"Non knife people" threads, and their implications

[Comeuppance]

You know the threads I'm talking about: "things non-knife people say" and countless others with varying titles but the same theme. Threads filled with recalled reactions of people to reasonably-shaped pocket knives and multitools. One or another is invariably on the front page.

I'm not sure how I feel about those, and they raise some interesting questions:
- Is it fair to mock people for not owning, using, or understanding knives? Realistically, most people rarely need anything more than scissors. If they're doing work around the house, maybe a utility knife.

- How does an entire industry, millions if not billions of dollars, sustain itself when clearly such a small fraction of the population even knows such an industry exists?

- How could we combat the prevailing perception of pocket knives being primarily weapons? Entertainment media basically always displays them in a negative light, and your average knife owner isn't necessarily particiularly responsible with them - reinforcing the negative perception.

- are we shooting ourselves in the foot by being snide? Surely, education should be priority one. Change one mind, and you may change more.

 

[Invective]

I've never liked those threads. We only get one side of the story, I assume heavily editorialized, and then we all end up circlejerking about how much a sheeple the non-knife person is. Who cares? Do you think other hobby-oriented forums make fun of people not in the hobby? Say, sewers making fun of us for not knowing the difference between two types of stitching or not even being able to re-hem our own pants? Or cooking aficionados laughing at people who can't tell the difference between two similar foods? Everyone has things they are interested in and not interested in. That doesn't make anyone better or worse than anyone else.

 

[coiledwire]

Just my response/opinion to these points.

1) For what I've seen, the mocking was for pure stupidity that could apply to anything that requires a small fraction of responsibility. But, mocking isn't good form.

2) knife nuts? I'm sure everybody needs 20+ knives, right?

3) I don't know if there's much individuals like us can do. Look at TSA policies; small SAK get confiscated for the threat of hijacking a plane (or so they say). Plus, as more population moves towards urban centers, the less knives will be viewed as necessary tools.

4) How many non knife-enthusiasts go on a knife forum and read threads that poke fun at non-knife people?

 

[bladeboss]

While I find those threads funny and have posted in them, I have thought of this a few times.

 

[Jesse B.]

I have a few thoughts, but can't seem to consolidate them at the moment.
What I will say, though, is this: Exclusivism and intolerance--from any direction--are not helpful.

 

[fingerjonsin]

Educating is key and doing it politely and respectfully, and hopefully in doing so you gain their respect and change their thoughts on the tools we love to carry. I always try to take advantage of those opportunities.

 

[gastonian]

I often read about how nobody used to look twice when someone pulled out their pocket knife "back in the good ole days".

That is true, but back in the good ole days they weren't exactly waving a Super Commander out of their pocket.

I love those big knives, but I also know to be more tactful about using them in public.

Just my 2 useless cents.

 

[Charlie_K]

One strategy for converting mindless supporters of gun control over to the other side, is to take them out and give them proper and safe knowledge regarding the other side, and let them have an understanding for what they really don't know. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Maybe we should do the knife equivalent and take non-knife people out for some learning. Educate them on the proper use of a knife (maybe make them sign a waiver before touching any of the blades) and show them how utilitarian they can be, such as when it comes to cutting through underbrush, or how efficient they are for opening difficult packages when there are no scissors available. Maybe show them how using their keys is no different, except for the fact it damages the teeth.

My sister, for example, never really saw how good it was to have a knife, she always relied on scissors or had me open them. Then she got a Victorinox Waiter as a gift, and was amazed at how much easier things were with it. She even knows how to cut away from herself.

 

[G. Scott H.]

Every community dedicated to a particular interest has it's little "us vs. them" moments. I'm sure if you went to a cigar forum there'd be threads moaning or laughing about those "poor" souls who smoke cheap drugstore stogies. I'm also sure Timex wearers are sometimes similarly discussed at high end watch forums. That's the way it goes. I don't have a problem with this, as long as it isn't done in a truly mean-spirited manner. I don't mind someone chuckling over a clerk stepping away from him when he whips out his edc to open a box, but I could do without comments about how the clerk is a loser or feminized wuss because of the manner in which he reacted.

 

[bladeboss]

Every community dedicated to a particular interest has it's little "us vs. them" moments. I'm sure if you went to a cigar forum there'd be threads moaning or laughing about those "poor" souls who smoke cheap drugstore stogies. I'm also sure Timex wearers are sometimes similarly discussed at high end watch forums. That's the way it goes. I don't have a problem with this, as long as it isn't done in a truly mean-spirited manner. I don't mind someone chuckling over a clerk stepping away from him when he whips out his edc to open a box, but I could do without comments about how the clerk is a loser or feminized wuss because of the manner in which he reacted.

Exactly.
Sometimes, people get mad even.
When someone says that their Gerber knife is fantastic, that's one story.
But when you try to talk to them about Benchmades and what-not, and they get pissy because "they've never heard of that crap", thats a different story.

 

[SouthEast]

i agree with Gastonian. i rather bring knives that is more friendly shaped or look funny as EDC. i understand that knives like Pocket Bushman, XL Voyager, or smaller ones like balisong , RAT 1 etc looks threatening, but i think most of us forumites see threads like that as to talking about how ridiculous people without a knife sometimes. i read a lot about posters that learns their lesson about not to show their knives even to his friends prior to the loaner abusing their knives, etc.

 

[jimmyd1982]

My contribution to one of those threads was to tell how I had the cops called on me while I was at the park with my daughter for using a medium stockman to pass the time whittling.

Nice small traditional knife, clearly there with my daughter who runs up to me every five minutes. Which ever psycho mom called the cops on me deserves to be made fun of.

I've made a point of whittling every time I go back there because I'm tired of having to be over sensitive to stupid people. I'm not going to hide my knives because people are afraid of their own shadows.

 

[Myal]

I do like the non knife threads .

They give insights into peoples perceptions,both people who carry knives and people who dont .

I found a certain amount of comfort knowing Im not the only one who is a bit worried when some kid deploys their huge tacticool ninja eviscerator 9000+ with much showy display , to cut tape on a box or to open a packet of chips ..

I have had my share of interesting and even funny reaction to both my carrying a knife and my making them . I believe tho I have converted more people to carrying knives than I have convinced they need to worry about others carrying them .

 

[RemyKaze]

I don't think people who own knives should be showy about breaking them out, and I am all for encouraging and informing people about the uses of knives as tools. At the same time, people who purposely choose to see the most negative aspect of an inanimate object and the motives of the person holding it simply because it is sharp and pointy, are just plain ridiculous.

I have no qualms about laughing at fainting goats, easily scared sheep, lemmings, or their counterparts in humankind. I think such people intentionally ignore valuable assets out of an unreasonable fear of...well, I don't think they even have more than a vague notion of why they're afraid. Most of the people I see react this way have never had a previous incident with a knife. Seems to be some deep-seated defense mechanism. Next thing you know, people will be afraid of fire!

 

[SoCal_kid]

I like the threads because they make me feel like I am not alone. Shared experiences. I try to carry smaller knives so that I don't look threatening and it bugs me when my delica is seen as something lethal. I get bummed when a tool that I invested valuable pocket real estate storing gets inflated to some weapon of destruction. Im not a sociopath looking to aerate strangers. I'm just a guy who doesn't want to leverage with his keys everytime a package needs to be opened, nails cleaned, or ties unbound.

 

[Kels73]

An older man that I respected once said to me, "Everybody needs to vent. Just be careful who you vent to." This forum is probably a safe place to vent our frustrations, since non-knife people don't likely visit it anyway. I agree with those who've mentioned the importance of educating non-knife people when given the opportunity. I've been trying to do this with our secretary for the past few months. At first, she didn't want anything to do with knives and would get nervous whenever somebody at the office used one; however, now she's talking about getting a small Swiss Army Knife. If those of us at the office who use knives vented our frustration to her, I don't believe she would be where she is now.

Yet while I think there's a place for venting, I also think that venting can be taken too far sometimes. Expressing frustration over ignorance regarding knives is one thing, but ridiculing people for having that ignorance is something entirely different. It just isn't helpful.

 

[XiaolongJackson]

I often read about how nobody used to look twice when someone pulled out their pocket knife "back in the good ole days".

That is true, but back in the good ole days they weren't exactly waving a Super Commander out of their pocket.

I love those big knives, but I also know to be more tactful about using them in public.

Just my 2 useless cents.

It's true. Even today, I find that people don't really stare when I pull out a Victorinox or a similarly shaped slipjoint to cut things, unless it's my Swisschamp, which gets me stares even from other knife people.

As for "educating" people, it's tough. Yesterday, I was clipping my fingernails with my Swisschamp and some guy sitting at the same table saw and was interested, so I started talking to him about knives and showed him my Spyderco Zulu. He seemed to be one of those "Hemingway hipsters" and was interested in carrying knives for backpacking and camping and agreed that they're useful to have around. Then he started fiddling with my Zulu, and proceeded to point the blade at his friend and do the "Give me all your money!" routine. It could've been worse, but trying to "convert" even open-minded people and teach them to be responsible with their tools takes a bit of time and patience, which evidently not a lot of people here have, including me.

I have convinced a few people though. I gifted my mom a Leatherman Micra and a friend a Victorinox Spartan. Also got another friend to get himself and EDC a Victorinox Super Tinker and Leatherman Wingman. I also gave my stepdad a SRM GB-763 but it just sits in a drawer collecting dust, since he prefers to use Stanley utility cutter type knives.

 

[KennyB]

I always find them hard to believe and contrived. People making up stories about others noticing their knives, because they want their knives to be noticed. I've carried all sorts of knives, fixed bladed to folding knives, and out of the hundreds of people that have seen me with them, maybe two have ever even commented. Maybe it's just the place I live... But yeah, I just tend to find them really hard to believe anyone actually makes that big a deal about them.

 

[leghog]

I often read about how nobody used to look twice when someone pulled out their pocket knife "back in the good ole days".

That is true, but back in the good ole days they weren't exactly waving a Super Commander out of their pocket.

I love those big knives, but I also know to be more tactful about using them in public.

Just my 2 useless cents.

No one looks twice when I pull out my pocket knife these days, but I carry traditionals and SAKS. Regarding modern knives, I'd venture to say it's often not the knife that garners attention as much as it is the way the knife is presented, "whipped out", and flicked/flipped open. I'd also venture to say the "whipper" often "whips" out his knife in such a way so as to get noticed because he wants to be noticed. The few years I carried a modern knife (CQC7 now beat to hell), neither it nor me were noticed when I used it, but I'm not one to "whip" it out a flick it open. I just used my thumb on the stud.

 

[dkb45]

I like the threads because they show how asinine people can be sometimes. I can see getting dirty looks from carrying a machete around, but if I have a normal folder freaking out over it is doing nothing for everybody.

I don't go waving my knife around and threatening people, but I still get dirty looks when I have to cut a loose thread or cut something open because I refuse to tear it like a primate.