Pass-around for sheeple?

philthygeezer

philthygeezer

Joined
Aug 6, 2002
Messages
746
Just had a thought on another thread, and this must have been proposed before. Goes back to me ruminating on the problems we have with sheeple understanding us. Here goes:

Are there any legal ramifications to lending someone a small (say 1.5-2.5") folder? If the person is over say 25 years old, I would expect that person to be reasonably adept at handling a knife, and I think a court would too? Besides I would show him how to use it safely. After all, anyone can buy a knife at a grocery store.

If this is OK then:

What if every one of us bought a SMALL, well-made Spyderco or other brand and used it as a pass-around for non-knife people that ask us why we carry a folding knife?

Say a 2.5" blade maximum. It would help it it was cute, classy, or colourful. Well-made has to be part of it though.

You could have it someplace convenient and then, when asked why you carry that God-awful scary thing around all the time, make a reasonable explanation and get around to saying, "Hey, I have an Idea! I forgot I had this little one kicking around in my backpack/desk drawer/other pocket/glovebox of my car, so why don't you take it for a week or two? Put it on your key-chain if you like."

Or if you are already carrying it, why not just hand it to them and say, "Here you go, but I want it back in two weeks."

What better way to risk thirty-five bucks or so?

Good idea
 
There really should be no legal ramifications as long as the knife conforms to local laws. Although a sweeping generalization, most local laws in North America revolve around restricted knives as: automatics, gravity knives and balisongs, and perhaps blade length and the odd concealment law.

My only problem is that I wouldn't want to pass around a Spyderco. I'd wanna keep it!

What's the objective of this? To educate the public? This should be done slowly. Perhaps consider gentlemen's knives, SAK's, and multi-tools.

I can tell you where educating the public should start...With us knife nuts. This revolves around being responsible.

Too often, I hear the overzealous knife nut who boasts about taking his 4" Military folder out at a public restaurant to cut up food in front of people. To me, this is not only insensitive to those that may be offended or frightened by such actions but it's just plain showing off, IMO. I admit, I've done that too so I'm not being holier than thou when I say this. Look, if the restaurant's knife is too dull for that tough steak, just ask for a sharper steak knife. You really don't need to be pulling out your self-defense blade from your ankle sheath.

I've also read a thread where people state, "I don't care what others (sheeple) think." Well, if you don't care, then you really aren't helping the knife community IMO. This attitude is going to lead to a frightened public which will inevitably affect us by getting our beloved blades banned. No, we need to educate people in a way that won't frighten them.

I'm not trying to deny freedom of expression, but one needs to exercise responsibility, caution, and good public relations; especially where the general public is concerned. If we want the world to know we love knives, maybe we could start by try wearing a Spyderco t-shirt rather than waving our scarey looking knives around indiscriminately in public.
 
If sheeple want to get involved in knives, they can do it the same way most of us did...Go to a store that sells knives and handle a few of 'em.
 
Full Tang, I agree completely.

Edit: Except, maybe wearing a knife brand T-shirt would be a bit like wearing a Turban or a T-Shirt with a cross on it: You have provided a handy label for someone to judge you before you even communicate with them.

The only way to get someone to understand you is to get them in your shoes. Showing off or flipping off people never helps.

The objective is to educate friends and coworkers, and then the general public by them.

I think having a cute little knife on permanant loan status to people you know is a good move. If everyone who would otherwise show off, show apathy or show his teeth showed generousity and sensitivity instead, by giving away something for a week or two, there would be a renaissance of common sense.

Giving is so uncommon now, that anything one could do in this regard will have ripples in the stories that get told. Friends of your friend will ask your friend why they have that cute little knife. Your friend will say that, "John lent it to me for a couple of weeks to try it out - isn't it neat?"

Automatically you are a nice person to your friend and your friend's friends. Your reputation as a nice guy will supercede your rap as a knife knut. At most, you will be regarded as eccentric.

Like my perfect world yet?
:D
 
I had a nice talk with one of the older guys in my class on thursday night. This guy worked for a company for 25yrs, and they downsized him. He is redoing his education and going elsewhere. He's currently 45...

I was wearing my green Spyderco hat... gold bug and lettering on a green hat is kind of hard to miss.

He asked me about it during the break, and I ended up giving him a price list and my 2002 book to look at. I get my book back on next thursday(no class on the 12th), and I have no problems discussing my hobby more. 13yrs with knives, 3yrs using Spyderco. I'm at the point that I can give almost all the stats for most of the models.
 
Originally posted by philthygeezer

Edit: Except, maybe wearing a knife brand T-shirt would be a bit like wearing a Turban or a T-Shirt with a cross on it: You have provided a handy label for someone to judge you before you even communicate with them.
Click to expand...

I was exaggerating about the Spyderco T-shirt just for effect.

Sorry for the confusion.

FTC

P.S. Not that I wouldn't mind having a Spyderco T-shirt! ;-)
 
How about a butter knife? ;)

AET (ATE on the "home" forum ;))

Oh yeah, what you quoted Homer Simpson as sayin' too! ;)
 
I think 'Full tang clan' summarized things
very well.

For me, I've flipped flopped on my opinion of
sheeple quite a bit, ranging from "who cares
what they think, it's legal", to the other end.

But, I have noticed, a few times, that at family
functions and at work (Christmas, birthdays, etc.,
where invariably someone needs a sharp edge to open
something), that when I've pulled out a longer
blade to aid in the task at hand, some people
seem to react much more negatively than I would have
guessed.

These are family members who couldn't possibly be
dissuaded from their current opinions about anything,
or co-workers who are similarly "correct" about such
"dangerous" things as knives, guns, etc.

So what.

Then again, I suppose if they feel threatened,
it's not a good thing for me, or other knife nuts.

It's stupid, it's annoying, and lots of other things
($%#!). But I have no more ability to change their
opinions than I do to change the weather. Perhaps a
few opinions of people I see more than once a week,
but I doubt much more than that.

So, as a result, I typically only carry my smallest
folder to such functions (a Delica). I carry my
Buck 110 or Spydie Endura on weekends, in the yard,
or in the woods, or in other places where one doesn't
have to put up with sheeple (e.g. Home Depot, etc.).

And, I'm even considering going smaller for an EDC that
I would actually pull out of my pocket in public - like
a Spydie Dragonfly.

It really sucks that we all have to deal with the
ignorance. But, like my anology above, it really sucks
having to deal with unpredictable weather, too..
 
I agree that it does suck to have to deal with the ignorances present in society. But writing off those ignorances will not help: Gun owners have tried that approach already.

I do feel that users of relatively expensive knives have a much better opportunity to fit into the rest of society than we think. Pondering the recent trends in gun control in North America leads me to think that the same will happen to knife owners if we don't build a respectable, sensible, non-xenophobic visage for ourselves in society. Like it or not, it is popular opinion that will control us and the only way to have self-efficacy is to sway popular opinion by being part of it.

Gun owners can't hand someone a Ruger MKII and ask them to try it out. We however can promote understanding through usage. Not everyone owns or will ever own a gun, but everyone owns a knife out of necessity. A knife is a much more useful tool than a gun, for everyone.

Presenting ourselves in a benevolent fashion will help others understand and not worry about us being dangerous. Presenting well made knives as peaceful everyday tools rather than paramilitary weaponry will help much. Go for the McGyver approach with sheeple. Most of us carry knives because we find them useful for many things.
Showing the much higher safety level of a Spyderco versus something bought at 'The Dollar Store' is a good idea as well.

The worst thing that could happen when you offer your Dragonfly to a stubborn family member is that they decline. The understanding when you loan something like that out is that they replace it if lost or damaged. If they do lose it then they have to go to the store and look at a counter-full of those shiny objects. ;)

If DeBeers could convince the world that they need to spend two months' salary on a shiny rock, how hard could it be? Perhaps we have more ability than we think.
 
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