Tell someone they're about to cut themselves or not?

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KennyB

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Jan 19, 2010
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So the other night my friend Mary was cooking a ham for us. She was opening up the package with a knife that looked like it was too dull or something because I could tell she was using too much force, but I had sharpened it recently so I knew it was still sharp enough to cut her badly. Well, I was walking by as she was holding the plastic wrap up with her left hand, with the blade pointed upward trying to trust through the plastic--basically making very erratic, forceful moves with the blade cutting toward her finger. I was going to tell her to be careful or she would cut herself but she's stubborn and never listens to anything I have to say, so I didn't say anything. Then three seconds later she made it through the package and sliced her knuckle.

I felt kind of bad because I knew she was going to cut herself, and I was going to tell her to be careful. I really expected she wouldn't have listened to me and would have cut herself anyway, but I kind of feel like a dick for it.

What do you guys think? Do you bother to point out blade safety to people anymore? Feel bad about it when they get hurt if you don't?
 
I know how you feel, you really can't win in that situation. especially with suborn people. you could try asking her if you could do it for her, instead of telling her what to do.

But who knows, that could insult someone too.
 
well, you can tell people and hope they take it as a serious warning or you can just wait until they find out the hard way...that usually gets the point across pretty well. first hand experience is the best way to learn.
 
I think you make a very good point.

However, there is a limit to the amount of leeway you should give people. For example, had she been waving a loaded gun around, I am sure you would have reacted differently.

To relate this back to knives, if she had been waving around a sharpened...say...Swamp Rat Waki, I would have been concerned with her lopping off one of her own limbs.

Within a reasonable bound, I definitely agree: they should learn from experience.

The difficulty is this: what are those reasonable bounds?
 
i normally do but i know what ya mean... my brother commonly tells me "eh overrated" but many a times have i seen him almost cut his finger off or slice alittle bit but not hospital worthy... then i go in with the "man i told you so" but im afraid he has yet to learn
 
I was recently in a similar situation. My dad was visiting when I received a new knife. He wanted to look it over, so of course I handed it to him. He opened the blade, looked it over and started to try to close the framelock. I could see that he was applying pressure to the blade as he was fumbling with the lock bar. I was about to say something, but hesitated just a second because there was a room full of people and I didn't want him to "loose face". As I opened my mouth to give him a warning, he sliced the tip of his finger as the framelock disengaged. It was a clean, small cut, but kind of deep. I felt bad, but heck. It's hard to save people from themselves sometimes.
 
Maybe a "careful, you'll cut yourself". It's now their lookout if they don't care to listen.


and a "BOOYAH" after they do. :D
 
It seems like it would be a good idea not to distract someone while they're using sharp objects - that will just increase the chances that things will end in tears.

Person A: "You're going to cut yourself."
Person B: "No I'm not."
Person A: "Yes you are!"
Person B: *looks at person A* No, I'm not, it's perfectly safe - *slice* OH SWEET JESUS THATS A LOT OF BLOOD

I guess it depends on the situation, though...
 
I would simply offer to cut the package with one of my folders. People typically don't have a problem with it once they see that mine cuts through pretty much everything like hot butter. And if everybody around me isn't 100% aware at any moment that my knives are a HELL of a lot sharper than theirs, I must have been doing something wrong all these years:thumbdn:.
 
Yeah, i would have offered to help too, but she's kind of the determined type that feels as if you're telling them they can't do it right if you offer to do it for them.

My thought was just that maybe if I had said something she would have been a tad bit more careful despite her saying, "I know what I'm doing." Not to mention that perhaps she won't learn anything from it without being told she could have prevented it.
 
A little cut on the knuckle isn't going to kill her. If she had the point poised directly towards her throat, for some reason, I probably would have stepped in and said something.
 
KennyB said:
Yeah, i would have offered to help too, but she's kind of the determined type that feels as if you're telling them they can't do it right if you offer to do it for them.

My thought was just that maybe if I had said something she would have been a tad bit more careful despite her saying, "I know what I'm doing." Not to mention that perhaps she won't learn anything from it without being told she could have prevented it.
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Well, I would tell her what she's doing wrong, and if she doesn't listen and then cuts herself, I would rub it in her face afterwards. That might make me sound like a dick and all, but there's nothing I hate more than people who think they're always right. It's like they forgot that they're only human like the rest of us.
 
KennyB said:
So the other night my friend Mary was cooking a ham for us. She was opening up the package with a knife that looked like it was too dull or something because I could tell she was using too much force, but I had sharpened it recently so I knew it was still sharp enough to cut her badly. Well, I was walking by as she was holding the plastic wrap up with her left hand, with the blade pointed upward trying to trust through the plastic--basically making very erratic, forceful moves with the blade cutting toward her finger. I was going to tell her to be careful or she would cut herself but she's stubborn and never listens to anything I have to say, so I didn't say anything. Then three seconds later she made it through the package and sliced her knuckle.

I felt kind of bad because I knew she was going to cut herself, and I was going to tell her to be careful. I really expected she wouldn't have listened to me and would have cut herself anyway, but I kind of feel like a dick for it.

What do you guys think? Do you bother to point out blade safety to people anymore? Feel bad about it when they get hurt if you don't?
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Having been married for some 28 years, my advice would be to speak a warning if there is danger of injury. However, be prepared for the warning to be ignored.

In this particular case, a better approach might be to offer to help and to then cut the wrap for her using a safe method. Depending on how frazzled she is at the time, you might even be able to mention that you are cutting with the edge pointing away from you.
 
If someone is ignorant about knives to the point where she stabbed herself in the knuckle, then maybe learning a lesson the hard way isn't that bad.
(I don't mean this to be offensive towards her if I sounded that way.)
 
Hmm, most people seem scared enough of my knives that they never stubbornly misuse them...
 
you should mention it if you really like the person but getting cut is a good learning experience and rarely is it life threatening.
 
Ethically, you should inform an individual if there is a safety concern. As an individual with more blade experience, you have a moral duty if nothing else, to prevent such an accident if you can, IMO.
 
A simple "Be careful." is all it takes. Just about everyone I know cuts themselves at one time or another. It is part of life's lottery with very good odds you'll win.
 
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