why am I looked at like such a weirdo for having a pocketknife

[craytab]

My take on this is that it's still rude as hell. At a picnic when you've got a hunk of salami to slice up? sure.

At a starred restaurant with a chunk of filet? Insulting to the chef regarding his ability to cook, and insulting to the owner of the place regarding their flatware.

My take is that even at "starred" food shops their cutlery sucks. If they don't want me using my Sebenza to cut up their over priced food they can ask me to leave. No one has though.....

 

[marcinek]

Carrying a pocketknife is 'bad' but Caitlyn Jenner is courageous and brave. Sad times indeed.

Brave enough to not get all whiny and upset when people look at her funny.

 

[ThePeacent]

I do not know, and neither will I claim to understand how knife regulation works in the US, but where I live in my part of the world, it ceases to be their problem and it becomes your problem when knife laws explicitly deem it illegal to carry a knife around without any lawful purpose. Let's be really honest here, many carry a knife on them while actively looking for reasons to use it. Things like "I have a knife on me in case I need to cut open a package" or "I carry a knife to cut my shoelace should it get caught in the escalator" do not constitute lawful purpose under the eyes of the law; law enforcement officers can and will bluntly point out that since you have not received a package and have not had your shoelaces caught in the escalator at the time you were searched / frisked, your knife serves no lawful purpose and it will be automatically assumed to be intended for unlawful usage and you have no defense against it (our laws explicitly state that the inability to prove legitimate and lawful purposes for possession of a knife in public automatically assumes unlawful intent or motivation, regardless of your claims to the contrary). Say hello to the lockup and look forward to have criminal proceedings for weapon possession brought against you.

By the way, where I live the cops also have the right to stop anybody in public and frisk him if they so much as suspect that someone is behaving shadily. I have been stopped and searched and questioned by officers for carrying two screwdrivers and a pair of wirecutters on me. My supervisor had to come down from work to confirm that I have a legitimate purpose to carry them with me at all times (i work in tech support, go figure).

Under such circumstances, to not be extra sensitive about the mindset and stereotypes of the average person is really asking for trouble, especially in an environment. Even the simple act of extracting your knife from your pocket to perform a legitimate cutting task in a public area can constitute unlawful possession of a weapon if the cops receive a call from a paranoid person who happens to be in the vicinity, and you will be detained for questioning. In the end, it all boils down to basic common sense; I'd rather be a wuss and protect my precious rear end.

Lastly, just a point I'd like to make: if the laws and culture in your country or state or town or community or neighborhood or suburb is such that the very first question a friend asks you upon seeing your knife, be it in jest or not, is somewhere along the lines of "Do you know that it's illegal to carry a knife for no reason in public?" or "Who are you going to kill/hurt/stab/cut?", you should really go back home, sit down and think hard about whether your preferences and individuality are worth risking a criminal record for.

This exactly. I guess, by your username, that you live in Italy? When I traveled to Rome two years ago I had many bad looks when I cut the wrapping and plastic around our baggage at the hotel. Mind you, I was using a Gerber Dime. And I wasn't doing any noise or making a scene. Similar thing when eating an Ice Cream in front of Saint Angelo...

 

[marcinek]

My take is that even at "starred" food shops their cutlery sucks. If they don't want me using my Sebenza to cut up their over priced food they can ask me to leave. No one has though.....

Hey, again, the customer is king. If I wanna eat with my fingers a good, service oriented restaurant will not only let me, but will bring me a finger bowl with a lemon slice in it when I'm done.

And guess what? If I do that I'm not gonna get my napkin in a wad and blame the Supreme Court if people look at me funny. I'm not going to care.

 

[James Y]

At my workplace, none of the other people are knife enthusiasts, but they are all familiar with my knife(s), when I use them legitimately to cut strapping, break down boxes for the recycle bin, etc. Nobody minds, and in fact, I've had people ask if I could help them tighten a screw (the drivers on my SAK or Swisstool Spirit). They've come to appreciate my cutting duties...I don't do it to show off, but for convenience and safety. I normally use a Delica or Tasman Salt to cut things, but have occasionally used a Police model without anyone batting an eyebrow. I don't flick knives at work or in public.

Yes, it does matter to me how my coworkers feel. I have to see them every day. I'll take a nice work atmosphere over being defiant about how right I am, and 'screw everybody else'. It's called basic consideration. If you don't mind alienating people who you otherwise might have helped subtly influence to see knives as the useful tools they are.

Jim

 

[Mecha]

The more people do this:

...you should really go back home, sit down and think hard about whether your preferences and individuality are worth risking a criminal record for.

Then the quicker they live in a place like this:

...automatically assumed to be intended for unlawful usage and you have no defense against it.

 

[craytab]

do not know, and neither will I claim to understand how knife regulation works in the US, but where I live in my part of the world, it ceases to be their problem and it becomes your problem when knife laws explicitly deem it illegal to carry a knife around without any lawful purpose. Let's be really honest here, many carry a knife on them while actively looking for reasons to use it. Things like "I have a knife on me in case I need to cut open a package" or "I carry a knife to cut my shoelace should it get caught in the escalator" do not constitute lawful purpose under the eyes of the law; law enforcement officers can and will bluntly point out that since you have not received a package and have not had your shoelaces caught in the escalator at the time you were searched / frisked, your knife serves no lawful purpose and it will be automatically assumed to be intended for unlawful usage and you have no defense against it (our laws explicitly state that the inability to prove legitimate and lawful purposes for possession of a knife in public automatically assumes unlawful intent or motivation, regardless of your claims to the contrary). Say hello to the lockup and look forward to have criminal proceedings for weapon possession brought against you.

By the way, where I live the cops also have the right to stop anybody in public and frisk him if they so much as suspect that someone is behaving shadily. I have been stopped and searched and questioned by officers for carrying two screwdrivers and a pair of wirecutters on me. My supervisor had to come down from work to confirm that I have a legitimate purpose to carry them with me at all times (i work in tech support, go figure).

Under such circumstances, to not be extra sensitive about the mindset and stereotypes of the average person is really asking for trouble, especially in an environment. Even the simple act of extracting your knife from your pocket to perform a legitimate cutting task in a public area can constitute unlawful possession of a weapon if the cops receive a call from a paranoid person who happens to be in the vicinity, and you will be detained for questioning. In the end, it all boils down to basic common sense; I'd rather be a wuss and protect my precious rear end.

Lastly, just a point I'd like to make: if the laws and culture in your country or state or town or community or neighborhood or suburb is such that the very first question a friend asks you upon seeing your knife, be it in jest or not, is somewhere along the lines of "Do you know that it's illegal to carry a knife for no reason in public?" or "Who are you going to kill/hurt/stab/cut?", you should really go back home, sit down and think hard about whether your preferences and individuality are worth risking a criminal record for.

Wow. Just wow. I feel sorry for you. Here in the US, in most places we have rights and don't have to put up with such things.

Lastly, just a point I'd like to make: if the laws and culture in your country or state or town or community or neighborhood or suburb is such that the very first question a friend asks you upon seeing your knife, be it in jest or not, is somewhere along the lines of "Do you know that it's illegal to carry a knife for no reason in public?" or "Who are you going to kill/hurt/stab/cut?", you should really go back home, sit down and think hard about whether your preferences and individuality are worth risking a criminal record for.

Again, here in the US, in most places at least, this isn't an issue. We also have the right to choose our friends.

Let's be really honest here, many carry a knife on them while actively looking for reasons to use it.

And this right here is the protectionist BS your government/society has bought and sold to you. Sorry bud. I know it sucks to hear.

 

[killgar]

Brave enough to not get all whiny and upset when people look at her funny.

I had to give that a :thumbup:. Retort of the day .

As far as restaurants, as a younger man I worked in a few (actual family restaurants, not fast food), and believe me, they NEED your money. I mean, they REALLY NEED your money, even the more expensive ones. The owner needs it, the wait staff needs it, the cooks need it, and the busboys need it (they really need your tips too. they DEPEND on your tips). No way would I believe that anyone who works in a restaurant is going to complain, or ask anyone to leave simply because they pull out their own knife to cut their food.

 

[WuGod]

"The more people do this:
Quote Originally Posted by Etna View Post
...you should really go back home, sit down and think hard about whether your preferences and individuality are worth risking a criminal record for.
Then the quicker they live in a place like this:
Quote Originally Posted by Etna View Post
...automatically assumed to be intended for unlawful usage and you have no defense against it."

+1 and quoted for truth.
One the using your own knife at a restaurant thing, I use my SAK all the time to eat with, for the most part Ive always used my fork in my left and a knife in my right to eat, the knife as much for manipulation as cutting. And MY knife is sharp. The only person that I know of thats noticed was my dad when we eating at a Chinese restaurant once and he thought it was funny.

 

[stabman]

Hey, again, the customer is king. If I wanna eat with my fingers a good, service oriented restaurant will not only let me, but will bring me a finger bowl with a lemon slice in it when I'm done.

And guess what? If I do that I'm not gonna get my napkin in a wad and blame the Supreme Court if people look at me funny. I'm not going to care.

Yep.

And I've never seen anyone give a crap that I or anyone else was using a personal knife to eat food.

The most I've experienced was something like this:
"Oh, you're using your own knife?"
"Yep, I carry a knife for if I need to cut stuff."
"Oh, like the Boy Scouts."
"Exactly."

That's been pretty much it.

I don't care if someone wants to tweet or shop online with their smart phone (something I still don't have).
And almost no one cares if I use my own knife to cut things. :thumbup:

The funniest thing of all?
The only place I've ever been negatively judged for cutting food with my own knife is...right here on Bladeforums!

 

[r redden]

I guess it all depends on where you live. I live in the mountains of WNC and yesterday I walked into a local supply store to buy some feed with my John Deere ball cap on 3 pocket clips with knives sticking out of the front of my coveralls and a Ruger .44 mag Super BlackHawk strapped to my side and nobody even seemed to notice. I dare say some places would have a SWAT team on their way as soon as I was spotted.

 

[craytab]

As far as restaurants, as a younger man I worked in a few (actual family restaurants, not fast food), and believe me, they NEED your money. I mean, they REALLY NEED your money, even the more expensive ones. The owner needs it, the wait staff needs it, the cooks need it, and the busboys need it (they really need your tips too. they DEPEND on your tips). No way would I believe that anyone who works in a restaurant is going to complain, or ask anyone to leave simply because they pull out their own knife to cut their food.

I have gotten into several good conversations with both other customers and wait staff based on their inquiry of my self provided cutlery choices. One nice young lady remembers my order completely. Without me asking she knows what I get and that I like a Zin with my fillet as I dice it up with my Sebenza or Guardian3 or 550 or whatever I have with me that day. Another guy asked about my G3 while I was cutting my steak. We talked a bit and I showed him my 550. He took out a 915 Triage and his wife took out a pink mini Grip. Sorry folks, if you can't do this sort of thing it says more about the laws where you live, how worried you are about what others will think, or how you carry yourself than about the knife.

 

[marcinek]

The funniest thing of all?
The only place I've ever been negatively judged for cutting food with my own knife is...right here on Bladeforums!

And well you should be for cutting on ceramic! That's gonna ruin your edge.

 

[craytab]

The funniest thing of all?
The only place I've ever been negatively judged for cutting food with my own knife is...right here on Bladeforums!

Isn't that the truth!

I guess it all depends on where you live. I live in the mountains of WNC and yesterday I walked into a local supply store to buy some feed with my John Deere ball cap on 3 pocket clips with knives sticking out of the front of my coveralls and a Ruger .44 mag Super BlackHawk strapped to my side and nobody even seemed to notice. I dare say some places would have a SWAT team on their way as soon as I was spotted.

I have only seen one person open carry and it was way up state in the middle of no where. Best thing is, If I open carried someone would call the cops for sure. But when they got here they would see I am completely with in my rights and there is no issue. People are silly.

 

[stabman]

And well you should be for cutting on ceramic! That's gonna ruin your edge.

Ack, I might have to sharpen it!!!

 

[PURPLEDC]

I've been a little taken aback by the posts in this thread. You want to know why you have a problem? Look to the people in this forum. Half of these posts are talking about "flying under the radar" or otherwise talking about how you can discreetly use your knife as if carrying a knife is the equivalent of a heroine addiction. In my life, if somebody has a problem with me using a knife it's exactly that, their problem. From reading this thread I get the feeling that it's not the other person's problem at all in many cases. It's the knife carrier's problem. I'm beginning to agree with marcinek when he says that it's the person with the knife that's overly sensitive. When did knife toters become such pantywaists? What's the need to be 100% accepted by 100% of people 100% of the time? You all act like somebody taking a second look at you is life threatening. Maybe the problem isn't the politicians or pop culture at all. If a "knife knut" thinks that pulling a knife out when it's not absolutely necessary (you can bite those hanging threads off of your shirt) is "showing off", what do you expect people that aren't into knives to act like? Carrying a knife around doesn't have to be a dirty little secret, but if you make it one don't be surprised when other people treat it the same way. I'm with leghog on this one. Stop trying to be "ambassadors" and try living like a normal human being. If you want to use your knife, go ahead and do it. Ignore the people around you. Hell, I wouldn't even know if people had a problem with my knife most of the time because when it's out I'm focusing on what I'm cutting. I'm not looking around to see what the grandma at the next table thinks about what I'm doing. What they think about my knife is their business, not mine. Just like what I have in my pockets is my business, not theirs. I think that you'll find that most people around you don't want to get involved in your life, as long as you don't get involved in theirs.

My choice to discreetly use my knife around others has nothing to do with what they think of me. It is about me respecting the boundaries of my fellow man and realizing that just because i have a right to do something doesnt mean i will always do it just to be that guy. My choices are influenced by my beliefs not what others think of me. And my belief is that i have a right to use my knife. But i also believe others should not have to believe what i believe and as a courtesy i use discretion. Just like i wont use foul language in front of someones children and i wont hit on some dudes wife (knowingly).

 

[marcinek]

Ack, I might have to sharpen it!!!

Use the unglazed part on the bottom of the plate!

 

[Boris74]

I'm just sitting here wondering what kind of life people lead that they feel safe to use an EDC on or even around food. I was opening bags of animal poop for fertilizer a couple days ago and got antifreeze all over it a few days before that. Nothing wrong with a life style where someone doesn't do them things but that's what an EDC is intended to be. If I buy food and my kitchen knives are so crappy I can't prep it with them, I would get new knives. If I needed to use my coolant and poop covered EDC to cut restaurant food, I'd eat somewhere else or send it back for them to get it right. I had filet mignon at a fancy place yesterday and the butter knife was all I needed and even then it push cut just fine (steak knife never got used).

Maybe some people grill steaks on Ferrari engines and have $400.00 pocket folding steak knives. not knocking that life style but just pointing out most people are not going to be comfortable eating insulation they cut earlier in the day when they go out to eat.

 

[trukreltrog]

In todays society of scared little sheeple who are offended at everything, they are conditioned to be victims, they are conditioned to be afraid of any and all scary defensive tools. Makes it much easier to for the politicians to take people rights away, when they are scared and/or willing to just give them away,,, :foot:

 

[stabman]

Another funny thought comes form my knife experience around the university.
I used my knives to remove staples (quite often for others who had no knife...and why didn't the library have a staple remover, when they have a power stapler? ), opening packages, or simply cutting a piece of paper to size...no weird looks.

A friend of mine there was paranoid about people seeing his knife (they might think he was weird), so he would hunch over, and look around the whole time he used it for anything.
Because he was looking around and trying not to be noticed, people noticed him and looked at him weird!

Use the unglazed part on the bottom of the plate!

See, they WANT you to do it...they even provide the sharpener.

As for hygiene concerns, I always use hand sanitizer and napkins to clean the blade before use, and most restaurants have bathrooms, equipped with sinks and soap, which makes cleaning easy also. :thumbup: