not like all the others......."

Then turn away.

Seriously I gotta echo RH's comments. It's best to have the appropriate tool for the job. A fixed blade just isn't in most work places. About the biggest blade I'll whip out in town or city is my Spyderco Military - and this I have learned to do in a manner that conceals most of the handle and blade in my hand with only the tip showing. I've learned to do this easily without raising eyebrows. Otherwise a soldier SAK or some other piece known for it's cuteness is the best option.

But hey I can feel for you. You've just got this beautifull blade and are suffering from an acute case of new blade-itis. The best thing for you to do is go bush for a few days and use the snot out of the thing, that will satiate you urge to carry it every day, then you can go back to something smaller and friendlier when you are amongst the flock.
 
I carry a Benchmade AFCK. But no one at work knows exactly what it is, they just see the same pocket clippie thingie a few other guys have that are attached to smaller-bladed knives. I don't take it out at work for several reasons. First, I don't want anyone to ask to borrow it. Because then I'll have to tell them no and it's easier to avoid that and just say no when they ask if I have a knife they can borrow. They might not believe me when I say I don't have one, but because they've never actually SEEN the blade, they don't actually know what the little clippie thing really is attached to, so they can't doubt me totally when I say no. Second, and this segues from the first, by not having to loan my knife to nabobs (the dreaded "K-T-N"---"Knife-To-Nabobs" death knell for many a fine blade abused by idiots) I don't have to worry about them using the knife to pry stuck quarters out of the vending machine or dig crap out from under their shoes with it and returning it to me in less than stellar condition. Third is culpable deniability. No, I don't have a knife. You've never SEEN me with a knife. Go get a carton cutter to open that box. Way I see it, the company buys carton cutters. The didn't buy my AFCK or my Sharpmaker. Therefore, the company does not get free use of my personal knife. Nor do my co-workers. They should invest in their own if they find themselves in continual need of a knife. Fourth, the crybabies can't cry if they can't see the blade. They might see the pocket clippie thingie, but that's not scary looking and the boogeyman doesn't have a clippie thingie. The blade is what's scary to people who hyperventilate if they see so much as a Brown Bess in a museum display case, so as long as they don't see it, they can't whine about it. The less whining, the better the workplace. Fifth, I have no need to show my co-workers my knife. It's a piece of my personal effects and I certainly wouldn't say, "Hey, check out my cool social security card! Grab a pen and paper and jot it down!" or "Hey, let's go into the bathroom and let me show you my awesome underwear!" My reasons for carrying that knife, like the knife itself, are personal as far as the workplace is concerned. Here is different. Here we can talk about these things. But at work, they're on their own. Let them find their own damn cutting implements as far as I'm conmcerned.:p
 
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