I was embarrassed to use my knife

Leave the "quintessential city, party girls" to the metro-sexuals. They can have fun getting their hair & nails done together and hanging out at the local coffee house where the toughest task they have to deal with is getting the sweetener packet opened for their non-fat, soy milk, Matagascar cinnamon, vende latte!

Recommendation: Open-carry the largest fixed blade you can handle, take it everywhere and no one will ever wonder or ask if you have a knife! Life is too short to waste your time on people like that....
 
Once took out my SAK at work to prepare some snacks for a drink at that moment. One of my colleagues freaked out and asked why I was carrying a weapon at work and it was forbidden to legally carry knives. So I had 7 colleagues looking at my "Explain us!". Told them it was just a tool and useful as they could see. They all understood the point I made except the guy freaking out, he just felt stupid about his reaction. Never heard anything about it.

Lately I was sitting in the bus and a woman came in and was wearing her sports bag like a backpack with some cord between the handles so it didn't slip from her shoulders. She couldn't untie the nut and asked if I could help or had some scissors on me. Reached for my pants and realized I only had my Endura with me, so decided not to pull it out. Thought it would be quite inappropriate to use it on her chest/throat ;) So just used my hand to break the cord, nxt time I put a small knife extra in the pocket again for such cases.

My friends and family knows that I always got a knife with me and often come to me to borrow it (I usually do it for them). My girlfriend is even very surprised when I don't have a knife (and disappointed because she can't use it then).
 
At work I always have a fixed blade at the hip and a pocket knife, plus another pocket knife on my duty belt and another fixed, for when any of my co-workers forget their knife. When I go out for inspections there is another crew there to open the containers, and they always want to see what kind of knife I'm carrying that day.

I've heard it all. "Rambo knife". "Crocodile Dundee". "Killer machete". "That's a weapon!" etc etc etc... at first I pointed to the pipes they use to open the containers and told them it would be a more effective weapon in a scuffle. Some acknowledge it, some just still ask to handle the knife and assume their best "stabber" stance... I guess some people can't be educated. At least some of them have started carrying pocket knives as they have seen the usefulness of the tool.
 
zuluninja said:
I've heard it all. "Rambo knife". "Crocodile Dundee". "Killer machete". "That's a weapon!" etc etc etc... at first I pointed to the pipes they use to open the containers and told them it would be a more effective weapon in a scuffle. Some acknowledge it, some just still ask to handle the knife and assume their best "stabber" stance... I guess some people can't be educated. At least some of them have started carrying pocket knives as they have seen the usefulness of the tool.
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Some people are just morons that have watched way too much TV and movies over the years. ;)
 
i remember one time i went camping with a group of fellows and i had a fixed blade gerber profile (its only like a 3 inch blade and remeber i was CAMPING <-an ideal time to have a fixed blade), i pulled out my knife to cut some rope and my friend did the quote from boondock saints "is that so, Rambo?" <-apply irish accent. i was like "dude this is my camp knife and its not like its a machete or anything" and he was like "still man, thats a pretty intimidating looking knife" which is where i replied "you should see the folding bayonet on my sks if you think this is intimidating" we had a laugh and then i put my f.blade away and switched to my sak and asked him "better now?" to which he replied "why do you carry more than one knife?"...........point is with some ppl u just cant win.
 
If someone asks me why I carry a knife, I ask them why they don't. It is mankind's oldest and still useful tool. :)
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Long Island is in New York State, not New York City.
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It's true...and I've found that in most cases, people on Long Island aren't as likely to raise their eyebrows at a knife as they would be in the city. Then again, it also depends on where in the city.

I work in midtown Manhattan, live in Queens, spend a lot of time in Brooklyn. Essentially, I just learned what's appropriate for where, and deal with it like that. I'm not going to pull out a knife in the middle of Brooklyn to cut open a case of beer, but I will use it to break down boxes and open packages at the office at work, since my coworkers know I own knives and that they're office tools. Similarly, I can take out the knife at a barbecue with my wife's coworkers (public high school teachers) to use for various things but obviously not at a party with kids to cut balloon string, as there are kids running around and I'd rather not deal with questions or comments. It's just not worth it.

I just don't have the time or inclination to try being a crusader or educator for people who aren't used to seeing knives everywhere. I'm not blinded by self-righteousness and I understand that in some places, like areas of Cali and New York, it's just not part of the culture. It's a bit foolish to ride around on a high horse as if anyone is a better person than the next because they are a knife user or owner, or because they drink Starbucks. *cough*


shortwinger said:
Leave the "quintessential city, party girls" to the metro-sexuals. They can have fun getting their hair & nails done together and hanging out at the local coffee house where the toughest task they have to deal with is getting the sweetener packet opened for their non-fat, soy milk, Matagascar cinnamon, vende latte!

Recommendation: Open-carry the largest fixed blade you can handle, take it everywhere and no one will ever wonder or ask if you have a knife! Life is too short to waste your time on people like that....
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I dress well for work, I go to coffee houses, and before I was married, I wouldn't be so stupid as to leave city/party girls to anyone else. That's a waste of a good time, and the implication of those kinds of thoughts is a bit insulting.

Close-mindedness isn't exclusive to people who are scared or put off by blades or guns. It's responsible to be aware of any kind of silliness, from both ends. Trust me, those people sitting in a coffee shop have a lot worse to deal with than opening a packet or sugar, and life is too short to judge and write off people you've never even met.
 
I just read the all posts, and *whew* was that long!
I didn't know that knives would rouse such strong emotion...


frenchmade said:
Do or your friend happent o work in the film industry?
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Nice catch ;)
I have just a couple friends that work in film. (That day there were about 6 or 7, I believe.)
No one big. Just some trying to make it in the industry.

And, no, I do not work in the film industry. I've only worked on one movie (as a PA); an independent film with a small budget (only a couple million (yes, that's considered "small budget")).

Mitchell Knives said:
If someone thinks that you are odd for using tools, perhaps you should reevaluate your relationship with said person.
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I just attribute it to "cultural difference" and then proceed to share my "culture." :)

americanbulldog1 said:
Just a warning to all of you out there. I'll share had happened to me with you. While driving my wife around on erands the other day, she asked if I had a knife on me to cut something. Well I didn't! Her sarcastic comment to me was, "with all the knives you own you dont have one on you". It's gonna be hard to justify any new knife purchases. And darn it, Blade is just a few days away!
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Shame on you! :D
Gotta think of those excuses... I mean reasons! :p

ThirdTooth said:
only time I was ever embarrassed by my knives was one time when I had to cut something flimsy and my knife wasn't sharp enough to cut it without a struggle. the non knife guy who I was working with that day just shook his head as if to say "yeah, real useful thing to have on you buddy" point in this case being that I feel there's no need to be sheepish about your knives, usually their usefulness speaks for itself, but if for whatever reason your blade isn't up to a task you can look like a real tool
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Keep them sharp! :cool:

crafty said:
Lately I was sitting in the bus and a woman came in and was wearing her sports bag like a backpack with some cord between the handles so it didn't slip from her shoulders. She couldn't untie the nut and asked if I could help or had some scissors on me. Reached for my pants and realized I only had my Endura with me, so decided not to pull it out. Thought it would be quite inappropriate to use it on her chest/throat ;)
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nice story :) that could have called for mayhem :eek: :D



I would just like to say it's so nice to hear all your thoughts and stories. Have a good rest-of-the-day!


Sunog
 
Sunog, if you ever do get a chance to discuss knives with Emily, let us know how that goes. I'd love to hear updates to this story
 
I'll share mine here too. On my university campus we have a store called Discount Den, known for their cheap fountain sodas. I was waiting in a line as there were a lot of people, one guy commented "they're out of ice" I looked closer and found a big chunk of ice in the tube stopping all the ice from coming out and i jumped to the front and said "I got it". My mistake was, as I was walking I whipped out my knife (BM 707) and I'm not kidding EVERYONE looked at me like I was some criminal or something. I immediately felt conscious, but proceeded to prod at the ice until it fell. I didnt hear any thanks so I got the message everyone seemed alarmed. I guess I should have whipped out the knife when I got to the machine, but oh well at least 12 or so people had ice in their drink coz of my 707 :D.

Also crime rate is a little high (for a university) in my university so I guess I can understand their emotions.
 
I won't usually pull out a knife in public if I know people are going to be alarmed. Usually I don't have a dire need to use a knife and could do the job just as well with my bare hands. Do I need to cut that apple into slices or could I just bite into it? Do I need to cut that string or could I just snap it? Do I need to cut open that package or could I just rip it open?

It's not worth causing a scene. If I feel I won't cause alarm I will use it, if I need to use it I will use it, but if I'm just looking for excuses to cut things I won't. And usually... I am just looking for excuses to cut things.
 
If someone told you that they are afraid of dogs, it probably isn't the best time to introduce them to your pooch directly after that conversation. I think you did right not to 'stir the pot,' OP. Nothing to be gained by ruffling feathers. Choosing when/where/how to use our knives is a responsibility we all share as knife-knerds... :)

I don't initiate any knife-talk with non-knife people anymore, but I'm happy to answer any questions they may have as best I can. Never had a bad reaction when casually using my knife to do what needs doing then quietly putting it away again; quite the opposite really. Anyway, I'd feel more embarrassed gnawing my way through a package with my teeth like some kind of rat... ;)
 
Sunog said:
I just wanted to share a quick dialogue that took place last weekend. Just for fun. :)


Normally, I do not care too much about what others think, and I am confident in what I do and who I am, but last weekend I had a "moment of weakness".


Please take note.
None of my friends are "knife people". The only ones who carry some kind of knife are a couple guys who carry those keychain knock-off swiss army knives.


So, my friends and I were decorating our friend's house for a party/gathering. A couple off us were busy in one room.
A friend (let's call him Billy) asked me if I had a knife so that he could cut some tape.
Automatically, my hand went to my pocket (to get my knife so that I could had it to him) when another friend (let's call her Emily) across the room spoke up.

(That day was the first time I had seen Emily in years. I have changed quite a bit since then. Naming one change, I never carried a knife back when we were seeing each other more frequently.)

Well, Emily had overheared what Billy had said about a knife. That had bewildered her as she is the quintessential city, party girl.
She asked, "What?! Why would you have a knife?" in a tone that said having a knife was the most riduluous thing and only "dangerous" people, convicts, or crazy people had/carried knives.

Slowly (and in the most casual manner), I dropped my hand/arm away from my pocket and said, "Oh, I don't have one," even though I had used it to cut some plastic some 15 minutes ago in the kitchen...


That was such a random "moment of weakness." I like to be truthful and I am usually never afraid of judgement from others, but hey~ there are always times when we diverge from normalcy.


Whew. So many words for just two sentences spoken... :o




This probably never happened to you guys, right?
I'm guessing you are all tough guys who never ever care about other peoples' thoughts :D
I had a chance to help educated others about knives, but I just let it be :(


Well, I hope you all had a nice weekend. :)
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Dang. I have had a knife of some type in my pocket since I was 10, and I have never felt odd about it. Lately, I carry an ESEE-3MLK. Im on a fixed blade kick. I did get a comment the other day that my knife was "massive", but no real excitement over it.
 
I'm volunteering at a soup kitchen currently and I work almost exclusively with older (~50-70 years old) people. A package needed to be opened and there wasn't anything else nearby, so I pulled out my ZT 0200 to open it and was slightly embarrassed because that is a no-nonsense blade, especially for EDC. I was so relieved that they didn't freak out; they just stuck with "Oh, he has a knife with him!" in a neutral tone. Crisis averted. :o

Maybe it's time for a more non-knife people oriented blade....
 
Where I live if I busted out my ZT 200 people would definitely freak, I'm positive people would be diving for cover! I'm in a big city and a big knife like that would get attention... Having said that I love that knife
 
I'm (sort of) in the "carry two knives" camp, except that I never seem to be able to dress down to fewer than three.

If you eliminate the Leatherman Wave that's always on my belt or the [insert brand] full-sized folder on the other side of that same belt you still have the RF pocket and starboard thigh pocket contents, and that's three right there.

If all else fails (and I don't happen to have a Peanut-class knife on me), I have this tiny, itty-bitty, cute Leatherman Style (thigh pocket) -- not entirely unlike the Gerber Curve -- 1.6 inch blade, scissors, nail file, etc., and it comes in cute colors, too. I keep it handy just for those moments when the smallest, least threatening cutting tool is called for. If I'm in the mood, I might have it on a key chain.

Around engineers I don't worry about it -- some of the guys here carry bigger iron than I do -- but not everyone in the building is an engineer, so when I'm around the more "genteel" population the more genteel blades are the ones they see.

 
Hadji Flip Me Over said:
I'm volunteering at a soup kitchen currently and I work almost exclusively with older (~50-70 years old) people. A package needed to be opened and there wasn't anything else nearby, so I pulled out my ZT 0200 to open it and was slightly embarrassed because that is a no-nonsense blade, especially for EDC. I was so relieved that they didn't freak out; they just stuck with "Oh, he has a knife with him!" in a neutral tone. Crisis averted. :o

Maybe it's time for a more non-knife people oriented blade....
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From my experience, even living in a city like New York, the older people are, the less they care about knives being shown or used. My boss didn't give two craps about my knives when I started using them for packages, boxes, envelopes, etc. He just said "Well, I know who to come to if a client doesn't pay up," with a little chuckle and hasn't said anything in the years I've been there. He's a bit up there in years. It's often the younger (admittedly, my peer) crowd that is more inclined to notice and make any kind of fuss.
 
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