How can we promote a positive image of knives?

I do not think that knife design or knife size has anywhere near as much to do with perception of danger as the presentation of the person using the knife.

I frequently use a la griffe for opening boxes, use an SE tasman salt for rope, and an a100 for normal edc. All are what some here would consider aggressively styled knives, but I haven't gotten a comment from a stranger about them being threatening, the only people who have said things like that are family and friends who were simply messing around with me. There are people out there who think all knives are scary, even a leatherman, but very few people distinguish between a scary knife and a not scary knife. I for one fully intend to carry my 561 when it comes in, because based on my experience no one will care how big the thing is, only that its a knife, and people will either not care, or would be upset by any inanimate object they've been told by the media to fear. I'll carry a knife thats more than most people need, because given what I use my knife for at work its not more than I need. Same reason I drive a sports car, yes it goes over the speed limit, yes it rides nice, and yes it makes me happy. Making your choices based on how others "might" feel is completely insane. At the end of the day, if you're not being an A-hole no one cares what you have in your pocket.

YMMV of course, but in my opinion knife owners should not be siding with the NRA, as that defines knives as weapons to most people, we should instead further support for groups like kniferights who represent cutlery as it is. knives are NOT weapons as their primary use is to cut things which can and does apply to many things through the day, guns however are, as they make a fairly terribly paper punch, but are quite good at ending life.
 
As has been mentioned, fear of knives has a funny contextual shading. Seeing your gardner waving a machete in your front yard raises no alarm, while seeing your postman standing right next to him waving a similar machete, would cause many people to place themselves behind a locked door. The former has an understood use for the tool while the latter does not. By highlighting and making people consciously aware of knife utility we can move the reaction from fear to one of understanding.

n2s
 
corwise said:
No, it's not. I understand where you're coming from and you are right, if people get freaked it leads to a bad image for knife users. But I think Andrew said it better then I when he said:



Telling me not to use a modern locking knife because it might scare people is like telling my friend he can't have his BMW because its fast and might scare people as he drives by. As long as he's doing the speed limit, no one has a reason to tell him what to drive. I think he was nuts to pay that much for a used M5, but that's what he wanted. Or telling someone in Arizona that they shouldn't open carry firearms because it freaks people out. Maybe it does, but it's legal to do so and as long as you're doing in a responsible manner then its your business.

I use it responsibly, don't flash it around. But it works great to cut things so that's what I use it for.
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I was trying to point out that people should just be aware of what is happening around them ect.

Just because it's legal doesn't really mean it's OK if you know what I mean..... There are a lot of things that are legal to do but we can still get in one heck of a bind for doing them.

The whole I can do whatever I want when I want too general attitude just doesn't cut it if we want to do something positive.

Perception of OTHERS........

What we think really doesn't matter since we are in the very small percentage.

People in general need to look past themselves if they want to do something positive.

I understand that is a new concept in today's Society, but we really need to get back to the basics.
 
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just because its legal to carry size xxx knife doesnt mean its appropriate... i have a neighbor who wears a bowie knife on his belt and carries a shoulder holster he likes to "accidentally" expose all the time...its people like this that are the reason why we have so many problems... you don't need a Hinderer or a strider to open your mail....ive been using the same letter opener that says "dad" on it for over 30 years (was my dads) i understand what our "rights' are but we don't need to exercise them in the public's face 24/7

I know certain open carry and gun groups like to flaunt their lifestyle choices by holding open carry fishing trips etc.. since its legal to open carry in hunting /fishing areas here.on a public pier where families are.....in between their talk of survival shelters and what guns they have stockpiled for the race war or when the system crashes...

is it legal? yes? does it make them look like tinfoil hat nutjobs? IMO yes...they claim to want open carry for their amendment rights etc.. but seem to do everything in their power to keep it from happening by shoving it down peoples throats..

Discretion is key here... if you want to carry a knife thats fine.. just don't be a moron and use a $700 knife for opening that package of ruffles ..no one is saying don't enjoy your hobby or your passions... just don't shove them down peoples throats.. you wouldnt like it done to you..
 
furfmonkey said:
just because its legal to carry size xxx knife doesnt mean its appropriate... i have a neighbor who wears a bowie knife on his belt and carries a shoulder holster he likes to "accidentally" expose all the time...its people like this that are the reason why we have so many problems... you don't need a Hinderer or a strider to open your mail....ive been using the same letter opener that says "dad" on it for over 30 years (was my dads) i understand what our "rights' are but we don't need to exercise them in the public's face 24/7

I know certain open carry and gun groups like to flaunt their lifestyle choices by holding open carry fishing trips etc.. since its legal to open carry in hunting /fishing areas here.on a public pier where families are.....in between their talk of survival shelters and what guns they have stockpiled for the race war or when the system crashes...

is it legal? yes? does it make them look like tinfoil hat nutjobs? IMO yes...they claim to want open carry for their amendment rights etc.. but seem to do everything in their power to keep it from happening by shoving it down peoples throats..

Discretion is key here... if you want to carry a knife thats fine.. just don't be a moron and use a $700 knife for opening that package of ruffles ..no one is saying don't enjoy your hobby or your passions... just don't shove them down peoples throats.. you wouldnt like it done to you..
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Like people say, most things in moderation are fine. ;)

Nobody likes peoples views thrown in their faces and shoved down their throats.

Hobbies are great, but once that hobby starts affecting other people in a negative way then there is a problem legal or not.

If I see a person loaded down I think they are a nut job myself and I am Pro Gun and knife both, but that doesn't keep me from thinking they are crazy.

In general the SD and Survivalist crowds are hurting us more than helping by portraying knives in a negative manner.

Advertising by some companies aren't helping us either by portraying knives as weapons, it helps them sell more knives, but that's all it does.
 
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exactly.. im pro guns and knives and im all for protecting yourself BUT try not to look like some half ass dog the bounty hunter

I know gun nuts who will only carry 8in 44 magnums or nothing less than a 45 cal... in the FL summer...yeah enjoy that 3 lb piece of metal.. a subcompact 9mm in my waist or pocket can do the same job...its not the size of the gun its what you do with it ;) as they say in real estate.. location location location :)

seriously ive seen people on some forums who wont leave their homes without their giant keyring , cellphone, 2-3 flashlights,"tactical" pens ,their 3-4 knives ,their 2 guns and a fixed blade... like they live in the amazon or its the zombie apocalypse seriously their EDC pics look like it would fill a footlocker


IMO a "normal" EDC is your cell,your wallet,a sak and a small edc folder... maybe a small 9mm or something if you are in a bad neighborhood flashlights during the day (esp tactical ones and tactical pens (LOL) make people look like nutjobs.. unless you work in the sewers or underground or in crawlspaces... flashlights during the daytime are pretty much unnecessary . especially clipped to your belt next to your fixed blade and other 'gear' ... sorry it makes me laugh... back when i was a LEO i would see rent a cops and wanna bees who dressed like that..
 
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furfmonkey said:
exactly.. im pro guns and knives and im all for protecting yourself BUT try not to look like some half ass dog the bounty hunter

I know gun nuts who will only carry 8in 44 magnums or nothing less than a 45 cal... in the FL summer...yeah enjoy that 3 lb piece of metal.. a subcompact 9mm in my waist or pocket can do the same job...its not the size of the gun its what you do with it ;) as they say in real estate.. location location location :)

seriously ive seen people on some forums who wont leave their homes without their giant keyring , cellphone, 2-3 flashlights, their 3-4 knives ,their 2 guns and a fixed blade... like they live in the amazon or its the zombie apocalypse seriously their EDC pics look like it would fill a footlocker
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Yeah, it's like they are trying to impress someone or impose an impression.....

It's like people are supposed to go OOOOHHHHHH AHHHHHHHH OOOOOOOOOOHHHHH.......... :rolleyes:

Personally I would be going in the other direction before they flip out and start shooting everyone in sight.....

Nut jobs IMO....
 
Ankerson said:
People in general need to look past themselves if they want to do something positive.
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Something I've said for many years is that you need to respect everyone else's rights if you want yours.

I would NEVER ever think about trying to ban or put restrictions on anyone else's given rights. Why? Because I respect other people's opinions and rights. And no I'm not a right wing nut case!

I've seen a few "can't do anything", "won't ever change perception" here on this thread. With that attitude you can bet not only your knife rights will be erased, but several others as well. As soon as you give up and surrender your rights without a fight you can expect them to be gone. I will NEVER stop trying to change people's perceptions about my knives (and for the record I carry a slipjoint or small lockback for EDC), my guns, or any of my other rights.
 
the positive i see from all the crazies out there is that they are always consistent :) they make it easy for us to spot them be it full tac belt with gun/light/blades/tactical eyewear and pen or the guy into disney who covers their car in 101 dalamations and wears nothing but cartoon shirts...

at least they arent hard to spot and avoid :)
 
furfmonkey said:
the positive i see from all the crazies out there is that they are always consistent :) they make it easy for us to spot them be it full tac belt with gun/light/blades/tactical eyewear and pen or the guy into disney who covers their car in 101 dalamations and wears nothing but cartoon shirts...

at least they arent hard to spot and avoid :)
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Yeah they stand out like NEON signs......

Not really a positive thing though.

The really amusing thing is that if something really ever did go down 99.9% of them that believe they are prepared really aren't, they would last maybe a few hours longer than the sheeple they love to bash.

They really think they can spend a few hundred bucks and be prepared, that's really funny....

They would really need to spend more like $30,000 and that doesn't include weapons and other toys to start being ready, I mean really ready.

That's if they want to last more than a day or so..... And that's if they are really lucky, really lucky....

But in the end it really won't matter much how prepared they are for the majority of people if something really did happen for real especially if they live in or near any major city or Military Base.

That's coming from an N.B.C. and weapons specialist during the cold war days.....

The ones who will survive will be those who just happen to be in the right place at the right time when it happens, for the rest.... Well.........
 
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People who doesn't know me might be alarmed when I produce a knife to do something, but in my circle nobody cares anymore. I have built a reputation as the fixer, whether it's computers, cars, or what have you. At first several of my in-laws were alarmed when they saw me use a knife to open boxes, but then they saw me whipping out a screwdriver to fix a stroller, a pair of pliers to fix a barbecue grill, a bottle opener to open foreign beer bottles, a flashlight to light up an unfinished basement, etc. suddenly they saw my knife as just one of many tools and ceased to worry. They might see me as an eccentric for carrying multitools, but I'm eccentric in a good way like McGyver, not like Jack the Ripper.
 
Sep said:
People who doesn't know me might be alarmed when I produce a knife to do something, but in my circle nobody cares anymore. I have built a reputation as the fixer, whether it's computers, cars, or what have you. At first several of my in-laws were alarmed when they saw me use a knife to open boxes, but then they saw me whipping out a screwdriver to fix a stroller, a pair of pliers to fix a barbecue grill, a bottle opener to open foreign beer bottles, a flashlight to light up an unfinished basement, etc. suddenly they saw my knife as just one of many tools and ceased to worry. They might see me as an eccentric for carrying multitools, but I'm eccentric in a good way like McGyver, not like Jack the Ripper.
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nothing wrong in any way with how you do things mate.. i love being the guy who can fix things :)
 
Ankerson said:
Yeah they stand out like NEON signs......

Not really a positive thing though.

The really amusing thing is that if something really ever did go down 99.9% of them that believe they are prepared really aren't, they would last maybe a few hours longer than the sheeple they love to bash.

They really think they can spend a few hundred bucks and be prepared, that's really funny....

That's coming from an N.B.C. and weapons specialist during the cold war days.....
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positive in the fact that we know who they are and how to stay the F away from them :)
 
No wonder this thread is so popular...also, it's good to read different opinions from people coming from different places and background. I just wish we kept the talk about knives and not mix it with firearms...it's all another matter and I think we should stick to blades.
It seems to me that there are 2 main points on this.
First point is: do we (meaning knife users) care about what others think of our knives or how they react?
If we don't.....there's no point in this thread. But, eventually, we will have to face what others think. We're a minority, after all.
If we do....well probably we should worry about the matter and see if there is anything we can do to make things better.
The second point is: how aware are we of what people think about our knives? My answer is that we know very little. I have no idea is someone ever made a serious enquiry on this. Still, I find it very far from reality to say that people react (and will always react) in the same way to blades, no matter which knife we carry, how we use it, and so on.
I think that our attitude and the kind of knife we carry are very important. I'm not saying that everyone should carry a 2,5" non locking traditional. As long as it's legal, I don't care if someone carries four 4"+ tactical folders. But this is what I think. I have to accept the fact that the majority of non knife users think different, and we should know that. Then, if I want to carry a black serrated 5" folder for EDC, flick it open, and use it aggressively, then I will do it (if it's legal). But I won't go on saying that it would be the same if I carried a Peanut and use it as Jackknife (I hope u don't mind if I take u as an example of "old-style" knife user)
As for everything...the first and more important step is being aware of the problem (if there is any), and the second thing is understanding it.
:cool:
 
MikeC said:
Besides those who oppose knives don't care how nice, respectful and reasonable you are or appear, their views can not and will not be changed.
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Yet I have managed to change some people's opinions, even getting some of them to buy knives of their own.
Nothing is immune to change.
 
For the last couple years, I lived in Boulder, which is, as I'm sure many of you know, a VERY liberal place. I admit to carrying more of the tactical folders, and I do like to open my folders with some wrist english or a flick of the thumb on a thumbstud. I also like to cut and close as fast as possible; no sense having a blade out forever. And yet, even in Boulder, I've never had more than the occasional comment about "wow, that's a scary looking knife" and that's on the rare occasions when I'm not discreet enough. The people that I work with are at first often a bit intimidated by the fact that I carry a "scary looking knife," and yet, after seeing me use my knife countless times to cut zip ties, open boxes, and perform the multitude of cutting tasks that accompany every day life, they get used to first seeing the knife, and then they want to get one of their own. My roommate started out not carrying a knife, and was pretty close to your average sheeple. After a couple years of living with me, he got himself a SAK, and then I gave him a Tenacious as a present for being my best man. He carries it everywhere now, and loves it. By now, many of the people who used to be scared of my knives are now looking for a good knife of their own to carry, because they get sick of borrowing mine, or worse, fighting over who gets to borrow it when multiple people have a cutting task. Nobody wants to use the crappy exacto, because they really like the ergonomics of a nice pocket knife.

Responsible use of the knife as a tool goes a LONG way. Boulder is Sheeple central, as far as most gun/knife owners are concerned, and yet, even there, many people understand the use of a knife. In fact, many of the liberals who commonly get labeled sheeple are dedicated backpackers, and they carry knives themselves, and generally are far more responsible with their knives than the self-defense oriented conservatives who call them sheeple. The problem with those disparaging terms, and grouping people in a category like that, is that you don't really know the people you're arguing against. As I've argued before, knives are useful for everyone, regardless of their political views. You can indeed have a constructive discussion with people, but not if you're going to be defensive and antagonistic from the get-go.

If we want to make changes, it starts with how we view knives ourselves. If you take it for granted that knives are weapons, then you're probably part of the problem. I could easily kill someone with a pen, and a large percentage of stabbing wounds involve not a knife, but a screwdriver. Does that mean that a pen or a screwdriver is a weapon? Absolutely not.

As I've mentioned in other threads before, the definition of weapon includes intent. If you carry a knife with the intent of using it to harm someone (even in self-defense), it counts as a weapon. That's why self-defense is not considered an affirmative defense if you are carrying a knife, while sporting use is. If your intent was to use it to cause bodily harm, that's a whole different animal from using it as a tool. For reference, here's a definition of weapon: "A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm (either physical or mental) to living beings or artificial structures or systems."

At the end of the day, you are the source of people's perspectives on your knives. If they trust you as a person, they will not be alarmed even if you do something like, for instance, cut your wedding cake with an 18" khukuri, as my bride and I did on our wedding day. That was not my idea, but a number of people who many would likely classify as sheeple, suggested that we do it with the giant blade instead of the pie server we had originally planned on using, and everyone loved it. You can carry tactical folders, and use them, and nobody will be alarmed. Having been around sheeple (and heck, my parents are sheeple in every sense of the word: I got grounded for playing Legend of Zelda because it was "too violent" once when I was younger) for the majority of my life, I can attest to the fact that if you yourself are trustworthy, your knives will be as well.
 
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