Certain knives and blades are always going to be seen as weapons first. The karambit got its start as a farming tool. It evolved into a weapon. I just bought a new fixed blade karambit. It has a 4+" blade that is double edged and has a wicked set of serations on the back spine. If i choose to carry this knife, it won't be for digging roots or even opening boxes. It's a weapon. A defensive weapon I would use for evasion, but still pretty much designed to do one thing. Anyone who looks it otherwise is missing the point of this knife...no pun intended. Well maybe a little bit intended
The pocket karambits of questional quality (and even those of great expense) CAN be used as utility knives, but there are better ones out there for general use, and I would be willing to bet those who buy and carry a karambit give the SD applications or at very least the "cool" factor of the blade shape a passing thought when going with that type of knife.
Even Spyderco, one of the greatest utility EDC brands, makes a knife or two specifically for SD use.
That said, yes, there is some unfounded stigma following all knives. I remember about 15 years ago my future wife and I were buying our first car together. It was a Honda Civic and had a balloon tied around the side mirror. The salesguy tried getting it loose with one hand (this guy only had one arm with a hooked prosthetic on the other, so it wasn't easy for him). I pull out a SAK Fireman my near-wife had bought me for Christmas. For those not familiar with the model it's a large locking SAK with about 4 layers. One of the layers is a serrated curved seatbelt cutter. Its called "the Fireman" for a reason.
I use this blade to gently get under the balloon ribbon and cut it. The guy freaks out and asks me, and I quote, "Whooa! Is that from your ghetto days or something?"
I used a tool without a sharp point on a SAK pretty much exactly how it was desinged to be used, discretely, then snapped it shut and slid it into the sheath I made for it on my belt. Ghetto days? Really?
I think it's much more important that those of us who see the value in our edc tools to use them responsibly, even if it isnt their intended function like the hero rescuing that child with his k-bit.
Some knives ARE weapons. They don't have to be used as such. However, as we all know, not all knives need to be used as weapons. Behaving responsibly and setting a good example will do us, as a community, more good than getting hung up on the fact that some scary looking knives are designed to look scary and be primarily used for scary things.