Let's hear your worst (or best) sheeple experiences.

Just this past week I noticed a young woman at work trying to sharpen a pencil with an open pair of scissors. That looked to be a surefire way to cut herself so I handed her my Calypso, Jr. She thumbed it open, sharpened her pencil in a flash, closed it properly and handed it back with a nice "Thank you." Surprisingly, not everyone out there is an anti-knife nut.
 
Metric said:
Some of these stories make me wonder how people are able to slice bread without going into convulsions.
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Why do you think they sell bread pre-sliced nowadays?

This stuff makes me sick. The wimp contingent has succeeded, for the most part, in conditioning the average American to view anything more dangerous than a pair of nail clippers as a Deadly Weapon, and the very idea of self-defense as barbaric.

I guess that's so that when the storm troopers of the Department Of Homeland Insecurity kick down your door, you'll take one look at those nasty-wasty MP5s and M4s and just assume the fetal position.
 
I have two, both involving co-workers. I work in an industrial lab and was helping in the repair of a sulfur analyzer. We needed to remove about a 4 inch square diaphragm from a pump to get at the bad part. Of course the diaphragm was stuck firmly to the base of the pump and we had not ordered a replacement in case the one in use was damaged. The instrument tech looks at me and says “Do you have a knife”. He knew that I usually carried a pocket knife. I told him I did, that it was kind of big and I asked if he would sort of not say anything about it. I handed him my Cold Steel XL voyager and he raised an eyebrow and said “Now that’s a knife”. I swear I am not making this up. The blade turned out to be perfect for the job. He laid the pump on its side, put the knife edge between the diaphragm and the pump base and pushed. The blade skinned the diaphragm of the base clean as could be. We were able to re-use it with no problem. He even apologized for dulling the edge when the blade hit the counter top. While not a knife person, this gentleman had done a good amount of hunting and fishing and the large knife didn’t concern him at all.

In the other incident, I showed a tiny S&W automatic to a co-worker. This is the small knife that Taylor ripped off from someone else. The blade is like 1.75 inches long. So I took the knife out of my pocket, said “Hey Jim, check this out” and snapped it open. The look in his eyes was about what I would have expected if I had held up a living rattlesnake in front of him. I was absolutely stunned at his reaction. The guy is a little over six-four, muscular and athletic. We also enjoy a friendly working relationship. I couldn’t believe how scared he looked. Anyway, I don’t show him knives anymore. About the only thing I show anybody is the small SAK that I use for all kinds of things. SAK’s in my area are generally accepted as okay.
 
weird. everytime one of these "sheeple" threads comes up, i'm always amazed at the stories.

here in San Diego, i've never, and i mean never met people that get as worked up over knives as the NKP that you folks describe. you'd think California was ground zero for non-knife people, but anyone i've shown my knives to seems geniunely interested in them, including a CUDA Maxx and a CS Voyager XL. most folks also get a big kick outta my AOs, like my Leek and some SOGs i used to have.

i'm lucky, i guess.

abe
 
Now every year it's remember when he opend that knife that was this big *holds hands up to near a meter* ... yeah right. still it is funny
oh, and it is the spearpoint version

Hydraulicman
 
Several years ago, I was working on a big Bowie knife out in the shop on our farm. My aunt came in, and I showed it to her. She absolutely freaked out. She blurted out, "What are you doing with that?!! It's only a weapon to kill people!! Here, let's wrap it in this towel... I have a bucket we can hide it in, here in the corner so no one can see it..."

At the time, I couldn't decide how to react. I mean, her reation was so utterly INSANE, at first I wanted to laugh, but I was too shocked. She grew up on that farm, and no doubt saw big knives used for butchering, cutting corn for the cattle, etc., so it really took me by surprise. Grandpa, and her own husband are both avid hunters. Afterwards, I was deeply hurt that my own aunt would basically call me a deranged killer.

I don't allow her, or any other person bother me with their irrational fears any more. I won't try to offend people, but I refuse to be held responsible for their assumptions.
 
these stories are friggin great. it's cool to see that some sweet lil' ole ladies on occasion ar unphased, & it's hilarious to hear of big burly dudes getting all bent out of shape. having grown up around knives & guns at every corner of the house, it's just sooooooo hard to relate to or empathize with these adverse reactions from some folks. thanks guys, keep'em coming.

*goes to look for pics of the cuda maxx*
 
Ok, it was at a christmas party. A friend of mine was joking about going to NY and needing a switchblade. So I said to him, "Check this out." It wasn't the best of judgement, but I was a little drunk. I reached out and really extended passing my BLACK OUT across the room to my friend.

I noticed that everyone's eyes were glued to it. My friend popped it open and was amazed at it. No one else said a thing and just stared at it. My friend closed it and passed it back to me. All the eyes of the room followed it all the way back to my pocket. A girl in the corner said, "That was scary."

I opened my mouth to tell them how it's not as bad as they think, but it occured to me that they would never understand me, nor would they ever remember this event.

Thank god most people forget the night when they get REALLY REALLY wasted.
 
When I was called up for jury duty I left my fearsome EDC (an Adventurer SAK) at home and only carried my M4 Sebertool on my keychain. I thought that it was stupid when the deputies insisted on impounding it for the day, but I was not all that distressed. What really pissed me off was when the returned "my weapon" to me at the end of the day. The only cutting blade on this thing is less than 1-1/2 inches long and built as ruggedly as the end of a woman's nail file:
 

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A long time ago at the once a month department meetings everyone would pull out their SAK's at the start and put them on the table in front of them. Those without a knife would be chastized.
 
This is sort of an anti-sheeple experience like DaveH's. I was talking with my new boss at an engineering firm. Totally out of the blue he asked to see my pocket knife. I pulled out my Adventurer SAK (one of the longer ones with a locking 3.25-inch blade) and handed it to him. He opened it and checked how sharp it was. He explained that he confirms who the real engineers are by checking that they carry a serious pocket knife. He carried something a bit like a Buck 110, but I think it may have been German. He passed my test, he was one of the best managers I've ever had.
 
Back 20 year ago when I was a lead breakfast cook, if someone was not good with a knife in my kitchen, I would fire them. Man them where the days...
 
I haven't had any bad reactions to my knives either. And I always carry a mega-folder. Maybe Texas is a bit friendlier to the concept.

My story is on the plus side of the register. I was just about to card myself through the door at work (software development) when a security guard walked up and said something like "what kind of knife is that in your pocket?"

I was sure he was going to hassle me, but it turned out that he was kind of interested in knives himself and just wanted to know what I was carrying that had such a big pocket clip. He admired my custom-anodized Camillus Aftermath, showed me his Benchmade Striker, and we chatted amiably for a bit.

A few weeks later he stopped me to show off the new Camillus Maxx Bowie he had acquired after talking with me.

--Bob Q
 
I used to work in the Deli section of a supermarket with mostly females. It seemed that most of them were genuinely interested in my knives, asking me if they could see them. Once in a while, I would bring my sharpening stone and sharpen all the knives; I couldn't believe it, I was getting paid to sharpen knives! One day, I told the assistant manager (female) I made a small fixed blade and got my custom bali; she told me to bring them to work and show her. I brought them and most of the employees liked the custom better than the one I made :o . I was very lucky to work with such great people. Good times.
 
it's amazing how fast people get used to knives.

i have a leatherman squirt on my keychain, and a lot of people go "omg i can't believe you have this".

i just shrug and ignore them, then get out my BM550 (now rotated to 710HS) or CS Ti-lite and start peeling my apple.

most of the time they freak out, surprisingly i've had more girls than guys be interested. one girl even mentioned that it reminded her of a knife she used to have before someone stole it, turned out she carried around a benchmade ARES (it was a gift). Talk about dating material ;)

i work in a biomedical engineering lab, and i often whip out my EDC to open packages or cut tubing. The first few times people freaked; now everyone asks to borrow my knife to open stuff.

anyways, i've found that no matter how shocked people are, as long as you don't act freaky with the knife (ie use it like a tool, don't start flashing it all over the place pretending like you know kali), they can get used to it fairly quickly. example: my girlfriend never really touched a knife besides a kitchen knife before she met me, and now she's used ot me playing with a balisong while studying or doing work, and anytime new people are over at my place she immediately heads for my knife drawer and starts showing off my collection, including a cuda MAXX stiletto, voyager XL and spydie karambit.
 
ayzianboy said:
my girlfriend never really touched a knife besides a kitchen knife before she met me, and now she's used ot me playing with a balisong while studying or doing work, and anytime new people are over at my place she immediately heads for my knife drawer and starts showing off my collection, including a cuda MAXX stiletto, voyager XL and spydie karambit.
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how's her cooking? you might have a wife in the works here, just make sure she has no relation to loraine bobbit :D.. but seriously, i think it's a very rare & special thing when women cozy up to the idea of knives, and even appreciate their functional art.

lovin' the stories everyone!
 
For my last birthday I got a Leatherman Blast, really nice little multitool. Anyway I pulled it out at uni the other day to undo a screw and one of the secretarys said that it was some sort of illegal weapon. Undoing the screws didn't change her mind either. I nearly told her that when some student goes postal she'll be the first one into my office for protection.

Cheers, Acolyte.
 
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