Had the sheeple experience

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RipD

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The other day at work a friend of mine couldn't get a package open and asked to borrow my knife (he knows I usually have one). That day I had my North Arms Skaha. Outside my office I heard somebody say "we need a knife, not a GD machete!"

The next day I had my Dragonfly and asked my friend about that. He told me it wasn't any better. His take is that anything larger than a small Swiss Army blade will freak people out.

Next time they ask I'll just tell people I don't have one.
 
Scissors in the office. Kitchen knives in kitchens. Utility knives on construction sites. Everything else suitable only for camping/fishing/yard work. A pocket knife of any size for general utility is an anachronism. That is the reality of modern life. Get used to it. Unless you are the boss, consider your workplace a hostile environment for anything other than doing the boss' bidding.
 
RipD said:
The other day at work a friend of mine couldn't get a package open and asked to borrow my knife (he knows I usually have one). That day I had my North Arms Skaha. Outside my office I heard somebody say "we need a knife, not a GD machete!"

The next day I had my Dragonfly and asked my friend about that. He told me it wasn't any better. His take is that anything larger than a small Swiss Army blade will freak people out.

Next time they ask I'll just tell people I don't have one.
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o_O Just want to make sure I get the story straight. Your buddy at work comes in and asks to borrow your knife. He's not freaked out, but he thinks other people people will freak out, so you aren't going to lend him your knife anymore?

I was about to say its always more effective to educate people than it is to just come here and complain, but I'm not following who had the issue, if anyone, with your knife.
 
jc57 said:
Scissors in the office. Kitchen knives in kitchens. Utility knives on construction sites. Everything else suitable only for camping/fishing/yard work. A pocket knife of any size for general utility is an anachronism. That is the reality of modern life. Get used to it. Unless you are the boss, consider your workplace a hostile environment for anything other than doing the boss' bidding.
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Sensible, but I think this can vary based on region you live, and the culture in your particular area and even your company. I work in a fortune 100 company which, like most of them at this size, is controlled by a politically liberal mindset that is generally hostile to things like 2nd amendment rights, ccw of anything, etc. However...I've worked here 17 years and there is no problem carrying and using even large folders in the workplace, provided they are (1) within the local laws (no autos in our state, etc.), and (2) not used in a time/place/manner that someone would consider intimidating. That 2nd item can be tricky as it's subjective, but I just use caution as to where, when, and how I open a folding knife, and have never had a problem even from "liberal" colleagues who probably vote for various gun and knife control measures. Some of those colleagues even on my team carry Spyderco folders themselves--even to work--so there's a case in point that there's not one single approach that works in every situation.
 
Carry what you want, atleast now they know what to expect if they need to borrow your knife.
 
That's too bad, it really seems like people are severely lacking in sense these days. My work place is pretty friendly towards blades, several others carry knives. Worst I have ever encountered is my 3.5'' folders being (jokingly) called "swords".
 
T. Erdelyi said:
We must hang out and work with different people or you're appearing to use wave it about and use it in a menacing manner. In 40+ years of working I've never had that problem. Must be how I handle my knife. :)
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You and I seem to be doing it all wrong, because I have never had a problem either, even with, as was put earlier, my ""liberal" colleagues who probably vote for various gun and knife control measures". :)
 
My knives have never been an issue in my workplace for the last 11 years. And my workplace is definitely "a liberal, left-leaning environment" and about 80/20 female to male. Of course, at first there were a couple of comments, more along the lines of, "Whoa, you're carrying a knife!" and "cool knife." They became acclimated to it and never made a big deal about it, because I never made a big deal about it. I was using it for specific tasks at work, and they realized the usefulness of it. Size-wise, I've carried/used everything from a Spyderco Police and Military, down to my small Inkosi and SAK Executive. I do have a rule that if someone really needs something cut, I'll do it for them, rather than hand my knife to them.

A male colleague of mine eventually did some research on his own and bought himself an S30V Kershaw Blur, and later a Kershaw Pico, which he carries at work. He clearly likes AO knives, which I personally don't necessarily care for. But the point is, he was not a "knife guy" before, but decided on his own that he wanted to carry, too, because he saw how useful a knife can be.

Jim
 
marcinek said:
You and I seem to be doing it all wrong, because I have never had a problem either, even with, as was put earlier, my ""liberal" colleagues who probably vote for various gun and knife control measures". :)
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Make that three of us. I have worked in construction in the field all the way to financial management in a bank over my last 60 years. Carry the right knife for the job (smaller in white collar situations is better) and keep it in your pocket unless it is for your own use. Let other folks get their own knives. How one handles situations has everything to do with perception.

The "sheeple" tag doesn't help either. Every time I see one of these posts (every other week?) it is almost a troll, someone who is trying to stir up some the locals against those less manly than the indignant thread poster. Because people don't like your knife and the way you use it doesn't make them "sheeple". Even though I carry two blades all the time, as a business owner/employer, if I saw yours out I would probably write you up. In this day and age I am not going to be responsible for anyone feeling unsafe, endangered, at risk, or anything else an employee/attorney combination can come up with. Use your head and be aware of your environment.

The solution is simple, RipD. Keep your knife in your pocket.

Robert
 
Sounds like there are more underlying problems if your co-workers demand help and then deride you when they get it.
 
Mitchell Knives said:
Let them tear it open with their keys like a savage next time.
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Or say "Would you like a knife?" And if they say "yes," offer yours closed, and if they say "no," dont.

And if they say, "You carry a knife?" Say, "Yes, to do things like open boxes."

It's what a gentleperson would do. Not that you are not.

I have never had someone freak out when doing that, and, the vast majority of time, they think the knife is neat and want to talk about it, after they get their box open, thread cut, clamshell pack open, etc etc etc.

It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
 
Just tell them you don't have a knife next time, or tell them " sorry my knife is not for people who get freaked out buy a cutting tool they don't need a magnifying glass to see "
 
I once had a lady come into the store and say that she was intimidated by all of the weapons on the wall. The best part was that she was looking at our wall of kitchen knives. I told her that she shouldn't worry at all. This was the safest place to be if we are attacked by a gang of broccoli or a swarm of bell peppers. She found it not as funny as I did.....but at least i amused myself. Here is what she was concerned about.....
store photo 4.jpg
 
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