Some of you need to get over yourselves.

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Dorito Monk said:
Wait, does that mean if I lift weights AND carry a knife, I'm twice as silly? :confused:
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I carry a knife, lift weights, carry a flashlight, and have a lighter even though I don't smoke.
I also bring my own water with me...am I 5 times as weird?

This has got to be the oddest thread to have on a knife forum.:confused:
 
I live in a very rural area that depends heavily on fisheries. If, as a guy, you were to ask someone at random for a knife your would probably get a fixed blade. And a strange look for NOT carrying a knife.
Knives are very useful tools.....I seem to use my EDC everyday, and not for idiot things like opening sweetnlow.
I really dislike the "sheepdog" foolishness. I believe in all reality that if you truly want to be "ready" to help someone in need then the best thing you can do is take a first aid course, CPR etc. You are more likely to need those skills then cut someone free from an elevator.
 
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shecky said:
I've always felt knife nuts in general, as a few specifically here have always suffered from a bit of a persecution complex. It's not unusual, though, for a group of like minded people to play up an "us against the world" angle among themselves. I think it functions as something of a bonding behavior, reinforcing common values. Ironically enough, I think such behavior also has a tendency to heighten sensitivity and public advocacy among group members, possibly making outsiders more aware of the peculiarities involved with the hobby and increasing distinctions between hobbyists and outsiders.
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There's good and bad as well. A close knit group or clique can also alienate themselves by not accepting others and other ideas which are outside the group. You can look at any group and find examples of this. Racists, religious extremists, political demonstrators etc.


I've gotten away from the sheeple and sheepdog terms because:
A) It's an oversimplification of complex topics which are the human psyche and social dynamics.
B) It's used almost exclusively in a derogatory manor.

People really just need to get over themselves and talk more. Diversity is a good thing and IMO comes with greater freedoms. Tight knit groups who all believe in the same thing or are homogeneous are generally, IME, the most dogmatic and restrictive of a persons behaviour. :D
 
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Well OP does have a point. If someone pulls out a knife in public, I'm more likely to edge away than to go embrace them because I've finally found someone who carries a knife. (Over here, it's not common at all. I only see people who *need* to carry a knife- construction works, store employees unpacking boxes.etc) No matter how you see them, knives can be weapons with the right intention. If I saw someone holding a gun out, I'd have a stronger reaction as well. I think I'm just naturally suspicious, and more afraid of the person's intentions, and not the knife. Also, you never know when someone just slips...

That said, I hardly ever use my knife in public. But I've never wished I didn't have a knife, and I often use a knife. Not every day, but probably more than I use my driver's license. And both of those are important enough I carry them everyday.
 
getout87 said:
Do people really get strange looks in public for carrying a knife? To me, and most people I know, it's as normal as wearing pants.
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Agreed. If I have pants I have a knife. When I don't have pants, well that is what you have neck knives for :D
I've never gotten strange looks nor do I know anyone that has. Me personally, well you can see 3-4 clips from my pockets regularly. They may not all be knives but it'll be hard for a normal person to distinguish my flashlight clip from a pens clip same with a good bit of my knives. In public I don't pull out a knife unless it's absolutely necessary. Even then it's one of my swiss army knives not my para 2 or SOG team leader fixed blade.

I agree with the OP though, having a knife or 6 of them doesn't make you special. It does make you a hair more prepared than someone without a knife but not much more than that. I do know some people that lift like that and I wouldn't put it past them to prepare for when they need to squat a ton off some lady and her kid. I have interesting friends too though. Not what you would call normal.
 
Radioactive said:
But for the most part, even us knife guys would have some reservations upon seeing anybody flick a knife open in public even if it is just for a micro second.
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I can't say it any nicer than this - if someone opening a knife in public causes you reservations, then I honestly doubt your ability to interact in society. This goes for anyone who thinks as such. If someone does a backflip, screams, and whips out a knife, that is one thing, as it is an amalgamation of actions that together could give one pause. But just opening a knife is... just opening a knife. If you post on this forum, collect knives, research them, or do anything related to cutlery other than just cutting things, then you are apparently afraid of yourself. Such transference suggests plenty. A steakhouse must be an exercise in abject terror, as every patron has a knife sitting right there in front of them.

I don't know how to talk just about knives in response to this thread, this thread itself is not about knives, it is specifically about members of BF. This was not started to discuss the qualities of any piece of cutlery, or the laws about knives, or the public perception of knives. This was started only to criticize us. And it is a really ignorant criticism borne of myopic bias and judgment of people the OP has never met, living in places the OP has never been, doing things the OP will never do.
 
I carry a knife and a gun all concealed I don't need to advertise what I carry, it does me no good when the people around me are afraid 'cause I have a knife.

Luckily because of where I live most people carry a knife of some kind as a tool and no one's pudding their cheesy out over it,, no more than if they carry a nice pen or watch.

If I need to get over it, I am, your post that is.
 
I'm in. What was the point of this thread? Oh yeah. You should be ashamed of yourselves. You know who you are. For the record, I am over it, over myself, over you, over him, over her, over them, you know, just over.
 
Hey guys, this is just his OPINION. Everybody has one. Some are ridiculous and others are very ridiculous. I DO NOT NECESSARILY AGREE WITH THIS GUY!!!! But it is silly if your a mall ninja who puts himself in a situation on purpose or because of carelessness just for a chance to use a tool in public. If people stare at you in public for being prepared that's their problem. I can't remember where i was going with this, but its all just opinion anyways.
 
The only thing I find silly is one who would brand me silly just because I do not fit properly in their worldview. Just me, a retired USAF Master Sergeant, Vietnam Vet, in his 60s and a knife carrying member of society since 1958. 'Funny' thing is over all those decades I never had anyone comment ore 'over'react to my having/using a knife; whether in pocket or open carry.
 
I own a service based business that caters to the HOA's, Property Mgmt, Inspectors and Realtors in my area so I use many different knives (as tools) on a regular basis, so, I have no attitude or bias about knives at all. They are what they are. Just my two-centavos.
 
Carrying a knife is not a hobby. Collecting knives is a hobby. Finding the "perfect" knife is a hobby. Discussing steels and handle materials and custom scales is a hobby. But carrying a knife is not a hobby. For many it's a convenience for every-day life.

For some it's essential. I carry a knife (or 4). I carry a SAK and a multi-tool. I carry a flashlight. I carry spare batteries. I always have a pen. I carry a smartphone with GPS, internet, and a myriad of apps that make my life easier. I consider a knife essential at work. Others do the same job without a knife, but they're always looking for scissors, or something else sharp/pointy to open the dozens of plastic bags that need opening in this line of work (a chain pizza place). They use whatever they can find. A pizza cutter, a dough thermometer (they're pointy), one of the dull-as-a-spoon kitchen knives for prepping vegetables. Or their teeth. Or they just rip it open with brute strength and make a mess of things.

Or they find me and ask me to cut it with my knife.

I don't strut around with my chest puffed out, but yes, I am better prepared because I carry a knife. That's not a statement meant for bragging, it's a fact. I've fixed things at work with my Leatherman Charge or Squirt, or my SAK, that couldn't have been fixed if I didn't have those tools. I've done the same outside of work. I have quite literally "saved the day" for a few people on a few occasions because I MacGuyver'ed a solution to a serious problem. I've even "saved the day" with my smartphone, using it in ways most people can't or don't know how to do because I've gone the extra mile to make it that more useful. The other day I saved my company (or rather, my boss, because losses come out of his bonus) $100 when I used the UV flashlight I keep on my keychain to prove that a bill a customer was trying to use was counterfeit.

Do I take pride in my preparedness/resourcefulness/usefulness? Of course I do. Damn right I do. But validation doesn't come from my own opinion of myself. It comes from a fixed problem. Or from a co-worker, friend, or complete stranger saying "thanks".

I don't need to "get over myself". A knife is handy because my teeth and fingernails are only so sharp. Mankind didn't survive millenia relying on teeth and nails. They made sharp tools out of sticks, bone, stone, and metal, and used them to survive and make progress. Modern convenience has reduced the reliance on the knife for every day life, but the need is still there, and always will be. Everybody at some point needs a knife, or at the very least, their lives would be easier. Even if all they had was a Victorinox Classic on their keychain. And no, I'm not talking about some jackass opening a packet of Sweet and Low with their Hinderer.
 
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