General thought....... why are they seen as Evil??

Clay, don't forget the ever present BallPeen or Claw Hammer, yikes, better get a 5 day check before selling one of them!

G2

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"The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions!"
Take the time to read your Bible Now, don't be left behind...


G2 LeatherWorks
 
Originally posted by Vlad the Impaler:
It seems to me that the Bali-song is an evil weapon because it is a Filipino weapon.
Vlad
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hmm.....i'm a part-filipino who carries a balisong. I must be pure evil
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and the only movie i can think of where a good guy carried one was in "The Mummy". Brendan Fraiser carried one and used it to cut a scarab out of a guys arm. but he was a bad-ass hero, so that kind of helps fortify the evil vibe.
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I dunno.

If you have a knife, people seem to think you're evil. Might have something to do with it being a weapon, which you could harm someone with...but you can do that with a pencil.

Yeah, if you have a lockblade, people may think you're a "Boy Scout" person, who helps people and has developed survival skills. But can't you loosen the blade tension on some knifes to the point where you can flip the blade out like a switchblade?

Now that I think about it, when I heard the term "butterfly knife", I used to associate it with gangs stabbing people.

Ok, I don't have a point.
 
Favorite among my collection are a small group of advertising balisongs. You've all received some sort of advertising premium at some time, a pen or a keychain with a radio station's call letters printed on it, or some such thing. Well, I actually have a small collection of balisongs with advertising on them that were obviously used as give-aways. They date from the 1930s and 1940s. One is from an insurance agency in Des Moines, Iowa, a conservative, respectible firm in a conservative, respectible business, in the heart of conservative middle-america, and they handed out balisongs as advertising trinkets.

Waltco Products, one of the early American manufacturers of balisong-style knives, sold theirs as the "Saf-T-Sheath Knife". A safe knife. And Hemming Brothers Cultery sold theirs as "The Outdoorsman," a good knife for camping and fishing, and recreational activities.

I have a number of European, often German or English, balisongs for the 20s and 30s that are very fine knives with wonderful Mother of Pearl, ivory, or elaborately engraved silver handles. The character of these knives tells you that they clearly were not intended as evil weapons but as fine fine pocket knives for respectible gentlemen.

I even have one who's character and blade style suggests that it was intended for a lady, perhaps for embroidery or other sewing work.

In other words, this image of the balisong as an evil thing is a recent development.

Oh, and Clay, you really should go to Hollywood. You'd do great in a movie.

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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com


[This message has been edited by Gollnick (edited 09-28-2000).]
 
I don't think that there is any way to glamorize the using of a Bali. Any person, hero or villain, using a knife to overcome an opponent is not pleasant to watch. Lets face it, to use a knife you have to get up close and personal. How many of you are deer hunters? When you're done gutting a buck, if you are like me, you look like you've been bathing in blood. Not pleasant. When using a gun, whether in real life or the movies, the shooter is somewhat detached from the killing. In almost every action movie anymore our hero makes humorous statements while shooting multiple bad guys. Imagine saying something funny while warm blood oozes down your handles and onto your hands. The only example that I can think of to show a good side to the American sheep would be if Indiana Jones carried a Bali and used it in a variety of ways to defeat traps and what not. Of course a Leatherman would be more realistic.

Lets face it, we see beauty in something that is inherently dark. The laws aren't going to go away, the best we can do is hold them where they are. I cringe every time a movie like Face Off, ( I believe) furthers the perception of bad guys use Balis, therefore Balis are bad.


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Doubt is an uncomfortable condition,
but certainty is a ridiculous one.
 
I think part of the problem is that balis are so concealible and handy. Most "good guys" can and do carry there weapons (tools)openly. Therefor do not need an easily concealed, carried knife. They, for the most part can carry a fixed blade knife openly if there job were to warrant it.
As much as we would hate to admit it any folding knife is a compromise. A fixed blade knife is ideal in most all situations but not always convienient or appropiate to carry. So therefor any one who carries any weapon (tool) concealed is often looked at as bieng other than authorized to do so, a "bad guy".
The question I am oftern asked is "what do you need thet for?". Even though I am almost always in the process of constructively using my knife??? I ofter ask what other tool should I be using do do the job at hand? To this I usually get well that knife is so big, can be opened so easily, and so on. My favorite analagy is have you ever tried to get to the bottom of a mostly empty peanutbutter jar with a small knife? I always ask why is the fact that I carry what I believe to be a good tool for the jobs I use it for, that is of a really handy, design a problem. To this I just get the same blank stares you all get I am sure.
I am sure if I were an LEO or even in the Military still these same people would not even think to ask. They would just assume that I needed my knife for "work". I spent six years active duty USMC and I can not remember ever being questioned as to why I was carrying any knife from people outside the military. My co workers even than sometimes thought I was going over board with the knives I carry. Thats only because they knew that I am evil though, I think? They also knew that I can not spell to save my life!
Just my .02 worth.

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Later, Jim
 
While in the U.S.M.C. myself, I was never questioned about the array of knifes I carried, concealed or otherwise, by other Marines. It is generally accepted by its members that the purpose of the Marine Corp is to kill people and break things, and a knife is an excellent tool. But I was stopped by police officers in town twice because I carry my Buck #110 upside-down for easier access. The first time I was stopped by this young city police officer who may have had a chip on his shoulder. He said something about the way I was carrieng was illegal and he could "run me in". The second time (about a year later) the officer said that maybe I shouldn't carry such a big knife openly. Perhaps for a city environment he was right. But, where I came from, (Redneckville Indiana) almost everyone was carrying a belt knife by the time they were 10. I think you are right, the general perception of knifes is that they are weapons not tools. Even more so for a knife that is non-standard like a Bali.

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Doubt is an uncomfortable condition,
but certainty is a ridiculous one.
 
It seems to me that you are missing a basic point. My guess is that liberals are the ones who cringe in horror as a Balisong is opened. Well, such negative comments insult the Filipino people--a blatantly racist act of hate speech! Let's all practice 'diversity' and buy and use Balisongs to celebrate this noble people...--OKG
 
Did I miss something here? I don't recall insulting anybody.

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Doubt is an uncomfortable condition,
but certainty is a ridiculous one.
 
>>A "Bad Guy" role would probably be a lot easier to land than a "Good Guy" role since those are usually reserved for the stars!!

As Shirly McClain says: It's a lot easier to play a bad guy, then a good guy. Being a actor is a lot like a lot of other professions or job in life, you have to learn how to do it and that can take years of study. You do not decide to be a actor one day and be one the next.

The reason that a balisong knife would be more associated with a bad guy then a good guy, is that the good guy would most likely kick a knife out a bad guys hands. Just like when we were kids, the good guy would only use his gun to shoot the gun out of the hand of the bad guy. I know with the anti-hero's they have out there now, things are a bit different then what they were back then.

Second of all, a knife is only as threatening as the person who is holding it. That can be based on how good or evil their heart is, and their intent. Also, it can be based on how well they can handle the weapon. The most threatening of weapons in the hands of a clutz, is no comparison to the same weapon in the hands of someone who is highly trained in their use.

People are not stupid, and they know a balisong knife is no more of a threat then a lot of other knives. What cases all of the laws against them, is that people are highly trained in their use. Sense the blade is often a type that can be used to repeatedly stab with, that makes it even more of a threat. But for me, the knife itself is not evil, no matter how much people practice with them. What is evil is the heart, and that is the issue you need to deal with.

I still believe that you do not overcome evil by banning weapons. Good overcomes evil, and good intent overcomes evil intent. The world does not need less balisong knives, the world needs more love, and then you will not have people going around being stupid harming others.

Rmember I have been selling these things for a living for almost 15 years. I have people pick these knives up off of my table flip them around, point them in my direction & stare at me with a threatening look. I stare right back at them, and they always laugh and say how much is the knife man
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Thanks, JohnR7 (on Ebay) www.BalisongKnife.com
 
Hi fellows,

it´s the "clack" and it´s the sudden appearance of the blade, that terrifies people about the balisongs. Remember the distinguish "clack" of a repeated pumpgun and you will understand the fear. And you will understand why directors of tv series see the bali more in the hands of "black-hat-boys" than of "white-hat-boys".

But never mind, keep on demonstrating people outside that a knife is as kind and helpful as it´s bearer.

Claus
 
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