Knives And YOU

riz_aaroni

riz_aaroni

Gold Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2007
Messages
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Hey. This is my first post here, at the least my first thread. This is an great forum with tons of information and pics, both valuable things. I picked up an SOG Flash II 1/2 serrated today. It seems strong and has a very sharp blade :D . What I am posting here about is related to knives in general and not this one in particular. My parents, mom heavily so, opposes knives and guns. I got the knife and she was trying to figure out why I got it and and what I would use it for. Not sure how she'd react if I got a rifle at some point. My question is how do you deal with people who can't see any usefulness or any reason in getting a knife? All, or at the least most, of my friends and I share the same love for knives, guns and things that go boom. I guess it is a guy thing. You might think I'm 13 or something and my mom doesn't want me getting a boo boo, but I am 20 in college and have worked full time. I'm not a buffoon here. Any advice would be appreciated. I will post pics of the knife some time this week btw.

-Aaron
 
I usually don't care what people think about me carrying a knife. If they make a deal of it and they don't accept my first and usual answer (Which is "it's a knife for when I need to cut something, I appreciate good knives, and I am allowed to carry one") I'll just walk away from them. A lot of times people don't want to change their minds because they associate knives with stabbing people and being violent.

I'm also 20 and my mom didn't like the idea of me getting a new knife at first, but then she ended up getting a Benchmade along with me :D
 
Most people see the usefulness once they see you actually using the knife for a useful purpose and in a responsible manner.

I sharpened my pocketknife at work last week and my co-worker was horrified at how sharp it was. Imagine "Very Dangerous" over and over again in a Turkish accent. So I explained how a sharp knife was safer than a dull knife. And he didn't complain when I used my "very dangerous" knife to open the coffee packet. Then he proceded to tell me about his wonderful kitchen knives his wife uses in Turkey, American-made Chicago Cutlery knives with hardwood handles. The next day I brought an old used Schrade Old Timer knife to work, sharpened it to a razor's edge, and gave it to him.

-Bob
 
Aaron, welcome to Bladeforums!

You've got my sympathy. My mother always fussed about pocketknives, but never stopped me from carrying one. I think she threw them out when I wasn't around. A lot of them just disappeared, and I don't usually lose things.

The best way to avoid confrontation is to avoid the subject. Just don't talk about it. Being grown and on your own, that's easier than for a little kid. You know what happens if you try to make everyone happy, you make no one happy, especially yourself.

Eventually, she may get used to the idea. Then you can get her a small knife, and she might get the idea herself. Kershaw has a knife called the Two-can. It opens up into a small knife, then opens a second blade to become scissors.
 
Aaron,something you may want to consider is getting your mom a Victorinox Classic,and than proceed to show her just how useful that little 58 mm knife is.BTW they come in all kinds of colors that would appeal to her.While you're at it,get one for your keyring,they are handy little things !!! And welcome aboard and enjoy!!
 
Take away her kitchen knives. When she asks where they are say " Why do you want with thoes dangerous things? You know more people are injured and killed by kitchen knives then guns right." Seriously though you can't make everyone happy. It's hard enough to make yourself happy sometimes. Just buy what you want and turn a def ear to thoes who impose their opinions on you.
 
a knife is a tool, and like all tools has the potential to harm self or others (esp. think automobile). it's all about personal accountability. the person using a knife is resposible for not harming others and being "focused" so as to not inadvertantly harm oneself.
i disagree with Esav Benyanim. i encourage you to ask your parents to examine their emotional reaction to knives and try to identify what the feeling is and how it might have arisen. they weren't born with it. perhaps they were scolded as a small child for picking up a sharp knife from the table; or whatever. most parents need the care of gentle "confrontation" from our children to help us overcome some of our ingrained prejudices. becoming an adult means assuming a leadership role. if no progress is made, remember, it is your parent's "problem" or "stuff", not yours.
 
outlaw918692000 said:
Take away her kitchen knives. When she asks where they are say " Why do you want with thoes dangerous things? You know more people are injured and killed by kitchen knives then guns right." Seriously though you can't make everyone happy. It's hard enough to make yourself happy sometimes. Just buy what you want and turn a def ear to thoes who impose their opinions on you.
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Yes, if your mom takes away your knives, Hide the kitchen knives, and ransom your knives back :D
 
If someone can't see the practicality of carrying a knife after I carefully list numerous reasons and scenarios in which carrying a knife would be advantageous, I don't want anything to do with them.
 
Thanks guys for the replies. Unfortunately I live in NJ and I am pretty sure you can't carry a knife here, legally anyway, so the carry part is somewhat less important in regards to my mom. I am thinking of getting the benchmade benchmite since the thing is manual and tiny, both of which might save some head ache if ever stopped by the police. That and it is a cool knife. Thanks again.
 
riz_aaroni said:
Unfortunately I live in NJ and I am pretty sure you can't carry a knife here, legally anyway, ...
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Fortunately, living in NJ, you can carry a knife legally.
There are no explicit length limits on an adult's knife, either.

The test is that the knife be appropriate to where you are and what you're doing, which means any ordinary pocketknife is OK outside of the usual: courthouses, airports, some school areas.

Of course, avoid autos and gravity knives, double-edged "daggers" and anything overtly for self-defense. If asked, you should be able to honestly reply that your knives are tools.

Going for a hike in the woods, I generally carry knives I wouldn't bother hauling around daily or in the streets -- large folders or small fixed blades. But for EDC I may have 2 or 3 of my favorites: a Swiss Army Knife, Boker Subcom or Trance, Spyderco Military, large tanto Sebenza.

I also have 2 or 3 impact weapons: my cane, a Com-Tech Stinger, and usually an Impact Kerambit as well.

Click on the link in my signature line to the New Jersey Knife Collectors Association. Just a group that meets once a month to show off our knives and talk about them or about anything else we like. No membership fees, no requirements, everyone is welcome.
 
Well, my mom and dad in general don't "like" knives. My mother in particular doesn't like that I buy so many, lol, however she does always happily use whatever I'm carrying when we are out and something needs to be cut. She's sees the practicality in carrying a small blade and is growing particularly fond of my leatherman micra...
 
riz_aaroni said:
My question is how do you deal with people who can't see any usefulness or any reason in getting a knife?
-Aaron
Click to expand...

I wait until they ask to borrow mine to cut something, and it almost ALWAYS happens eventually, and then I tell them "now you know why I carry a knife". :D
 
I totally agree with The Last Confederate! Everyone that questions me about carrying a knife always wants to use mine, regardless of the surroundings (work, camping, hiking, etc.). I only have a couple of friends that really understand the usefulness of a knife, and not to toot my own horn, they didn't start carrying them until they started hanging around with me. None of my family members carries a knife, but I received my first knife from my (now deceased) Grandfather (one of those Boy Scout knives with a fold out spoon and fork). At the time (when I was 11 or 12...over 20 years ago), my Gramps' cousin Gardie said, "every good American boy should always carry a pocket knife". I will never forget those words, and I NEVER go anywhere without at least one knife!:thumbup:
 
My mom and dad both think knoves are useful tools. My mom carries a cheap knife in her pac when she goes hiking etc. However, a lot of other people I know think knives are only carried outside to be used as a weapon. Im 24 and generally ie came to the conclusion that there are two types of people in the world.
Group 1: people that do things outside. Generally have done physcal labor such as cutting wood, bike riding in the woods, True camping (not rv style--sorry thats not camping in my books), hiking etc. These type of people often run into situation where a knife is very handy. Also these types of people are very profcient with their hands and generally have no fear of sharp objects like knives. Im one of these people, and so are my parents.
Group 2: these are the type of people that tend to work in their office all day or just generally avoid a lot of outdoor activities which you get dirty or stray out of the "city". These people often have never gone campoing, fishing etc and really dont find a need for anything "sharp". They also tend not to use their hands all that much and tend to find knives dangerous when sharp and all in all scary =). Unfortunatly more and more people are starting to fall into this category.

These are two generally categories ive found when i encounter people. A lot of people dont strickly follow either group but if they do fall into either one they tend to like or dislike knives respectivly.

Overall I love my knives and I dont care what people think to much. If they judge and think im some nut for carring a knife, then they are not people i care for anyways=) (if its your family, im sure they will get used to your knife carring ways=))
 
I guess I'm pretty lucky to have a dad that hunts, fishes and cooks and a mom that isn't a anti-gun/knife nut job. My dad understands the importance of knives as tools (he has an older Buck hunting knife, a set of Henckels, and he wants a SOG) and my mom is rather indifferent. She doesn't necessarily see a purpose to my collecting (I get a nice roll of the eyes every time I bring home something new.), but she understands that I'm 18 and I can spend my money as I please.
 
take away her kitchen knives LOL. Now THATS funny lol. I would take every knife in the kitchen away. and the first time shes like 'hey, wheres my knives?' id just reply "why?" "because i need to cut this!" ohhhhh do you know?? I see... hmmmmm
Shell see whats up that very second...
 
Haha. That might work... She wasn't too happy with the flash II, I should get a machete or something, see how she reacts. Not sure why people jump to conclusions so often instead of actually thinking.
 
its the conditioning the world does to you. people need to assert themselves, and stand up for what they believe in. if you dont stand for something, youll fall for anything.
not just watch the news for 5 minutes, then say 'yea, guns are dangerous' people are just soo quick to fold. noone cares enough to study anymore. just like pitbulls, guns, knives, all sorts of things. just ask her. what in the heck would you do without a knife mom. huh? youd be dead in the water. all production around the house, both in the garage and in the kitchen, would come to a standstill. nothing would get done man lol. like i said, take her knives away for a week straight, and see what happens. she truly learn to appreciate the knife for what it is. a genuine tool.
 
I really don't care what people think. Of course, I also don't go out of my way to freak them out by flicking my knives open in front of them either. But a knife is a tool, and that's that. It won't get up by itself and stab someone. I've had people say the stupidest things, like my Victorinox Classic's little scissors constitute my "carrying a deadly weapon."

Oddly enough, as a longtime martial artist, I've noticed a lot of fellow practitioners misunderstand knives as much as or worse than most people. I once opened a delica discreetly to open a package, and a MA classmate said, "Whoa, are you sure that thing's legal??" And I was at a MA seminar with some guest instructors from another country (very good fighters, by the way) who saw an attendee peel an orange with a medium-sized lockback, and two of the guest teachers started laughing and made a joke about "What's he carry that for? Gonna kill some people? Aaaah! Watch out!" I find it particularly odd, because lots of martial arts people seem to bemoan the fact that they often feel misunderstood by non-practitioners.
Jim
 
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