- Joined
- Oct 3, 1998
- Messages
- 3,264
[The following is an update of something I wrote for an old Cal-Knives bulletin, in my pre-Internet days, concerning arguments among knifemakers that reach the intensity of religion and politics.] -
It is said that the pen is mightier than the sword, though not in the dark, of course. What mammals have tongues deadlier than their teeth? . . . The others are ant eaters.
There have been some arguments here where disagreements over how knives should be made have gotten personal, seemingly with honor at stake. The old rule, "If you can't think of anything nice to say about someone, don't say it," isn't a bad rule to follow. It is also a good rule to criticize the idea or the thing, but not the person whenever possible. It is also a good idea, if one sees even harsh criticism of the sort of knife that one makes or is otherwise closely involved with, to not take it as a personal attack and respond accordingly.
This sort of thing has been the subject of much litigation, over the ages, as well as occasional duels and ambushes.
One of the wife's old law school textbooks, Cases and Materials on Torts by Prosser, Wade, and Schwartz (1976), page 1103-4, retells the following English lawsuit:
OK. Many "knife people" drink beer, but that was a bit esoteric. I didn't know when I wed that I'd have a lawyer in my bed. She tells me there is a 1985 case wherein the defendant, Polygram Records, had published a joke by Robin Williams, who, in four syllables, accused the plaintiff's wine of committing incest with its mother, an impossibility of course. The defense prevailed under the doctrine that words which a reasonable person would understand as a joke are not actionable. The plaintiffs had been upset by the possibility that their wines might become associated in the public eye with a culture where, in certain circumstances, an improbable comparison to Oedipus Rex could be a complement and not an insult. So, if you must say something that isn't nice, at least smile when you say it.
Especially when around sharp objects.
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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
It is said that the pen is mightier than the sword, though not in the dark, of course. What mammals have tongues deadlier than their teeth? . . . The others are ant eaters.
There have been some arguments here where disagreements over how knives should be made have gotten personal, seemingly with honor at stake. The old rule, "If you can't think of anything nice to say about someone, don't say it," isn't a bad rule to follow. It is also a good rule to criticize the idea or the thing, but not the person whenever possible. It is also a good idea, if one sees even harsh criticism of the sort of knife that one makes or is otherwise closely involved with, to not take it as a personal attack and respond accordingly.
This sort of thing has been the subject of much litigation, over the ages, as well as occasional duels and ambushes.
One of the wife's old law school textbooks, Cases and Materials on Torts by Prosser, Wade, and Schwartz (1976), page 1103-4, retells the following English lawsuit:
OK. Many "knife people" drink beer, but that was a bit esoteric. I didn't know when I wed that I'd have a lawyer in my bed. She tells me there is a 1985 case wherein the defendant, Polygram Records, had published a joke by Robin Williams, who, in four syllables, accused the plaintiff's wine of committing incest with its mother, an impossibility of course. The defense prevailed under the doctrine that words which a reasonable person would understand as a joke are not actionable. The plaintiffs had been upset by the possibility that their wines might become associated in the public eye with a culture where, in certain circumstances, an improbable comparison to Oedipus Rex could be a complement and not an insult. So, if you must say something that isn't nice, at least smile when you say it.
Especially when around sharp objects.
------------------
- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
