Some people just don't get it.

[Cursum Perficio]

I actually don't get that kind of thing very often at all, I guess 'cos I live in a small town/rural part of the antipodes, with hunting and fishing and farming commonplace.
If I do get asked why I'm carrying a knife my answer is either "for cutting things" in a 'what are you simple?' kind of way, or "what, you don't?" and then proceed to try and sell them one, an Enlan or Inron or some such good cheapie. Sometimes it works

What I do tend to get is the incredulous 'you paid how much for a pocket knife?' kind of thing. Which gets worse if I tell them I have at least 20 folding knives.
And that does kind of annoy me as whoever is asking has there own particular interest they spend money on and I wouldn't deride them for that.

 

[The Zieg]

"Why, yes, there is someone I'd like to stab . . ."

 

[Cursum Perficio]

Firearms though, well, 30 odd years ago it was nothing for me to walk up the highway to neighboring farms with the .22 over my shoulder to ping a few rabbits or maybe a feral goat.
Do that now and I would quickly be getting a free ride in a police car. That kinda bugs me.

 

[buckman110]

Firearms though, well, 30 odd years ago it was nothing for me to walk up the highway to neighboring farms with the .22 over my shoulder to ping a few rabbits or maybe a feral goat.
Do that now and I would quickly be getting a free ride in a police car. That kinda bugs me.

Very true, I still don't understand Washington's understanding behind taking guns. Idk bout y'all, but I live in the south. We alllll have guns. And not just the good ones if u catch my drift. Its impossible. We need our American rights, period.

 

[kleonikos]

I was asked this question the other day, and I told him that is because i like it and find it a very usefull tool for a person to own in general an a must for an outdoorman in the field or camping. Provides a lot of u from there we moved on to camping chores and the likes and apparently most people full up their coolbox with beer, pre-cut meat and vegetables in containers, plates, spoons, other cutlery, coal and the kitchen sink... Apparently i'm also crazy, for using a tarp and hammock setup and not an airbed and a 6-person tent to be comfortable in!!!! when the wife tags along that's a 5 star camping with camp shower incluted. Then i became a tree killer because i cut my own wood for campfire(disregarding the fact that i took a forestry class, let alone 25 years as a boy scout), Instead of buying and carry industrially manufactured charcoal for barbecue. City people don't get it... everything MUST be bought ready for use or consumption.. no processing involved. I like to be a bit more self reliant than that and the number one utility tool to process things in a day to day urban environment is skill and a good knife.

 

[buckman110]

I was asked this question the other day, and I told him that is because i like it and find it a very usefull tool for a person to own in general an a must for an outdoorman in the field or camping. Provides a lot of u from there we moved on to camping chores and the likes and apparently most people full up their coolbox with beer, pre-cut meat and vegetables in containers, plates, spoons, other cutlery, coal and the kitchen sink... Apparently i'm also crazy, for using a tarp and hammock setup and not an airbed and a 6-person tent to be comfortable in!!!! when the wife tags along that's a 5 star camping with camp shower incluted. Then i became a tree killer because i cut my own wood for campfire(disregarding the fact that i took a forestry class, let alone 25 years as a boy scout), Instead of buying and carry industrially manufactured charcoal for barbecue. City people don't get it... everything MUST be bought ready for use or consumption.. no processing involved. I like to be a bit more self reliant than that and the number one utility tool to process things in a day to day urban environment is skill and a good knife.

Lol people like us are gonna be living good when shit finally collapses. Our ingenuity will keep neet ideas around for years to come. I showed a guy how to open a can the other day on a rock, (rubbing it back n forth on the top) again used my knife to pry up the tip. He was like whoa. Lol city people are hilarious.

 

[pinnah]

My disagreement with that aspect of our hobby gives me no right to dictate other's behaviour. As a society we weigh costs and benefits and personal freedoms are not given nearly enough weight in this equation IMO. I do not see a large cost to our society in the whole "mall-ninja" gestalt. In many cases kids are just playing soldier, I did that.

I remember burying my great aunt up home in Vermont and getting into my cousin's truck to drive up to the cemetery and needing to move the loaded deer gun that was sitting muzzle down in the passenger seat well. The truck was sitting unlocked in front of the church during the service. So yeah... I get and buy into the idea of social freedom and have lived it to a great extent.

But I think all (or most) of us recognize that there *IS* a limit to personal freedom. We may disagree where that line should be, but few will argue that there should be no restrictions at all. I don't want my neighbors to have access to claymore mines, or RPGs. I don't want high school kids to be able to buy belts of .50 cal ammo for their machine gun nor do I want them to be able to fire it off in town park. I know that sounds ludicrous. But it makes the point that nearly all of us accept that there should be some limits to personal freedom when it comes to weapons.

As a designer of things (not knives or guns), I also recognize that we can't have it both ways. Some knives (and guns) are specifically designed for killing and maiming. That's fine in my book. There's a need for that in this sad world. But, we can't have it both ways, really. We can't buy and demand knives that are specifically designed for killing and maiming and then turn right around and take the "It's just a tool" defense. It's not just a tool. It's specifically designed to kill or maim better than other knives (or guns).

Society is stupid and fearful and capable of incredible blunders out of reactionary fear. But it shouldn't surprise us.

 

[matgarsmi]

"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional development." - Sigmund Freud.

 

[biggerjon]

I was fortunate to have been 'the boss' in most of my jobs. I always gradually let them see me carry/use my knives. I only used them when appropriate. Over time they became comfortable seeing me use my knife during misc. tasks. Almost always people ended up coming to me because I was the knife guy when they needed a knife. I would always show them whatever new knife I might have in my pocket and they eventually respected/admired them. Many ended up buying their own because they realized how often they needed one when I was not around.

I believe in the educate and inspire approach to dealing with anti knife people. Some will learn and understand, others will accept it, some will appreciate it and others will get stabbed. Haha, sorry, I had to go there.

 

[KingMC]

My manager today walked into the warehouse from his coffee break and the first thing he said to me was, "You would know, what's the best place to stab someone?". I don't know if it's because he knows I'm trained in self-defense or if he assumes knife people know where to stab people, it's just not a normal question to ask one of your subordinates. I never gave him a proper answer

 

[RedLynx]

That particuler data has been debunked. The authors didn't like the final result as it was not politically correct (or what they wanted) so they altered the dates of the study to say what they wanted it to say. They even lost their funding. Doesn't stop people from using it as a reference. Don't confuse me with facts, my minds made up.

Garbage in = Garbage out.

Would you be able to point me to any articles relating to this debunking and loss of funding? I'd like to use it in the future, if I ever need to... thanks.

 

[davek14]

I remember burying my great aunt up home in Vermont and getting into my cousin's truck to drive up to the cemetery and needing to move the loaded deer gun that was sitting muzzle down in the passenger seat well. The truck was sitting unlocked in front of the church during the service. So yeah... I get and buy into the idea of social freedom and have lived it to a great extent.

But I think all (or most) of us recognize that there *IS* a limit to personal freedom. We may disagree where that line should be, but few will argue that there should be no restrictions at all. I don't want my neighbors to have access to claymore mines, or RPGs. I don't want high school kids to be able to buy belts of .50 cal ammo for their machine gun nor do I want them to be able to fire it off in town park. I know that sounds ludicrous. But it makes the point that nearly all of us accept that there should be some limits to personal freedom when it comes to weapons.

As a designer of things (not knives or guns), I also recognize that we can't have it both ways. Some knives (and guns) are specifically designed for killing and maiming. That's fine in my book. There's a need for that in this sad world. But, we can't have it both ways, really. We can't buy and demand knives that are specifically designed for killing and maiming and then turn right around and take the "It's just a tool" defense. It's not just a tool. It's specifically designed to kill or maim better than other knives (or guns).

Society is stupid and fearful and capable of incredible blunders out of reactionary fear. But it shouldn't surprise us.

Sir, you are %100 right. I do believe we need to have *some* restrictions on our freedoms and thus the "cost/benefit" statement.

I really have come of late to feel we need some restrictions in areas I did not feel we neeeded them in the past.....the costs have outweighed the benefits which include personal freedoms. This is not in the knife area and I will make no further statements.

I actually really thought your original statement was pointed and timely in the discussion. It was a great place to take things then, to bring up the gestalt of violence often used as a selling point. We should not be suprised. I am dismayed.

I agree with you %100, with a few of my own ideas and caveats inserted. Today is actually just kind of a bad day and I'm riding around shooting off ideas like Yosemite Sam.

"NOISE, I HATE NOISE, I CAN'T STAND NOISE."

 

[RedLynx]

I remember burying my great aunt up home in Vermont and getting into my cousin's truck to drive up to the cemetery and needing to move the loaded deer gun that was sitting muzzle down in the passenger seat well. The truck was sitting unlocked in front of the church during the service. So yeah... I get and buy into the idea of social freedom and have lived it to a great extent.

But I think all (or most) of us recognize that there *IS* a limit to personal freedom. We may disagree where that line should be, but few will argue that there should be no restrictions at all. I don't want my neighbors to have access to claymore mines, or RPGs. I don't want high school kids to be able to buy belts of .50 cal ammo for their machine gun nor do I want them to be able to fire it off in town park. I know that sounds ludicrous. But it makes the point that nearly all of us accept that there should be some limits to personal freedom when it comes to weapons.

As a designer of things (not knives or guns), I also recognize that we can't have it both ways. Some knives (and guns) are specifically designed for killing and maiming. That's fine in my book. There's a need for that in this sad world. But, we can't have it both ways, really. We can't buy and demand knives that are specifically designed for killing and maiming and then turn right around and take the "It's just a tool" defense. It's not just a tool. It's specifically designed to kill or maim better than other knives (or guns).

Society is stupid and fearful and capable of incredible blunders out of reactionary fear. But it shouldn't surprise us.

In a very technical sense, there really needn't be any limit to personal freedom, because personal freedom by its very nature won't cross any sort of lines.

I can't set up a firing range in my apartment complex because bullets could go through the walls and injure others. I don't own a gun anyway but my point is, at this point, it becomes something other than personal freedom, it becomes a potentially dangerous infringement on the personal freedom of others.

Similarly a kid firing off a 50 cal in a park is doing the same thing, infringing on public property, etc.

I guess my point is, I agree with you, but I feel that there is no limit to personal freedom because once it infringes on others, it morphs into something other than personal freedom.

 

[RedLynx]

My manager today walked into the warehouse from his coffee break and the first thing he said to me was, "You would know, what's the best place to stab someone?". I don't know if it's because he knows I'm trained in self-defense or if he assumes knife people know where to stab people, it's just not a normal question to ask one of your subordinates. I never gave him a proper answer

I think the proper answer may "I don't know but I do wonder why you need an answer to this."

 

[BenchCo Spydermade]

Listen, weapons are like this. They exist. People have them. Some of those people are bad people, some are not. Because others have them, some people believe they should have them also, in case some of those people with them decide to use them in a bad way.

We know were good people, but to those who choose not to have the weapon despite others possession of them, almost anyone with a weapon is scary, especially those who are unknown or enemy.

If people know you and generally think well of you it should help a lot.

 

[BenchCo Spydermade]

My manager today walked into the warehouse from his coffee break and the first thing he said to me was, "You would know, what's the best place to stab someone?". I don't know if it's because he knows I'm trained in self-defense or if he assumes knife people know where to stab people, it's just not a normal question to ask one of your subordinates. I never gave him a proper answer

OK, you GOTTA admit tho, if you're trained in self defense and consider yourself a " knife person" you would be the best person to ask. . I definitely understand your reluctance to answer though.

 

[KingMC]

OK, you GOTTA admit tho, if you're trained in self defense and consider yourself a " knife person" you would be the best person to ask. . I definitely understand your reluctance to answer though.

When I can't tell if someone is genuinely wondering how best to defend themselves, or if they are just trying to get me to appear more like a serial killer by answering, I usually resort to just evading the actual answer and try to change the subject.

I certainly had some pro tips I could've shared, but I don't just share killing moves on a whim to someone untrained and unprepared.

 

[isntsmokeybeardead]

This all goes back to the problem in America ... Men don't know how to to be men.
Plain and simple .

 

[Redmasta]

When people say something stupid like that I usually reply back with something equally stupid like "Yes, that is exactly what I do, my freezer is getting full do you mind if I come use yours?". That usually ends the comments right there.

Edit: Obviously they know I'm joking and it brings to light how stupid the original comment was.

 

[rustyrazor]

The old "why do you need that?" is a losers arguement. Perhaps a better question is "why don't I need a knife?" Try getting into modern plastic packaging with out one, unless you are legitmately weird and carry a pair of scissors (full size, not SAK scissors) on your person.

I agree with a few of the above posters who said that skull/death fetish knives give our community a bad name. Case in point, when get around to getting one of the new Kershaw/Emersons, I will be sanding off the silly skull logo on the clip. I also don't care for the DPX skull logo, yes I get that its that company's thing, but I think its as silly as the Emerson skull.

always thought the same way... since i grew up anyway. Skulls and flames are best left for the dungeons and dragons crowd. every time i see a logo with either of them, i really can't take much serious after that! might be a hell of a knife, but its hard to think that someone whos logo looks like a 15 year old metal head's doodles has put much thought into anything other than trying to impress other 15 year olds... or just anything from mantis knives... nothing else to say on that.