Whats your Sheeple Knife???

I have mixed thoughts about the word Sheeple. Sure lots of people can't think for themselves, follow the "herd" and live in fear of things large and small. I have relatives that are not knife people, and are sheepish.
I follow the Greyman attitude in public. I don't announce what I have on me, I don't offer my knife to anyone that asks, and I don't even own a tactical folder. I carry a 4" fixed blade on my belt just about everyday. But, I also carry a smaller knife, fixed and/or a tradtional folder.
I don't ever recall a group of strangers asking me to educate them about the practical goodness of knives. It's not my place to force my opinions on to others by opening up a tactical folder to cut my steak in a quiet public setting.
I own a Pitbull, and I trust her around anybody, she's 5 years old, and never killed anything, maybe a fly once. But, I run into people all the time that get worried, they don't know her, but they can see she has power. If I see a Power breed in public, I don't get scared, but I pay more attention to that dog, than I would others. They have a certain potential to do serious harm to others. Knives and Pits have a bad reputation, the news isn't reporting about me or how nice my dog is.
If you're a big guy in a public setting, around strangers, and then you whip out a knife, what reaction do you expect? It's easy when you have the upperhand to think everyone else shouldn't worry, but they don't know you, you might be psycho. Pull out the same knife, in silence, and most people won't even pay attention. Pull it out, get right to the task you feel like you need it for, and put it away.
 
bobusx said:
When cutting Sheeple, I prefer to use my Cold Steel Spartan. It has a recurve that cuts flesh/muscle very well, and has enough leverage to allow me to chop through bones when necessary.
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I love it! lol :D
 
I don't make much concession for those people. In my state it is common for people to carry knives, including people that carry significant sized folding knives in belt sheaths, so I'm not viewed as a threat by carrying a knife. And I can legally carry a relatively large knife.

Long ago I was carrying a full size Benchmade Leopard and a Benchmade mini-AFCK, both are significant looking knives but within our legal size limits. I would attract attention when I pulled one of them out to open a box or whatever. I've said before that I don't need a large blade for my use but I want a big enough handle for the knife to be useful and that rules out a real small blade. My EDC evolved down to the Kershaw Leek/Benchmade mini-griptilian size range and stayed there for a long time. These are at the lower limit of what I'm comfortable actually using. They were easier for me to carry and did attract less attention when I used them.

Also long ago I had a Gerber EZ-out and a Kershaw lockback, both with 2 3/8" blades, that I would carry when I traveled on an airplane. (Can't do that now of course.) I also have an old Leatherman PST II that I take in my checked luggage because it seems that if I am flying somewhere, it is to a destination where the knife laws are relatively strict. I need and use a knife, but the Leatherman tool is pretty innocent looking so it meets my minimum needs to at least have some kind of blade available.

Today I am trying out carrying a pretty large knife, a CRKT M21 with almost 4" blade. It is long, heavy and bulky, probably the largest I've tried for EDC, but with the pocket clip I can't even feel that I'm carrying it. And I'll pull it out and use it whenever I need to without worrying too much about who is around to see it. But I am always as discrete as I can be for this type of thing. I think flashing a knife around is what draws negative comments more than actually using one.
 
foxx said:
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I own a Pitbull, and I trust her around anybody, she's 5 years old, and never killed anything, maybe a fly once. But, I run into people all the time that get worried, they don't know her, but they can see she has power.
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A few bad people ruined that dogs reputation just as few bad people gave knives a bad reputation. This is why we can't have nice things. That being said, I always have my Kershaw R.A.M. or ZT 0400. Is it overkill around the office? You betcha. Is it good to know I have on me? You betcha. I don't go waving them around though, that's asking for trouble.
 
I follow what Foxx stated as well. I do not announce what is in my pockets or on my person. I keep to myself and do not offer my tools (knives in this case). I also do not go out of my way to pull the knife out of my pocket and flick it open like some members love to do. Being discreet and calm is just the way I do things.i don't feel the need to sit there, anywhere and open and close my folders hundreds and hundreds of times over and over and over. Especially in a public setting. I do carry a knife that I feel is adequate to perform anything that I may need covered that particular day. I never leave home without it.
 
Well, I had thought that my Ladybug was a good sheeple knife until I used it in a restaurant to cut a strawberry and my sister-in-law nearly choked on her bread pudding.
 
I always have a Victorinox SAK Executive on me. And I recently got a SE Dragonfly Salt, which I usually carry, too. And on my belt, I carry a CRK Umnumzaan. Around non-knife types, I'm likely to use my Dragonfly Salt for knife chores. It's not my job to educate people to become knife people. That would be like trying to cough into a tornado. I could act like I don't care and flip out my Zaan in public, but why? What good could that possibly do? We may not like living in a world of 'sheeple,' but like it or not, the majority of people might be classified as such in regard to knives. And they vote.

I was in a bookstore browsing a self-defense book, which I think was titled How to Win a Fight, or something. It had some good info in it, but I when it came to knives, the author stated that the vast majority of men are carrying a knife. Sorry, that is incorrect, at least to my observation. If that were true, then most people, including men, would not say or ask such stupid things when I pull out and use a knife to cut something. Perhaps the author should have stated that you must assume that others are carrying when in a situation. I must also mention that the book's author also seems to believe that every man who carries a knife does so strictly as a weapon and not as a tool. (Many martial artists seem to hold this view).

Sometimes people even feel 'threatened' by little knives. Once some woman told me in no uncertain terms, that I was carrying a deadly weapon; I was using the tiny scissors on a Victorinox Classic to cut some paper. Now I will carry a smaller knife so as not to cause undue shock when in public, but I have my limits, and I will not sacrifice cutting power/performance to be unreasonably PC.
Jim
 
00ChevyScott said:
What's wrong with using a military to cut string? Its still just a knife.....
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Yeah, it's just a large, 4'' bladed knife with black G10 that looks dangerous and could actually be used as a weapon. It's total overkill for cutting string or slicing some fruit in public. To me at least it's not an appropriate venue for that particular tool. I use smaller knives like a ladybug, one of my SAKs, my s30v leek or my mini trapper for small tasks in public. If I'm out in the woods I'll carry a Scrapyard 511, ESEE-4, or BK2 - knives that are appropriate for outdoors tasks. If I just want to carry a folder with me then my lefty military it is. It's strong, capable, and fantastic for outdoor tasks.

I just don't see any need to terrorize people who are already afraid of knives to begin with. We know that most people are afraid of knives. Lots of members here label those people "sheeple". What kind of reaction are "sheeple" going to have when they see a 4'' knife? We already know what's going to happen. Why freak people out more than is necessary? Scaring "sheeple" does nothing to help keep knives legal. I think it hurts more than it helps, so that's why I don't carry huge knives in public. A lot of knife enthusiasts on here have expressed similar views. I'm not saying my way is the right way, but in my opinion it's better to use smaller knives for smaller tasks and not scare the "sheeple" just to get a rise out of them or prove that I can do whatever I want just because it's legal.

I haven't gotten any nasty looks or complaints from using my yellow H1 ladybug, Vic Farmer or Queen mini trapper. They do all I need to get done, so that's what I carry for "sheeple" knives. I leave the big folders and fixed blades at home because I have no use for them on a day to day basis. Others may need big tools, but for me my EDCs are pretty much "sheeple-friendly".
 
I do not have a "sheeple" knife. I use what I have.



uyotg said:
Besides, I'm sure we're individually considered "sheeple" of some form by some people, too. I'd rather avoid the whole circle of arguing over that.
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:thumbup:
 
foxx said:
I don't ever recall a group of strangers asking me to educate them about the practical goodness of knives. It's not my place to force my opinions on to others by opening up a tactical folder to cut my steak in a quiet public setting.
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Uhh, how does using a "tactical" folder to cut steak in the lunchroom, etc. qualify as "forcing opinions" on others? It's not like you're loudly proclaiming how okay it is and why while you're doing it (also, I think the term "tactical" is a bit misleading in this context, since any OHO/locking blade could be considered "tactical").

As to your concerns about the word "sheeple", I don't really understand why people take it so seriously (ahem). It's just an inside joke to help vent about people who discriminate against knife users (yes, it's sometimes overused by people who are indiscreet with their knife use, but who cares? this is the internet, there are idiots everywhere). If I were you I'd take just as much offense to people who blindly declare that all pit bulls should be banned/put down (I have met several of these people and took offense anyway, despite not owning a dog at all).
 
Pseudonym said:
Uhh, how does using a "tactical" folder to cut steak in the lunchroom, etc. qualify as "forcing opinions" on others? It's not like you're loudly proclaiming how okay it is and why while you're doing it (also, I think the term "tactical" is a bit misleading in this context, since any OHO/locking blade could be considered "tactical").
QUOTE]

I can't change the whole world, maybe I can influence a few, but not every stranger in a resturant. I'm just saying it's not up to us knife lovers to go around using knives at every opportunity in front of as many people as necessary. That one good example isn't going to reverse years of the bad examples they've heard in the news or in movies.
Back to the Pitbull, I've run into folks that are just afraid of them. I've only had one that came around to trusting her, and now he loves her. Most people that are afraid of knives aren't afraid of the knife, but the fact that a person can do harm with it. They aren't going to use logic to observe any other reality, not from a state of fear. They can't use logic to see that my dog is loving and playful, they just see what has been projected onto the breed. My single dog cannot change their minds just walking down the street. It takes a longer relationship, with good experiences, to change another person's opinion.
Unless I'm going to befriend every person that fears knives, I don't see how cutting my steak is going to change their mindset. Maybe if you work with them and it happens over time?
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My sheeple knife is either a Benchmade Griptilian, CS Rajah II, Spyderco Police 3, or a Kershaw Speed Bump... I really don't care if I scare someone, they have no business being scared of a knife.:p
 
@Foxx: fair enough, I agree that discretion is everything (right tool for the job, etc.).

Of course, if I worked in an office environment (I work in food retail so we all use knives regularly anyway) I would probably stick with slipjoints or my Buck 503, but that has more to do with wanting to look professional than with being afraid of offending or scaring people.
 
I don't go out of my way to carry anything extra just for the sheeple. At absolute most, I may opt to carry my Benchmade Opportunist/440 in place of the usual tactical folder or small fixed blade if I know that I will be in a setting that will have me using my knife extensively in front of others.

As Marcinek suggests, I think it has a lot to do with using the right tool (properly) for the job ... and to that end, carrying the right tool in the jobs of that environment. If you are standing in line at the deli/meats area of your favorite grocery with an ESEE-6 strapped to your thigh, you are bound to get some looks. Put on an apron and hop behind the counter and no one will give it a second thought. Apron on and behind the counter, if you start juggling the thing with a pair of rump-roasts, expect to hear about it from your manager. Do that at the circus and you'll be applauded.

If your environment is Sheeploplis, USA (population 1,000,000+) ... it might just be worth carrying a sheeple-friendly knife. That said, I don't feel there is much good that can come from shielding these people from seeing these legal, albeit "scary" knives. People don't overcome their fear of dogs or spiders by playing with kittens or swatting flies.
 
Fascion said:
As Marcinek suggests, I think it has a lot to do with using the right tool (properly) for the job ... and to that end, carrying the right tool in the jobs of that environment.
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True. And also attitude.

People who use their knife to show what a bad-*ss they are (and I'm not saying anyone here does that) are what create "sheeple." And we know those goofs are out there. Otherwise all these knife companies making ninja junk would have gone under ages ago.

One wants to dramatically deploy their urban camo stabinator with skulls and all kinds of extraneous pointy bits on it at Applebee's to cut their chimichanga...you get a "sheeple" moment. Take the same sized knife, simplified, uncoated, calmly open it, and dig in...much less of a moment (if any).

Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe everyone has the right to go all "don't mess with me/ninja commando" on their Applebees 2 for $20 special. But I just think one can't complain if "sheeple" look at you like you are an idiot if you do.

And again, I'm not saying anyone here does that. But I bet many of us know "that guy."
 
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