I know that it's FAR easier to say than do, but... why not buck the trend and carry the tool that you know is an important part of man's experience with the wilderness?
I say this based on my experience -
I took a wilderness survival course in which we were required to have on our person, at all times in the wilderness, a large, fixed-blade knife. The instructors, retired Air Force Pararescuemen (PJ's) would absolutely not allow us to be without a knife. They trained us on proper usage and upkeep of the knife and ingrained in us the knowledge and experience with a knife that constrains me, personally, to always have a fixed blade on me in the wilderness.
This training was bolstered by a personal experience; I got my leg crushed by a boulder. I was taking the field final for a land navigation/orienteering course, taught by the afore-mentioned PJ's. I am the only casualty of any kind to come out of those courses. The crush experience taught me much; one of the most profound lessons was that unexpected trauma can occur to anyone at any time. In such a situation, one's tools can very well be the difference between a fighting chance for life and a horrible, possibly preventable death. I learned that the survival instructors were right - always carry a knife in the wilderness. Always. Any sharpened steel is better than nothing. A fixed blade is superior to a folder. A large knife is more versatile than a small knife.
What are the odds of *it* happenning to any given person? In my case, 100%.
One final thought - is there any wilderness around you that's not frequented by the naive, condescending people you mentioned? If so, go there! If not, I say, be a polite but firm force for change.
