Public perception of people carrying knives

[Sosa]

I don't give a flying fig how people perceive me.
If they don't like seeing my knife clip they need to stop looking at that area of my body...I'd ask them why they are looking at me there...turn it around and make them uncomfortable that is much more fun.

I know what you mean.

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[stargawker]

In urban areas (EDC) I usually carry a slipjoint. I haven't really noticed people getting freaked out when I take it out.

The funny thing is that our kitchen knives are usually more intimidating than any pocket knife. I have an old 10" kitchen knife that would be much more intimidating and dangerous. More like the fabled "Bowie knife" than any of my pocket knives.

 

[davek14]

Just another thought.

Evryy time one of these threads come up theres always the "I grew up in the south so we all had knives" thing.

I grew up in the north, one of the most hillbilly filled places I have ever been. Don't assume because someones from up north that they haven't been carrying and using a knife since childhood. Just like them southern boys.

We just had to deal with the cold part of the year.

Just a thought, please continue.
Merry Christmas

What part of Ohio are you from?

I have a friend who is an expatriate from Minnesota (which is southern Canada) who thinks Cincinnati is the deep South. I live in Cincinnati, work in Kentucky, and lived for years in the Boston area. Believe me, it's all relative.

 

[vanslem6]

What part of Ohio are you from?

I have a friend who is an expatriate from Minnesota (which is southern Canada) who thinks Cincinnati is the deep South. I live in Cincinnati, work in Kentucky, and lived for years in the Boston area. Believe me, it's all relative.

It's a southern state that just happens not to be south on a map. I lived in Mn for years, as well as Cincinnati for a couple.

Well. There is many people who think that everyone should be unarmed at all times, and are scared of anything that could be considered a "weapon". Some people view the presence of knives, and guns as scary. Perhaps because they are afraid of what they can do if used against them. This is just fine. But when those people choose to believe that we ALL should be un-armed is what bothers me. I highly disagree with this outlook. We have a second amendment for a reason. We have a choice. We should be able to defend and protect ourselves, our families, our interests, values, morals, property and way of life, as well as prepare to. It is our constitutional right to do so. The second amendment is there for a reason. That goes into the sheep/dog mentality. Some people choose to live a sheltered life and believe that they will never be in a situation where they will need to defend themselves or their family. They believe that there will always be a governing body in place to police them at all times - (be it police, national guard, army ect.) - and nothing will happen to jeopardize them, their safety, well being, and the peace we so often have. (Which is wonderful. Thank God) However, it is good for people to be able to defend themselves or possibly others as well, as opposed to being unprepared for such a thing to happen. It is better to have a plan in place and not need it, than to need a plan and not have the means. Democrats; at least a majority of them, as well as the values and beliefs of the democratic party contribute to this in a large way. More so than many are lead to believe. One reason I never have voted democratic. Why ban AR 15 magazines? Why can't we hunt with an AR15?? It is .223, which is bigger than a .22. "But were does it end"? 20mm is the largest legal round NOT classified as a destructive device. I say if you've got the money to blow on ammunition like that, go right ahead. There is already a system in place to regulate firearms, cutlery and the like. Don't water down our constitution. I do understand how seeing a person with a weapon in a public place could be intimidating to a person. Maybe they are not around knives/guns often or never owned one. I suppose it could be scary to a person. But how many tragedies such as school shootings would happen if one person would have planned for when a crisis happened and conceal carried. How many lives would have been saved?

I am getting way of base with this here. In my eyes, a knife is a tool just like a pipe wrench is a tool. Everything COULD be used as a weapon. A fork could be lethal if someone decided to jab someone else in the eye ball with it. Should forks be illegal? There will always be the squeamish weeny to say that the world should be nerfed. That is why I vote republican.

Progressivism is a huge, huge problem as far as I'm concerned. As is any sort of distinction between red and blue - they're both merely tentacles attached to the same beast.

 

[ColdDeadHand]

I live in CO...

This explains it. Only about half (maybe less) of the state of Colorado can be considered sane. I'm glad you guys have you personal liberties regarding cannabis and everything, but man some people out there are just fruitcake nutjob weirdos (no offense to anyone but hippies).

 

[davek14]

As said, I live in Ohio and work in Kentucky. I catch some crap in Ky. for being a "Buckeye" (derisive term for Ohioan) and I've got a messy but efficient food garden in my back yard. My co-workers think I'm a city boy and my neighbors think I'm a redneck. I spoke once here of the animosity sometimes shown between "cousin' lovin' rednecks" and "fondue sucking pansy liberals". The illustrious and edificating RedLynx quipped that a "fondue sucking redneck" would be quite the interesting person. I nearly made that my sig... "fondue sucking redneck", yup.

It's all relative.

 

[22-rimfire]

Here I thought a Buckeye was a tree all this time.

 

[davek14]

Here I thought a Buckeye was a tree all this time.

Ohio state tree. "You can wipe your butt with a Buckeye, but you can't wipe your butt with a Briar."
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Briar

 

[KBnCO]

This explains it. Only about half (maybe less) of the state of Colorado can be considered sane. I'm glad you guys have you personal liberties regarding cannabis and everything, but man some people out there are just fruitcake nutjob weirdos (no offense to anyone but hippies).

Funny thing is CDH, Colorado only recently became more Liberal. Marijuana legalization being one of the many new laws passed by our new Governor and voted for by our new resident alien constituents that reflect the "forward" thinking of the masses that are moving here. I have lived here my whole life and hate to see what has become of this state, but I will not retreat into it's pacifism and new socialistic agenda. The same could be said of many, almost all, the states have their fair share of nut jobs and weirdos. If Liberals are flies, then our Governor is a heaping pile of sh*t. I will continue to carry my knives and use them when I have the need for them, as most on here have stated, without much thought or care of those that may disapprove of them.

On a side note, If I was a smarter man I would set vending machines outside all the pot shops and retire a happy man. Just need to figure out a way for the machine to accept food stamps.

 

[RedLynx]

As said, I live in Ohio and work in Kentucky. I catch some crap in Ky. for being a "Buckeye" (derisive term for Ohioan) and I've got a messy but efficient food garden in my back yard. My co-workers think I'm a city boy and my neighbors think I'm a redneck. I spoke once here of the animosity sometimes shown between "cousin' lovin' rednecks" and "fondue sucking pansy liberals". The illustrious and edificating RedLynx quipped that a "fondue sucking redneck" would be quite the interesting person. I nearly made that my sig... "fondue sucking redneck", yup.

It's all relative.

I'd nearly forgotten that! Good times. :thumbup:

 

[RedLynx]

Funny thing is CDH, Colorado only recently became more Liberal.

My aunt and cousins used to live there a number of years. I believe Colorado Springs is still a very conservative place, even for the more conservative parts of the state, no?

 

[Dr. Scott]

I'm old enough (50) that I grew up taking a knife to school. Sometime in the past 20 years, most schools have banned the carrying of pocket knives under threat of expulsion. I understand this. The proliferation of mall ninja knives marketed as weapons and romanticized in movies, and the ease of purchase and low prices for Asian manufactured "toys," makes it nearly impossible for schools to police their kids. Some schools ban mobile phones for the same reason: it is too difficult to supervise their use, and easier to simply ban them outright.

So many of us grew up carrying a pocket knife to school every day for the most formative decade of our lives. Those of us in Boy Scouts were told that it was a part of our motto: Be Prepared. But now, kids grow up being told they will be expelled if they bring a Swiss Army Knife or scout knife to school. They are formed to believe that knives are not tools, but dangerous weapons that must be policed. And they carry this perception the rest of their lives.

Here in California, I've never received any dirty looks for using a knife in public, or carrying one with a visible clip in my pocket. I lived in Washington for 14 years, grew up in Arkansas and spent my summers in rural Alabama. I see no difference in attitudes towards knives here in California. On the contrary, people of middle age and older seem to expect that men carry knives.

I have recently had older women ask me for help, expecting that I would have a knife in my pocket, because I am a 50 years old man. In my family and social circles, it is still expected that men carry knives, multitools, SAKs.

Of course, there are the so-called tactical knives, marketed as weapons, designed to look frightening or macho, often to extremes. I won't name names, but you know who you are!

It would be prudent as a community to focus on knives as tools. If we teach the use of knives as tools, market them as tools, and carry knives that look like tools (or jewelry), then the unwashed masses will not view them as scary weapons carried by angry men. So we all bear some responsibility for the public perception of knives, and we can change those perceptions within a single generation.

For the record, I like Klingons and Klingon culture, and I think their traditional weapons are cool. But it is make-believe, isn't it?

 

[Ankerson]

What part of Ohio are you from?

I have a friend who is an expatriate from Minnesota (which is southern Canada) who thinks Cincinnati is the deep South. I live in Cincinnati, work in Kentucky, and lived for years in the Boston area. Believe me, it's all relative.

There are a lot of Northerners that still think that people in the South are all walking around with no shoes and are backwards etc.

I have been to a lot places in the North that are far more backwards than many places in the South.

It's mostly ignorance really, not all that surprising either.

 

[stabman]

[ If we teach the use of knives as tools, market them as tools, and carry knives that look like tools (or jewelry), then the unwashed masses will not view them as scary weapons carried by angry men.

Box-cutters and Swiss Army Knives are tools, yet people get scared if you try to take them on planes...

 

[RedLynx]

Good post.

That stewardess is cute.

 

[stabman]

Good post.

That stewardess is cute.

I don't recall ever seeing an ugly stewardess.

 

[RedLynx]

Box-cutters and Swiss Army Knives are tools, yet people get scared if you try to take them on planes...

I'll probably sound stupid for saying this but I kind of get the box cutter thing, as I think the 9/11 guys used what looked like homemade disguised box cutters to do their thing... so I kind of get it. I only started flying a couple of years ago, been afraid to fly all of my life, so I hadn't flown pre 9/11 and I don't know how it was. Vastly different I'm sure.

In a way, I get it. I'm not saying it's entirely logical (especially in the case of a SAK, which I already found on the few flights I've been on would have been handy) but as humans, we're wired to react and respond to different scenarios, and to do different things based on those scenarios. When something like that happens, we have to make changes. And I don't mean "we have to" in sense of "we gotta ban everything to make people safer!" argument, I just mean as a species, we as humans have an imperative to react to those scenarios and make changes in the interest of prevention--although they are not always entirely logical.

I'd like to see what flying was like before all of this. But I do understand why people made these new rules, even if I think they are somewhat misplaced. Just my two cents.

 

[RedLynx]

I don't recall ever seeing an ugly stewardess.

It's one reason I love flying Lufthansa man, they know how to pick em.

 

[stabman]

I'd like to see what flying was like before all of this. But I do understand why people made these new rules, even if I think they are somewhat misplaced. Just my two cents.

I understand it too...but it was nice being able to fly with a small knife (Spyderco made the Co-Pilot for such a purpose).

 

[vanslem6]

'They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.'

B. Franklin

Once you lose it, you don't ever get it back. History proves it.