My jackknife is not a switchblade!

M

MacCairnie

Joined
Jul 17, 2011
Messages
33
I was at a party last night, and I showed a friend a pretty little folder I had recently bought. It's a locking thumbstud opener with a 3.5" blade. It's got a traditional look, though the handle material is partially black plastic (the rest is a brown-red wood). My friend admired it, and then said, "that's a really nice switchblade". I was really surprised that he thought it was a switchblade and a fighting knife instead of a nice little tool. I hadn't flicked it open, I took it out of my pocket slowly, and I carefully opened it. What did I do wrong here? Was it opening the knife with one hand (albeit slowly)? Was it the little click of the blade locking into place? Was it just the fact that I had a knife, and to some people every knife is a fighting knife? I'm a little frustrated- I feel that no matter how careful I am about presentation, citified people won't understand that it's not a weapon. Any tips on how to improve this perception?
 
That's why I don't show my new knives just for the sake of showing, to any people who don't use and carry knives themselves.
 
You simply don't show knives. You have been conditioned to seeing and handling knives and well, he is not.

I guess, the best equivalent would be when your friend shows you a loaded revolver and cocks the hammer slowly.
You: "Errr... Hahaha... Nice handgun you got there!"
Him: "No, my mint condition Colt SAA is not a handgun, also its my most recent purchase. Isn't it nice?" *Plays with the trigger*

... Don't hold it against your friend.
Since it was at a party at night he could simply have cared less about wether it was a switchblade or a banana you showed him.
 
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Do not display knives to people that have no idea what they are. Sounds like your friend has a Hollywood movie grade education on cutting tools. No everyone has the same perception or appreciation of knives as you might. Some people are very stupid and can relay incorrect information about your knife to other people, creating a level of infamy that you might find unflattering at best. You really can't change it without substantial investment of time on your part. Maybe it is just not worth it.
 
I agree that u shouldn't go around showing ur knives to non knife people. Still, ur friend liked it, so maybe he could be a victim to be dragged to the edged side... :rolleyes:
Seriously, it's a matter of knowledge. Most people don't know enough about knives (especially about folders), so when they see a knife that can be opened with one hand, they immediately call it a switchblade. What u can do, is explain the difference. They just don't know...and it's not a fault. How many other items u call with a "general" name because u don't know enough about them? How many people call "katana" any blade that looks Japanese? I could make hundreds of examples like this.
So speak to him, spread the word, make him know the difference. Believe me, any new person that learns a thing about knives, is a good thing for us knife users.
:cool:
 
if someone acts like that, I just tell them not to be dumb, and that it's just a pocket knife

people pick up on context and your behavior a lot, especially when they're reacting emotionally rather than logically. remember, it's just a pocket knife, it's normal to carry a pocket knife, and it's not a big deal.
 
These are all good points. I was too surprised to correct him, but if this comes up in the future, maybe I should take the time to correct how my knife is viewed. I probably just won't show it to non-knife people, though, like you all say.
 
Well, at least he reacted positively. I think a lot of people just don't know about any other kinds of folding knives, except for two hand opening ones and "switchblades". I guess that guy just didn't know exactly what to call it (even though he could have just said "nice knife").
 
That's true. Some people have been scared, or have at least claimed to be scared, when they see me using a SAK to cut open a package, so I should be grateful that he liked it, even if he saw it in the wrong light. It means he wasn't creeped out, which is a good first step.
 
i used to always show off my new knife to friends and whatnot anytime i could, but over time... i now agree fully to not show them off, or even to anyone. many of the questions include: "what do you need that for?" "whered you get it, flea market?" "you paid what?!?!?" "how could the metal be that much better?"

a friends girlfriend once told me "woa thats like a killing knife" seriously!! she said that.



the only time i ever talk about my knife to non knife people, is if they directly ask or make a positive comment
 
When I was 9 years old, the two guns I always shot were a Colt Gold Cup and a Ruger Mini 14. I knew very little about guns, but I shot those two quite often and quite well. Every time I saw a handgun, in a movie, I called it a Gold Cup. Every time I saw a rifle, in a movie, I called it a Mini 14. Sounds like your friend has the same mindset I did in 4th grade. I outgrew it, maybe he will too :-)
 
Sounds to me you may have been baited, or, as stated above, it just showed he knows absolutely nothing about knives.
 
What I dislike most is people calling my pocket knife a machete. I wouldn't know where they got that idea about my rajah 2. :p
 
I must live a sheltered life. I live in the Southwest most of my life and have never had a negative reaction to a knife. Knives are just a part of everyday like around here.
 
Whenever I come across ignorant people making ignorant comments, I always go to my standby line.

example 1: I've got a dodge magnum with a stroked hemi.
Guy at the track: "You think this station wagon can get out of it's own way?"
me: "Go ignorant language yourself."

He avoids me all day, so do his other ignorant friends. This is great because I don't have time for people like that.

example 2:
At the office. This woman is trying to carry a big box. It's not heavy, just cumbersome and unwieldly. I ask to carry it for her, but she insists that she has it, and just wishes it has cutout handles. I ask her if it's alright for me to make some cuts to do that, and she says ok. I take out a ZT0400 and flip it open, making that loud 'thwack'. There's a guy a few feet from us smoking a cigarette watching the whole thing.

Guy: "jeezus, do you really need to carry a weapon like that?"
Me: "go ignorant language yourself."

I continue to make handle cutouts on the box, and the woman thanks me and goes on her way with a smile. I don't think I heard any comments from that guy.

Try it.
 
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gooeytek said:
Whenever I come across ignorant people making ignorant comments, I always go to my standby line.

example 1: I've got a dodge magnum with a stroked hemi.
Guy at the track: "You think this station wagon can get out of it's own way?"
me: "Go ignorant language yourself."

He avoids me all day, so do his other ignorant friends. This is great because I don't have time for people like that.

example 2:
At the office. This woman is trying to carry a big box. It's not heavy, just cumbersome and unwieldly. I ask to carry it for her, but she insists that she has it, and just wishes it has cutout handles. I ask her if it's alright for me to make some cuts to do that, and she says ok. I take out a ZT0400 and flip it open, making that loud 'thwack'. There's a guy a few feet from us smoking a cigarette watching the whole thing.

Guy: "jeezus, do you really need to carry a weapon like that?"
Me: "go ignorant language yourself."

I continue to make handle cutouts on the box, and the woman thanks me and goes on her way with a smile. I don't think I heard any comments from that guy.

Try it.
Click to expand...

No offense, but I hope you were kidding.
 
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MacCairnie said:
... My friend admired it, and then said, "that's a really nice switchblade". I was really surprised that he thought it was a switchblade and a fighting knife instead of a nice little tool....
Click to expand...

Are you sure he meant it in a bad way insinuating you were carrying a weapon? Might have as well been a case of mislabelling stuff, don't you think. You know, I'm German, and usually go and double check words just to be sure I'm using the correct terms. I just looked up the term 'switchblade' in the dictionary. Personally I would think of switchblade as a'Springmesser' - spring-operated blade, ususally blade coming straight out from the handle. But the dictionary also offered 'Klappmesser' as a translation which would simply mean 'folding knife'. Maybe he was using the term 'switchblade' in the most generic sense as opposed to the regular SAK he is used to see? A bit like when I tell my husband to bring some kind of cornflakes from the store when I actually mean he should bring Smacks or Frosties or Fruitloops :o

Apart from that it would probably still be safer to not show anyone a knife unless he asks to see it. That way you know he's interested in the whole thing. Even though I am interested in knifes and and tools in general I would still feel a bit strange if some guy at a party pulled out a knife in front of me. Basic survival instincts coming to the fore, I suppose.
 
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