To give in to the sheep, or not to give in to the sheep?

D

drjones

Joined
Sep 6, 2000
Messages
913
Hi all.

My EDC knife is a limited edition (one of only 70 made) Strider Tactical GB folding knife.

It looks like the bottom knife in the pic below, except it is a tanto blade.

http://tadgear.bayarea.net/edged tools/strider-tadg_ar-tactical.htm

Needless to say, the knife attracts, um....a little attention when I pull it out.

The other day, my boss was trying to open a package and he asked me if I have my knife on me. I didn't, and he said "good. You shouldn't carry that on you. Its scary."

Now, this shocked me on several levels. First, he's into gadgets and stuff like I am, though he's more into electronics and I'm into knives/guns/weapons/military gear, etc.

Second, he owns a few guns, but is not by any means a member of the gun culture like many of us here.

Finally, he is very, very intelligent and well educated in history and all the Western classics. (Plato, Aristotle, the Romans, etc. NOT John Wayne. ;) )

Point is, he should have a different view than he does, and frankly, I thought him to be smarter than to make a remark as retarded as "its scary." I'd expect that from a 3 year old girl, not a grown man! :rolleyes:

Anyway, his remark got me to thinking:

Maybe I should carry a smaller, less "scary-looking" knife when I suspect I may need to use it around other people.

On the one hand, I want to say, "SCREW YOU ALL, you aren't going to dictate what I'm going to carry!" but on the other hand, that may not be the wisest path.

What do you think, should I get a different knife to carry in certain situations?

Frankly, I could use another knife anyway because the GB is too big for me to carry at certain times, and I am a bit reluctant to whip it out because it freaks people out.

Sorry if I got long-winded here.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks!
 
I guess it depends on how much you value your relationship with the boss. A pretty little Spyderco Pacifit Salt in bright yellow is a very effective tool. I have found that those black knives have a negative effect on many folks. If it has nice wood scales, etc. or a little red Victorinox cross on it they don't seem as alarmed, heh heh!
 
A lot of knuts carry two knives just for that purpose... One for situations where people may be alarmed, and one for the real work.

Peace.
 
DGG said:
I guess it depends on how much you value your relationship with the boss. A pretty little Spyderco Pacifit Salt in bright yellow is a very effective tool. I have found that those black knives have a negative effect on many folks. If it has nice wood scales, etc. or a little red Victorinox cross on it they don't seem as alarmed, heh heh!
Click to expand...


Well, its not just the boss; most people seem to be a bit freaked out (or intrigued) by the GB.

So what do you think? Should I buy another knife to appease them or not?

Not like it would be so horrible to have to buy another knife! ;) :D :D
 
I would hate to give in to sheeple like that. People need to be conditioned to seeing knives. I am thinking about getting a X2 Voyager (the 6" one) for that purpose :D .

Will
 
I feel that the best way to convert people is to use your knife normally and present yourself in a very good way. After a while, they'll get used to it and should think of it more as a tool than a weapon. Also, politely explaining to the sheeple how you carry your knife as a tool helps a bit too. Lastly, telling the sheeple the price of your knives seems to draw attention away from the 'scariness' of knives.

And don't give in to the sheeple! (unless you'll lose your job otherwise)
 
Manifest said:
I feel that the best way to convert people is to use your knife normally and present yourself in a very good way. After a while, they'll get used to it and should think of it more as a tool than a weapon. Also, politely explaining to the sheeple how you carry your knife as a tool helps a bit too. Lastly, telling the sheeple the price of your knives seems to draw attention away from the 'scariness' of knives.
Click to expand...


I agree with your opinion.

However, telling them the price usually seems to reinforce their opinion that I am insane; both for dropping $400 on a knife and for carrying such a big knife. :D :cool:
 
will be afraid of ANY knife. So unless you want to be limited to a Vic Classic I'd say carry what you want. That being said, it's hard to go wrong with a 2 backspring SAK as a second knife. A million uses and minimal weight. Or maybe a smaller multi like a Crossgrip or one of the lighter Juices. Also pretty handy. Just food for thought. But don't stop carrying the Strider unless it's going to get you written up or canned.

Frank
 
What type of business are you employed at? Maybe your boss was trying to tell you not to carry your GB at work because it affects the customers. Maybe he has no problems with the knife itself, but thinks it negatively affects his business.

Really, if you want to work for him, you have to follow his rules. I would ask him why he wants you to change your carry knife, but tell him first that you have, but would like to carry it at work. Maybe first you should ask him if he was serious about not carrying the GB at work, or if he was just making a statement.

It's a shame. I carried a boxcutter at Walmart when I was a manager. I used it to open boxes etc. I also carried an el crappo Jaguar tanto folder, that was a beast. It was a POS, but I hadn't graduated yet to the world of good knives. Anyway, it scared the crap out of my manager at the time. The store manager saw me using it about a year later, and told me not to use it on the floor, but later showed me his Endura and multi tool (I think it was a Gerber). I thought that was neat.
 
If I was in that situation it would be by far the perfect excuse to get another blade. Besides you're in a good stance here, if you change your mind the 2nd blade can always be traded or sold to a formite.
I carried two blades for the same reason but when people discover you have 2 blades EDC'd it can be disapointing.

My response to scary blade remarks was always "I am not a scary person."

People can be disapointing sometimes.

However if you do stick to your guns on this one, power to ya. They are both the right thing to do.
 
Don't give into the Sheeple. Everytime someone gives into the sheeple it gives the antis more ammunition to use against us.

Carry the Strider and use it! But for the record, carrying a SAK is EXTREMELY useful for a variety of tasks. So picking one up to carry would probably be beneficial.

-Rob
 
I guess I've already given in. I don't even look at longer than three inch blade knives any more. To be fair, I don't need those knives either right now anyway.

I understand the principal, and I agree with you. However, I can't blame people for being a little wary of people who carry things that *look* like they were made for combat.

I find that in many ancient cultures, it was a tradition to take off your weapon when entering a trusted place. For some periods, for instance, the samurai would lay their swords on their right hand side to show their host that they trusted them. (Their sword being difficult to fast-draw from there)

This is definitely not a perfect analogy, but the point is the same. Some knives look (or are) close enough to full-out weapons to offend people in this way. Sometimes, for our love of the hobby, we appreciate knives in a unique but inpractical way, for instance, favoring a five inch blade folder when our day-to-day environment is middle management. What I mean to say is, are we really being honest to ourselves when we call some of our knives a tool?

Despite this, if I could, I'd totally wear a nice little (and yes, practical) fixed blade for EDC.
 
As my old man used to say,"The right tool for the right job" even though a EK #5 Combat Bowie will open the mail, a Queen Serpentine Jack with Winter bottom scales is a much more effective tool.

I carry many blades and use what's appropriate, depending on the individuals around me I'll use the most appropriate least offensive knife.

Everyone knows I'm the resident knife knut so most aren't shocked by what I EDC.
 
I agree with Manifest.

If the good people stop using "big" knives if front of folks,then the sheeple will surely think only BG's do, as they never see anyone they know using one.
 
I've found that anything over about 3 inches seems to raise an alarm with some people. The people on my test team don't seem to care one way or another (in fact, they like using my larger blades :D ) but my direct supervisor gives me the raised eyebrow when I pull out either my Endura or Camillus Heat to open a PC box. Don't get a blink when I use my Mini Grip/ Delica/Native III in front of him. Funny thing is, they probably use larger blades in the kitchen at home, and don't give it a second thought :confused:

- gord
 
I've gotten looks when using my Twitch II or Blink in public. I guess sheeple don't like small assisted openers either.
 
You don't work at a daycare and leave it lying around, do you? WTF does he care if you edc a heavy duty folder?

To the question, BS is to be expected, depends on how much you care. I tend to care, I'm a fairly large guy, I learned early to try and put people at ease quickly when I meet them. I find people less at ease when I latch drop a 4+ inch sharpened swedge havin' bali to open a box. Get a rainbow leek, inexpensive, fun, great letter opener/light duty knife, and it won't wig anyone out. Benchmite was a good suggestion too, as was the sak.

Good luck, sorry your boss turned out to be a pansy.
 
Since he's the boss, I suppose it's best to toe-the-line.
But I guess it really depends on how much you care about your job and future potential.

Personally, I don't see what the big deal is...the GB has a 4" blade if I remember correctly (about the same size as an Endura or Pacific Salt).
It's not like you're hauling around a 12" bowie knife!

Good luck,
Allen.
 
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