Turned the tables on anti-knife sheeple :D

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Erasmus

Joined
Jul 15, 2002
Messages
1,449
You know how as knife users, we're always getting accosted by anti-knife weenies? Well this must have been bothering my subconscious mind.

I was in this person's kitchen who told me weeks ago she was uncomfortable with my knives. So, when she opened her silverware drawer revealing a heavily toothed bread knife, I pointed and exclaimed fearfully, "good heavens, what're you gonna do with a knife like that [kill someone]?!"

Don't think she liked suddenly becoming the dangerous, untrustworthy evil-doer, just because her kitchen had a cheap and dull knife in it! :p I stood there, and she "educated" me about the peaceful, legitimate uses for scarey knives... (score one for the team)

So, has anybody else turned the tables, and made these people into the villain?
 
Never turned one into the villian so to speak. There was one time when a person who'd said they hated knives and didn't think much of me for carrying one needed was attempting to cut something as I walked past their desk. It was a stapler in one of those plastic blister packs that so much stuff comes in these days. This person was mangling it with a pair of scissors, I thought she may hurt herself if she kept trying. I said "May I?", took out my knife (Calypso Jr I think it was that day) and promptly opened the pack. She managed a meek "Thank you" before I walked off to wherever I was going.
 
I once owned a Spyderco Dragonfly. While I opened it up to cut some cord a guy that I worked with said, "What do you need a knife like that for? Killing people?" I couldn't believe that he'd say something like that. The Dragonfly has a sub 3" blade. I told him something like the knife is only designed to cut fiber and it won't even cut human skin. He then asked to see the knife and what does he do...... he runs the blade across his finger to see if I was telling the truth. "I cut myself!" He says. DUH! A couple of years later he was fired for not locking out a machine that he was working on. Now I keep a more watchful eye out for dummies before I hand them even a Swiss Army Knife.
 
Erasmus said:
....So, has anybody else turned the tables, and made these people into the villain?
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I don't turn anyone into a *villain*, but I always do something similar if I am visiting another home and, for whatever reason, the conversation turns to those "evil knives" that I collect and use. Without saying a word, I walk into the kitchen, open the drawers until I find a large carving knife (there will *always* be one) and drop it into the trash bin. Then I return to my seat and exclaim with a sigh of relief: "There, I feel much safer now!" :D
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I'm just lucky, I guess. Everyone I'm around seems pretty cool about my knives. A lot of them (the girls) get interested in them. Though one girl got used to using my M16 earlier this semester and, without asking, (while I was eating) reached into my pocket to grab it, which caught me off guard. Fortunately, being a nice place like I was in, I took the extra half a second to figure out what was going on before I reacted. Can't imagine what goes through people's heads when they do this stuff. Whenever I have friends over, the females instinctively go to my folders, sometimes my balis and start trying to learn how to flick them.
 
I've had a few "sheeple" incidents over the years, but few and far between thankfully. Some people have voiced a few objections to my knives, but mainly because they didn't know me. Once they saw I didn't maim human beings for fun , they usually shut up.

Carrying lots of flashlights, tools, first aid supplies and general "just in case" items is generally seen as a good thing by the people around me. Even if they don't carry anything they like to have somebody close by that can help out. Yesterday, for example, we had an unexpected storm, guess who was the guy packing a couple of those cheapo plastic ponchos in his bag?

My girlfriend loves that I always have a knife or multitool at hand. When we first met she wasn't sure about it, but after taking a couple of trips together and seeing how useful they were, she changed her mind.
 
cockroachfarm said:
I don't turn anyone into a *villain*, but I always do something similar if I am visiting another home and, for whatever reason, the conversation turns to those "evil knives" that I collect and use. Without saying a word, I walk into the kitchen, open the drawers until I find a large carving knife (there will *always* be one) and drop it into the trash bin. Then I return to my seat and exclaim with a sigh of relief: "There, I feel much safer now!" :D
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If I could, I'd give ya green chicklets for that nice post. :)
 
I work in a kitchen doing just about everything. Everyone there knows I always have a knife on me, most dont care because I dont wave it around and jump up and down and what not, I just use it and put it back in my pocket. In fact most of my coworkers knowing I have a knife ask me to open things for them etc... One of my former managers walked past one day while I was doing stock and slicing up boxes. She of course asks me why I need a knife "Incase you have to kill someone in the parking lot?" She mumbled something about not being allowed to have a knife at work anyway. So I handed it over and took roughly 4 steps to the knife drawer got out a nice big chef's knife and started using that to cut boxes. I looked at her and asked if she felt any better now.
Its just one of those things partly our society I guess, but people dont always think about knives, its just the fact that you have one on your person. Sometimes they need a little reminder is all.
 
Danbo said:
If I could, I'd give ya green chicklets for that nice post. :)
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Thanks, Danbo, I appreciate the thought. :)

(And when I take out my Dragonfly and *they* blurt out, "Who're you thinkin' of killing with that thing?", I just look them straight in the eye and say quietly: "Got a list?" )
 
Artfully Martial said:
I'm just lucky, I guess... A lot of them (the girls) get interested in them. Though one girl... reached into my pocket to grab it, which caught me off guard....the females instinctively go to my...balis and start trying to learn how to flick them.
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Ya know, if you read over that post too fast it looks like something else entirely.
 
cockroachfarm said:
Thanks, Danbo, I appreciate the thought. :)

(And when I take out my Dragonfly and *they* blurt out, "Who're you thinkin' of killing with that thing?", I just look them straight in the eye and say quietly: "Got a list?" )
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Or,
you could say,...

Whadda nuts? I use my Gun to kill them ,then the knife to cut up thier bodies for disposing of.

WR :D
 
So, has anybody else turned the tables, and made these people into the villain?
Click to expand...
Without saying a word, I walk into the kitchen, open the drawers until I find a large carving knife (there will *always* be one) and drop it into the trash bin. Then I return to my seat and exclaim with a sigh of relief: "There, I feel much safer now! :D "
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These 2 posts really got me to thinking, and I think that we've come across a potentially very effective tool for re-training people who've been indoctrinated by our anti-knife society. Using a desire to further understanding, coupled with friendly humor, I think that people can really learn that knives aren't the evil, homicide-inducing objects :rolleyes: that they've been made out to be.

When a friend or known co-worker, etc. makes a comment about the evils of carrying a knife, look for a chance to turn the table on 'em! It stands to reason that the new "villian" will immediately defend themself, based on their knowledge of a lack of personal violence. This is good and right. Then, perhaps point out how the "villian" uses their knives for normal, everyday tasks and how you do the same. This will form a bond of commonality between you two. Finally, wrap up with a passing comment on how you've found a knife to be useful outside of the kitchen, too.

When done with an attitude of friendliness and humility (not being ashamed, rather, seeking to bring honest understanding), I think that the table-turning technique allows "sheeple" to have an entirely new perspective - the right one. Instead of only knowing our society's indoctrination, the person will have a chance to see things from a personalized, real-world perspective. That is what learning is all about :)
 
Check out Alan Corwin's politically corrected library.

For instance "Knives kill people" the response is "knives are just used as tools
and they are useful"

Just substitute "gun" for knife and one will be efective at promoting and
trying to explain why one carries a knife.
 
cockroachfarm said:
I don't turn anyone into a *villain*, but I always do something similar if I am visiting another home and, for whatever reason, the conversation turns to those "evil knives" that I collect and use. Without saying a word, I walk into the kitchen, open the drawers until I find a large carving knife (there will *always* be one) and drop it into the trash bin. Then I return to my seat and exclaim with a sigh of relief: "There, I feel much safer now!" :D
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Click to expand...

You actually drop them into the trash can? Have you ever had someone kick you out of their house for doing that?
 
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