FLASH! Without Knife. Man Survives!

I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with the idea that we can survive without knives.
In my short 22 years on this planet, I've had my a$$ saved by my knife three times, and used it to help save other people's lives twice. Granted, as a SAR volunteer and hunting guide I get more chances to actually use knives than an office employee. But both times my knife was used to help others (car/bus crash and a city worker who had an accident) was in a city with 3 million inhabitants.
There are countless other times when my knife has been useful, but those few are when it really made the difference between life and death.
A couple of my friends are still here only because of their knives.
None of the above situations was a self defense one, I've been lucky enough to avoid using my knife for fighting.
Some people ask me why I carry a first aid kit, flash light, multitool, etc. in my backpack wherever I go. The answer is simple: They can help save my or somebody else's life, and take very little room. Why shouldn't I carry them? Most people I know depend on the speedy arrival of an ambulance to save their bacon. Well, my mother's first office was paid by lawsuits because of ambulances that took too long to arrive. Even if the paramedics do get to you in time, it doesn't hurt to give them a little help, does it? I have lots of stories of the usefulness of first aid kits (and training, of course). IMHO, people are forgetting that taking care of your self and loved ones is also THEIR responsability, and not just the government or whichever authority they believe to be their deus ex machina ticket out of harms way.
Sorry for the long rant, and I apologize if I ofended somebody.
 
True, being without a knife I can survive.
True, the work "sheeple" has a lot of negative associations, here in particular.

I still like having a knife with me. I have no desire to sneak one anywhere, but there are times when not having one is very inconvenient. Ever try to open a new shrink-wrapped CD barehanded? That little pull-tab POS usually doesn't work.

I do landscaping work, and having a knife with me at work is a requirement for doing my job. Opening plastic bags, cutting shrinkwrapped bundles, cutting plastic edging to length, sizing weed barrier, removing the tags from the plants after they are in the ground, the list goes on. Most people that I see (customers and passers-by) have no problem with me using a knife (its a Camillus EDC). But there are some that get that scared look or even panic and run up to the project designer and say something like "OH GOLLY GOSH HE HAS A KNIFE SAVE ME SAVE ME" <---- that is a sheeple, and those hoplophobic indivuals are a small minority of the general population. Like most small but very vocal people, they can inspire regular people to fear over nothing.

I won't carry a knife for self defence; I'm better barehanded. But I support the right of people to do so, its even in the Constitution. I support that right vocally when I have the opportunity because if someone doesnt, then the only voice heard will be one of fear and ignorance. Dont point any fingers at one party or the other, they BOTH don't like knives. They are seen as "scary" for exactly that reason now, and will remain scary unless people, like the members here, show that knives are carried by responsible adults in all walks of life and are used responsibly by them.

So thats my rant for the day.

Ben
 
The two posts directly above mine are very inspiring and very good reasons to carry a knife.

I really couldn't say what I feel any better than that.
Good job folks :)

Unfortunately I work in a hospital where there are explicit policies in place that forbid weapon carry at all. In this policy it states that a knife or any edged instrument is a deadly weapon. It kind of pisses me off, but what can I do about it? Get fired? They say it's OK for you to leave it in your car but that's it. They also say that if you have a CCW license that they do not honor it and that it still has to be left in your car. I hate how it's becoming harder and harder to just carry a simple tool.

Cheers :)
FoM
 
Gee, I guess in my attempt at deep sarcasm I somehow failed to get my point across in the orignal post and subsequently the thread has meandered through several interpretations.
This was aimed at all those people who simply must find some way to sneak their blade where it is clearly stated to be unwelcome or unlawful. They go to great lengths to scheme and twist and wriggle it past knowing if they are caught they will be embarrassed and will then act all indignant as if they were totally within their right.
I posted it after reading the umteenth post by someone whining about how they were almost denied entry somewhere but managed to bumfoozle security and got away with the crime of the century. As much as I like 'in your face', if it says I can't carry my knife and there is a great likelyhood of being stopped, no matter how stupid it seems, I leave it in the car. If I am forced to, I will make a scene and will stand my ground when I am clearly within my rights, but the kids don't want to leave SeaWorld cause Daddy argued with the man or whatever... besides it makes us look like knuts. You have to know how to pick your fights.
Anyway, I am over it now....
:)
 
There are a lot of things we could survive without. You could survive without shoes, indoor plumbing, showering, tubeless tires, and electricity. But you would be an idiot to not have such extremely useful things that are so readily available. The real question is why some people are so determined to not have useful things just because they could "survive" without them.

So are people idiots for not having knives? Not really, at least not as much as someone who would replace their Bridgestones with tubes full of horse hair. But it isn't exactly the logical choice. I use my knife many times daily in place of risking a poorly-opened bag of chips (don't you hate it when the side of the bag rips?) or having to run around searching for scissors because some package is holding me up. You can also re-use shipping boxes many more times if you carefully cut the tape instead of pulling it apart.

You will find far more interesting answers if you ask non-knife carriers why they don't have one. But wait until you see one in need of a cutting tool so they can't use the excuse of never needing to use it. After all, how many times have we heard non-knife people say dumb things like "I don't like knives" or "knives scare me?" That's a sign of mental illness, to be afraid of stable objects. What about people that say they don't like to carry a knife only to ask to borrow a cutting tool when they need it? It is not normal to avoid simple tools and devices for no particular reason. The abnormal behavior is to have some aversion to simple and useful things.

It should also be noted in any discussion that questions the use or carrying of knives that these are basic tools that have been used and carried for thousands of years. It is not new or unusual.

As for having a sharper, shinier, etc, knife than others, it's just what we like. Some people want old or rare stamps. Some want a healthy garden or a green lawn. Some want to climb mountains, play football, or work out. Whatever people like doing best, they typically like it to be good.

Whether it has to be better than other people's stuff is your own incorrect interpretation. Many of us love knives that we are well aware are of lower overall quality than knives other people have or even other knives in our own collection. 99% of my purchases are just because I like whatever it is.
 
I'm not sure I believe the people who say it is purely a matter of utility. If you are just opening packages or peeling fruit, a small legal knife will do. If you carry an illegal 4" blade there is something else going on.

For me there are a couple of reasons. One is that the UK law is a bit of an ass in this area. Locking blades are illegal even if they are shorter than 3". Carrying one anyway is a tiny token of civil resistence which may eventually help to get the law overturned.

The other is to do with quality. I have an RSK which I don't carry, but I'd like to because it is just so nice. It feels solid and well-made, more so than a smaller or non-locking blade could ever manage. It is a pleasure to have a good knife and that is really sufficient reason.
 
In my short time on these forums I have read several cases where people have saved another's life because they had a knife on them. This alone is reason enough for any person to carry a knife in any kind of situation. Why drive when you can take the bus or car pool? A properly used knife is a very handy tool. An improperly used knife can be a weapon wielded with ill intent. A car can also be a very dangerous weapon if used with the wrong intent. Does this stop you from driving?
 
I guess I do not communicate well...not even 1 replier has understood the question, which was a rhetorical rant anyway. Let it die.
 
Merek, I think the question was well understood. I think there a lot of people that carry knives just because they admire them. Does anyone really need to carry a practically indestructible $300 sebenza? I'm pretty sure every poster understands you carry as well. But topics change often during a thread.
 
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