My Little Red Spyderco

Mark J

Mark J

Joined
Mar 15, 2001
Messages
2,450
From my wife...

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This story is about my knife. Let me start with some background. I own a little red Spyderco Ladybug. My husband, Mark J., gave it to me as an anniversary gift (along with a diamond bracelet :D ) and I love it! Well, I wasn’t too sure at first. Mark was the knife collector and I just accepted that as part of him. Then one day he gave me this knife. So, I put it on my key chain and the longer I had it, the more I used it. During our recent move from Washington State to Maryland, it was an essential tool.

A few weeks had passed since we moved, and now it was my daughter’s big day. She was graduating from kindergarten and the urgent plea went out for parents to help with cleaning up after the party. I am very new to the school, but I decided to volunteer anyway…who knows maybe I’d get to know some of the parents better in the process, or even make a friend.

So the party is fun and afterwards I start to help by taking down the balloons. The decision is made to pop the balloons and dump them in the garbage. Of course, no one has anything sharp to pop the balloons with. One mom even tried popping them with her keys (rather unsuccessfully), flailing away at it like a chicken pecking grain. Then I remember my knife…my little red Spyderco…and I say, “Hey, I’ve got my knife here. I can pop them.” Then the mom trying to pop them with her keys actually had the nerve to say, “A KINDERGARTEN PARENT WITH A KNIFE! I DON’T EVEN WANT TO KNOW! I JUST DON’T WANT TO KNOW!” Then I softly said, “It’s just a tool. I use it all the time to open things for myself or my kids.” You know, I shouldn’t have wasted my breath. She didn’t even listen to my reply -- she had no interest in hearing my side of the story or giving me the time of day after that. I was “dog meat” to her because I chose to carry a knife with a blade 2 inches long. Well, I took my knife and popped all the balloons and then dumped them in the garbage. Then I just left and went home.

I did help out at my daughter’s graduation. I did help on her special day and was glad to do that for her…but as for getting to know the parents better and maybe even making a friend in this strange, new land. Nada! I came home and cried on my husband’s shoulder and told him the story. I told him that this other mom wouldn’t even listen to me. You know, it’s just a tool. Can you relate to my story?

Ruth J.
 
Mark J said:
You know, it’s just a tool. Can you relate to my story?

Ruth J.
Click to expand...

Yes we can. You just met your first 'sheeple.' I'm sure others will be here with thread links to show similar stories (maybe Mark J has already sown you some). For me, I can only say that I undestand your plight in maryland. I once lived near Rockville and I kept (and still keep) my blades, despite their size, discreet. Luckily, not everyone is so narrow-minded in maryland. Cool story.
 
It may sound too simple, but don't even worry what people like that think. The self righteous can never be convinced otherwise so why even bother trying. You will eventually meet some people there with commom sense. I hope. :D
 
Pathetic, but what can you expect?

The indoctrination of U.S. citizens to the concept that carrying a knife is unacceptable and "criminal" has been going on for almost two decades.

Of course you could always point out that her display of intolerance and social bigotry gave a bad role model.
 
Mrs.Mark y'all leave Maryland and move down heah to Dixie and start carrying a gun too.Everyone i've chatted here at BF seem pretty smart even though we disagree on pretty much everything except for this:Sheeple suck.(i tried to keep it clean i really did)
 
Some people just seem to live in a different world from everybody else.

As I was growing up, both my mom and dad always had a SAK (Swiss Army Knife) on them—my mom a Spartan on her Keychain, my dad a Tinker in his pocket. Among various other tasks, I have no idea how many apples, peaches, and various other fruit got halved and cored under the blade of my mom's knife, but the number was not inconsequential (especially since I've always hated eating large fruit with the pit/seeds still in it for some reason;)).

Sorry you had such a rough experience, and I hope it doesn't deter you from using your tool whenever it seems appropriate for the job.
 
i bet she thinks that video games lower the i.q of our youths aswell

i meen i pley thm and i trned owt phine!
 
This is the same type of person that would think highly of the school staff for suspending a kindergardener for mearly "drawing" (you know, on paper) a gun or knife, or pretending on the playground with their fingers pointed like guns. Zero tollerence, is what it's called. It's the PC sheeple way.
 
I think it is a shame you popped the balloons. You missed out on the sheeple way of popping them. Whatever that is. Could have been fun watching them struggle on.
 
I think the Sheeple mom was just venting her own feelings of inadequacy because she doesn't have a knife. Her statement, “A KINDERGARTEN PARENT WITH A KNIFE! I DON’T EVEN WANT TO KNOW! I JUST DON’T WANT TO KNOW!” strikes me as one of burying her head in the sand. There's probably a whole lot she doesn't want to know.

I remember an automobile accident here where a young child was trapped in a car because no one had a knife to cut the seat belt. I see a Kindergarten Mom carrying a knife as someone who is prepared to be responsible. Rather than screaming "Save my child", she can do it herself.
 
I am surprised that someone didn't break out the safety scissors first! That would have been funny to witness (and is, in my imagination :D)

Great points, ras!
 
I bet that pointy little Spyderco made short work of those balloons.

Stupid people are everywhere, so don't let them get to you.
 
An older cousin of mine shocked me when he made a comment about me carrying a 2 and 1/2 inch fixed blade knife. I have hunted with him for many years and he has even gave me a medium folder as a gift. He routinely uses large knives for skinning deer and hogs. My jaw was sore for some time when it hit the floor. I don't think its an age thing. I am in my late 30's .It just shocked me that someone that has about 25,000 in guns could have a mind set like this.
 
Yes, there are a LOT of sheeple in Maryland, I can definitely relate:o

Ironically enough, I was at a wedding in Rockville this weekend, and since all the groomsmen had been given knives by the groom, we all had them on us at the wedding, seemed appropriate enough. I had a loose string on my tux, so I cut it off. By some of the looks I got, you would have thought I had whipped out a katana to cut the wedding cake...
 
I hear you. A while ago, I had to fly out of the BWI airport in the People's republic of Maryland. While getting out of my car in the Parking lot, I noticed I still had old baggage tags on my luggage, so I pulled my trusty delica out of my checked luggage and cut the tags off before replacing it. A lady saw it and stared at me the entire way to the terminal on the parking bus. Even here in Northern Virginia, the general attitude is much better.
 
You were lucky you had your knife, Ruth. Otherwise you might have made friends with that individual, and come to trust her, and only later found out what kind of person you had made friends with, and that would have hurt you.
 
Ruth, how about this one? A fellow office worker is wheelchair-bound and some inconsiderate idiot left strapping tape on the floor. It got all wound around one of the front dolly wheels on his chair and nobody could get it off. As you may know, strapping tape has strong nylon or some other filaments in it so that it will not simply break, you must cut it. I finally came around a corner and saw the problem, knelt down, pulled out my Spyderco Kiwi and set to work clearing the tape from his wheelchair. Once his moblity was restored, rather than thank me, he asked me why I carried a weapon around with me! BTW, he was from NYC, if you hadn't guessed.
 
I currently work as a electronics field technician. I have carried a folder of some sort ever since I can remember. A lot of the field guys where I work carry a Gerber or Leatherman multi-tool on their belt, but most of the office poges don't carry anything at all. I cringe when I see the shipping and receiving guy pull out his keys to "cut" a box open! Anyway, one of the field guys there has recently started carrying a "pocket knife" for the first time in his life - it's one of those folding utility knife things, which does work pretty good all and all. He carries it clipped to his belt and when joking around will act like he's going to grab it and flick it open towards you. Of course he's never actually done anything that could get somebody hurt, but it's amazing to see his attitude towards knives in general. I carry a Swiss Army knife in my pocket and wear a Leatherman multi-tool on my belt. Sometimes I'll carry an additional multi-tool of some sort if I am "field testing" a model. He has told me before that he wouldn't want to tangle with me or make me mad since I have so many weapons on me!! Weapons?? Trust me, I wouldn't take a pair of pliers that has a small blade on it into a fight. You would think that somebody who is a little older (he's in his late 40's) and has done some sort of field work for over 20 years would understand the importance of carrying some sort of cutting tool. What a sad and ignorant world we live in.
 
hi Ruth,

Small minds abound everywhere and they teach us to appreciate the larger ones.

Ignorance hurts more people than knives.

sal
 
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