paranoia in the workplace

H

Hoodoo

Joined
Aug 18, 1999
Messages
2,355
How many of you have to tread lightly around the sheeple where you work?

My colleagues are faculty at a university and when I first started working here I thought I might be discriminated against 'cause of my passion for guns and knives. So far it has not been a problem. I'm in the biology department and biologists, in general, are practical people that get out in the field and use knives, if only occasionally.

About 3 months ago I was in a meeting with a half dozen of my colleagues when a senior faculty member whipped out a Gerber gator (with a blade too long to be legal in Michigan). He began slicing an apple and he was holding the apple in his hand and slicing down towards his fingers. I immediately opened my mouth and said maybe he should slice that a little differently. He laughed and said he knew what he was doing. About 2 minutes later, he hacked a big gash in his finger and was bleeding like a stuck pig. I have to admit, we all went hysterical. He kept coming and going from the meeting, each time with some different kind of bandage on his hand held together with rubber bands but still leaking blood all over the table. Absolutely refused any help and this went on for 30 minutes. You had to be there 'cause we were all in tears, laughing so hard people were coming in from the halls trying to find out what was going on.

Anyway...I still am careful where I flash my Wegner Jr. or miniAFCK, especially if there are students around or facutly from other departments. One day, though, one of my colleagues came into my office and whipped out a bone handled auto he had picked up in Italy (mucho illegal). After that, I had to show him my butterfly knife.
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As for the colleague who cut his hand, during a student awards ceremony just before Christmas, I put him in charge of cutting the cake and while I was passing out the awards, I gave him a special award--a rubber knife.
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Hoodoo

No, I do not weep at the world--I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.
Zora Neale Hurston

Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.
Lao Tsu

[This message has been edited by Hoodoo (edited 02-07-2000).]
 
I have to be a little careful at the day-job too. I carry a Spyderco Veile and although no one says much my boss does refer to it as a "machette". Good thing I don't carry my tanto SOCOM or Commander to work!

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"Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n"
John Milton
There are only two types of people; those who understand this, and those who think they do.
 
I work at a childrens museum and noticed the very strange exchanged glances that would occur when I used my large sebenza at work. I have since bought a Centercross 3 inch blade beauty with rosewood scales. It is well strong enough for real work stuff and the lock snaps with a resounding YES but most of all its ....well..... pretty. I still wear my sebenza for real abusing but the other day when we had the today show filming at my museum I pulled out the Centercross for that dangerous bagel attack and a bunch of the people at the table just looked and said Wow thats a beauty Can I take a look at that. Very different from when people used to look over me to someone else with eyes that said (watch he may go nuts) Besides it being less intimidating it gave me an excuse for a new knife.


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ALex

http://home.att.net./~a.boriqua
 
I must say that I'm lucky to work in a knife friendly environment! It's a large scale manufacturing facility so there's plenty of sharp objects around besides knives. Lots of people carry folders. I work on knives in the shop in my "spare" time. Once in a while our division manager will walk through the shop and ask me if I have any of my knives to look at!
Our sheet metal dept. burns out star knives all the time and you see them stuck all over the place! I have found lots of them stuck in bulletin boards up in the office area. People just cant resist playing with them!
Neil

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Blackwood Knives
More knives in stock soon!
http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Meeting/5520/index.html
 
I used to carry a Spyderco Native to work until a co-worker freaked out and mentioned it to my boss. Now I only bring a Leatherman Micra to the office for cutting tasks.

It is unfortunate that one idiot can ruin it for everyone else because they are threatened without reason. I have never killed anyone at work nor have I ever threatened to kill anyone at work. As a matter of fact, I've never even made a menacing remark about anyone at work. Yet because I carry a knife, I'm suddenly marked as a serial killer (or a potential serial killer.)

To compound the problem, the same idiot who freaked out asked me if he could see my knife (before he went to my manager) and, of course, I showed it to him. He then proceeded to open the blade and throw it at the floor. The Native stuck about 3/4 inch into the floor where he proceeded to break the tip off and tell me that the knife was well balanced.

I really LOVE non-knife people--make sure when you read the previous statement that there is plenty of SARCASM in the room.

Brian_T
brianthornburg@home.com
 
I whip out the big blades at my workplace, I always carry a basic #5 and have even taken a trailmaster! Well I work on a golf course right now and the people never say much. If they do it's like "dont mess with him he carries a big knife" or. "his knives are sharp"
Even the boss jokes around about it, but when they need to slice open burlap bags of seed or fertilizer they come looking to find me and the jokes die down. I have even seen a few guys I work with start carring knives. Two include the bosses, too bad they are junk knives, Later Jeff
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Being self-employed is a joy...

As for the shooting club I attend - I used to be the only one carrying a knife there, now - it seems most everybody does.
Lately I gave a lecture about Knives vs. Guns at the club - and demonstrated the 21-foot rule to them - guess more will be carrying knives from now on...
 
Brian you have the tolerance of a Sainted one. Even if I had a 100% record of non menacing behaviour or commentary I think it would have ended at the very second my knife hit the floor. I know it would have come to an abrupt halt as soon as I saw the broken tip.



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ALex

http://home.att.net./~a.boriqua
 
I have become the knife evangilist where I work. Before I started everyone carried small mostly slip joint folders or a $5 POS - until I introduced them to Benchmade and Spyderco. CRKT turns them on also.

There is a paranoia about safety. Any incident (scratch, bruise, cut) must be investigated and logged with OSHA. The OSHA incident rate (OIR) affects the bottom line profit. So, understandably, knives are viewed as taboo by those in management. When someone takes out their knife the tension in the room is so thick you can almost cut it with - uh - you know what
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Just Friday I found out that a new policy is being produced about knives in the plant. I guess I'll have to carry something under a 2" blade length - or maybe nothing at all!
 
I think that we knife lovers have to look at our work places as opportunities to educate people about the utility of knives. Like Hoodoo, I am a university professor and my environment is not particularly knife friendly, however, most of us carry multiple knives so I recommend that we also tote a sheeple friendly knife for times of contact with the unenlightened. Once people get used to the idea that you own and use a pocketknife, they probably won't freakout if they happened to us with a larger blade. We should still use restraint though, I don't recommend that people who in white collar situations whip out 3.5" or 4" tacticals. In an office setting we should stick to the 7.5" OAL or less IMO. That would allow a Native, Delica, MIni AFCK, small Sebenza etc.
 
Brian_T,
That unbeleivable! that guy had to be just trying to piss you off. Most sheeple don't want to touch knives. And you have to have used knives a litle to be able to drop one into the floor like that.I know its not very hard to do, but you need to have a little bit of a feel for the balance.Its a good thing that was you and not me. I try and control my temper but it doesn't always work out. That guys head my have been stuck in the floor right next to what was left of my knife. Or I may have lost my temper and gotten the hell beat out of me too
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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 

Hoodoo,

If you didn't do anything to that guy after what he did, you are a SAINT, man!
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And also you trust some people too much.
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Kris
 
My GOD Brian,
Is there anything that can be done about that vicious assault on your property in the workplace? The guy violently destroyed your property, at the very least, the a**hole should be fired! And then he should be arrested for destruction of your property.
Man, you must be a Saint. I don't know if I could have exercised that kind if restraint in that situation. That is, of course, after I recovered from the shock of what the jerk had just done.
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GOD! I just cannot believe the arrogant, holier than thou attitude of some people!
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This really pisses me off!
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If it's stupid but works, then it isn't stupid!
 
My (soon to be ex) boss and our VP/GM had a psychotic episode when I offered my Wegner to cut the plastic on a box of mints that was defying the best efforts of her teeth & fingernails. This was on the way to a client pitch (I work in advertising) and these folks are not rough & ready outdoor types- more like slick, paranoid urbanites who have only smelled fresh pine in the form of bathroom cleanser or the little cardboard trees that hang from the rearview mirrors of taxicabs. OK- since then, there have been several things that needed to be cut (big fed-ex boxes with the little pull strip messed up, seriously heavy plastic on catered lunch trays, etc) and every time- I get the "Oh S#&%, It's OJ!" look from the sheeple in the office. These are the same people who ask for my Swisstool or Micra when something needs to be fixed. I now drop the Wegner into the briefcase when I walk in the door & keep a little hand-forged Roger Bergh patch knife (sub 2" blade) on me. This past week, during a lunch meeting, this same boss was trying to cut up some Mrs. Fields (yum) cookies & brownies w/ a plastic knife & not having any luck at all. I asked if she needed some help & she almost yells "NO"- I then added: "you would rather starve to death than use my pocket knife, wouldn't you?" To which she answered: "yes". From now on- I'll let them tug, tear, pull, rip & gouge with their teeth, fingers & pens before I will help anyone else in the office. (with a few exceptions) I'm sick of trying to explain. Try this- it's good for a reaction: "To me, it's just a tool, to you it's a weapon- maybe I should be afraid of you!"

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Runs With Scissors
AKTI# A000107
 
It isuortunate but true that there are some people who are so strongly anti-knife that nothing can demonstrate a pocketknife's usefulness as a tool. I think that this is an object lesson in predjudice. Predjudice is always frustrating because it is an irrational belief based a degree of truth. It is true that crimes are committed with knives but they are also committed with cars, hammers, screwdrivers, box cutters etc. It is an unfortunate fact that there is no implement that cannot be used for evil. I think the main lesson to learn from an episode like the one described in the previous post is to keep opn minds ourselves about subjects or people that we think we we know.
 
Originally posted by Rugger:
This was on the way to a client pitch (I work in advertising) and these folks are not rough & ready outdoor types- more like slick, paranoid urbanites who have only smelled fresh pine in the form of bathroom cleanser or the little cardboard trees that hang from the rearview mirrors of taxicabs.
Click to expand...

ROFLMAO!!
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Why is it I can see these people so clearly?!! Great image!


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Hoodoo

No, I do not weep at the world--I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.
Zora Neale Hurston

Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.
Lao Tsu
 
Come on guys...a SAINT?!

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Ask my wife. She'll be the first to tell you otherwise.

I just have better self control when I'm carrying a knife. I have to.

Worst of all is that I almost lost my job because of that idiot. Not because I'm incompetent or dangerous but because I am threatening to my co-workers. Not THREATENING my co-workers, just threatening TO them.
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My manager calls me the Grim Reaper and the CEO calls me the Pitbull. I guess I just don't have the warm cuddly appearance people expect from a computer geek.

Brian_T
brianthornburg@home.com
 
My experience in Australia has been similar, though overall more tolerant than is being depicted here. I carry a mini-AFCK every day, supplemented with a Victorinox traveller or a Leatherman Wave as the mood takes me. The worst reaction I've received so far is 'I'd hate to run into you in a dark alley'.

Mind you, I'm careful about the AFCK - no thumb-flick around sheeple. Careful 2-handed opening. It also helps that people see me preparing my lunch with it every other day. Seriously - I think it's a good policy for anyone who carries in the workplace. Cut up your fruit, bagels etc. It really helps to 'demystify' your knife and put it into some context. It's hard to insist that it's a weapon when the most common thing you do with it is prepare food. Just don't expect to explain away a Balle Mistress with this method.

At the end of the day though, no matter the surprised looks I get, they all come running when there's a bottle of wine or a non-twist top beer to be opened. Funny how you're everyone's friend then... Of course, I always extract payment for my services
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Cheers,
Tim
 
I work in a computer consulting office and carry my Wave almost everyday. I play with it a lot, but only in my dept. and no one seems to mind it at all. However, when I pulled my Pinnacle out a couple times to open mail, my boss asked me to put it away because it was making him nauseous. He is the most NON-knife (and gun) person you may ever meet, though. He is also extremely accident prone and a hypochondriac as well. A couple other times the guys in my group made sarcastic remarks about the Pinnacle, like 'do you thin it's big enough, dont get him mad' etc. I am very selective about showing pictures of the Battle Mistress....

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A knife is by default a tool, it's only a weapon when a human chooses to make it so.

 
This thread has good timing. I've been very open with my knives at the office, as there are only four of us there. My boss thinks my knives are great, although he does think I'm a little "overboard" when it comes to how many I have. He especially likes the autos, as they have a certain "wow" appeal. HOWEVER, last week I returned from a jobsite meeting wearing the Carnivore on my belt in the SWEEEET new carbon fiber Mike Sastre sheath. I was in my office leaning over some blueprints when my boss walked in and said "you know I'm going to have to ask you not to wear that thing at work." I was mystified. I told him that it was a legal length folder, and most of our field electricians wear Buck 110's on their belts all the time. He stated that because I was in managment, it projected the "wrong kind of image". (sigh). I guess I'll just have to trim it down to the La Griffe, DA-Socom in the pocket, and little Spydie G10 Rookie clipped IWB. (I feel so naked!) On the good side, when I pulled my Griffith Patrolman out of my pocket the other day, he smiled and said "well, as long as no one sees it...", shook his head and walked away.
 
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