Why Are Some Folks Scared of Choppers?

[Horn Dog]

Two nights ago my daughter and her friends were going camping. As I was loading them up with firewood and provisions, I saw my Condor golok nearby and asked them if they wanted to use it for splitting and chopping. The adult lady who was with them recoiled in horror. I said ok and then reminded her that a golok was easier to use than a small axe which requires greater skill and precision. My daughter uses the goloks and machetes safely. But she said it looked scary. I blame hollywood for this. People see a big blade and they think "weapon". Around my yard, machetes and goloks see a lot of action, and my girls are familiar with them. Sure, any of them could be used as a weapon. So could a pipe wrench. I guess it's the age we live in.

 

[Calebklyne]

when i went camping last i can only remember meeting a few people of about 30 who werent afraid of my 6inch blade and only one person who had a knife at all and that was 12km into the backcountry! it seems knives of all sorts have gotten a bad rep as being weapons only when they are more commonly intended and used as tools, some how axe were lucky to escape this rep

 

[Esav Benyamin]

I know you're referring to a general fear of knives among many, mostly urbanized people these days, but choppers like machetes, goloks, khukuris, and axes are inherently hazardous. They take some care to use safely, which is why the Himalayan Imports forum has a sticky on safety.

... some how axe were lucky to escape this rep

Lizzy Borden took an axe
and gave her parents forty whacks ...

 

[Mentor]

In my experience, this behaviour is a product of socialization that is often fairly easy to reverse. Many people have no experience with knives as tools outside a kitchen setting (perhaps with the exception of box cutters or the occasional SAK). They are also used to seeing knives depicted as weapons in the media and public discourse, and unused to seeing them treated as everyday tools. It is easy to fear what one doesn't understand.

Anyway, I find that the best way to handle this sort of thing is to acknowledge such concerns and treat them as understandable - and then to demonstrate the reasonableness of an alternative position through teaching, example, etc. Most people come around pretty quickly. I have also found that giving small belt knives (Mora!) to skeptics is a great way to win them over.

Going back to that fearing what one doesn't understand thing, I have noticed that many people are apprehensive about knives because they don't know how to handle them safely and effectively. Simple things like proper grip, cutting direction (not towards your knee!), chopping technique, etc. that we take for granted often require demonstration for newbies. Knowledge, confidence, and understanding go hand-in-hand.

Anyway, that's just my $0.02.

All the best,

- Mike

 

[coote]

Things have changed over the years. Used to see guns and knives sitting around at folks' homes or in vehicles.

Nowdays I generally keep all my hunting tools (knives, arrows, traps, firearms etc) out of sight as much as practical, and I'm even sensitive when it comes to talking about eating meat.

Good idea about giving knives away Mentor.

 

[baldtaco-II]

Projected incompetence – I think we're on to something here:

“Many people have no experience with knives as tools outside a kitchen setting (perhaps with the exception of box cutters or the occasional SAK). They are also used to seeing knives depicted as weapons in the media and public discourse, and unused to seeing them treated as everyday tools. It is easy to fear what one doesn't understand.”

I'll accept that as a general underlying thing but I'm not so sure it is of special relevance here with big blades. Even in the kitchen one can observe the same thing. Take a spastic cook – one of those that when making fries whittles them one at a time into a pan – using a blunt 4” utility to kinda prune them off cutting toward the thumb. Stick a nice big sharp 10”-12” chef's in their hand and you can often smell the little turtle's head pop out and touch cloth.

 

[Mistwalker]

For a lot of "urbanites" the only machete they have ever seen was in the hands of a villian in a horror movie. If you choose to look at it that way hollyweird could be blamed for much disinformation...such as a 5 pointed star being a "demonic" symbol, however you can't put all the blame on hollywood...some of the blame if not all should be placed on the people who so easily take such information as facts without any further research. I mean come on we all know hollywood is full of s#!t.

This is one of my favorite videos on YouTube, I like the Zeitgeist version better but to remain non political and make my point this one works ok.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTN3s2iVKKI




.

 

[skitertank]

people are afraid of what they dont understand. most of the things in this day and age that people fear are knives and guns,but i dont know too many knives that pulled themselves out and stabbed someone,or any guns that pulled their own trigger. like you said horn dog,anything can be used as a weapon,i would probably even take a pipe wrench over a knife

 

[mneedham]

I really don't know why some people are afraid those choppers, my son loves them

 

[bacman99]

The media has everybody thinking any knife or cutting tool is a dangerous weapon that we cant be trusted with. Scissors will be next.

 

[j williams]

Liberal media breeds fear. Movies, etc....

I was brought up to know the differance between reality and make believe. I guess some people werent.

Based on 6 years on the ambulance I can tell you a cheapo steak knife is used as a weapon more then any other edged weapon. 99% of the time. So peoples fears are not based on reality, but make believe.

Must be shitty walking around scared all the time.

 

[Horn Dog]

I'll never forget one year. My youngest wanted to have a wiener roast on her birthday. I had gathered up the wood and split it. I told her to wait at home while I went into town to get her birthday cake in case some of her guests arrived early. I'd make the Palmetto skewers when I returned. When I got home with the cake she had a huge fire blazing (mostly my prized fatligher) and was making skewers using a panga nearly as big as she was.

 

[j williams]

great story

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I'll never forget one year. My youngest wanted to have a wiener roast on her birthday. I had gathered up the wood and split it. I told her to wait at home while I went into town to get her birthday cake in case some of her guests arrived early. I'd make the Palmetto skewers when I returned. When I got home with the cake she had a huge fire blazing (mostly my prized fatligher) and was making skewers using a panga nearly as big as she was.

I'd be damn proud! Wish I could have seen that! :thumbup:

 

[Horn Dog]

I'm just glad I didn't return to find her with a chopped foot and the whole yard on fire. I asked why she used the big panga. She said that was the one in the garage that she had seen me use in the yard to whack palmettos and she didn't want to use any of my "good" knives I kept in the house. She did fine, though. I gave her my SAK to finish making the skewers. It was a good birthday.

 

[Toucan Oasis]

Two nights ago my daughter and her friends were going camping. As I was loading them up with firewood and provisions, I saw my Condor golok nearby and asked them if they wanted to use it for splitting and chopping. The adult lady who was with them recoiled in horror. I said ok and then reminded her that a golok was easier to use than a small axe which requires greater skill and precision. My daughter uses the goloks and machetes safely. But she said it looked scary. I blame hollywood for this. People see a big blade and they think "weapon". Around my yard, machetes and goloks see a lot of action, and my girls are familiar with them. Sure, any of them could be used as a weapon. So could a pipe wrench. I guess it's the age we live in.

Weaponz of terra !


(( pick a better icon -- EB ))

 

[Mistwalker]

I'd be damn proud! Wish I could have seen that! :thumbup:

+1 on that

 

[TheGame]

I met someone who told me he was a very experienced outdoorsman. So, I asked him what his favorite knives were, and he asked what I meant. I asked what he used to get firewood when out in the woods, what he used to chop it with and such. He told me he found sticks laying and broke them. I showed him a chopper, and he told me I shouldn't own it because I could get in trouble.

That worries me.

 

[Bushman5]

you should see the looks of people when i walk down the trails with my SOD strapped to my pack and my riflemans hawk in my hand.

I was at a BBQ once and one of the guests asked my GF why i carried such a big weapon around. I was wearing my little GL DREW $65 knife. She told the guy, "that little thing is not a weapon, its a cutting tool. Its only a weapon if a person INTENDS to use it as a weapon"

even my dad, rarely uses a blade. I asked him how come, adding that I use my blade hundreds of times a day. Same with flashlights. He just shrugged, "i just dont"

 

[ROCK6]

I was at a BBQ once and one of the guests asked my GF why i carried such a big weapon around. I was wearing my little GL DREW $65 knife. She told the guy, "that little thing is not a weapon, its a cutting tool. Its only a weapon if a person INTENDS to use it as a weapon"

I agree...my response is usually to the same. My "big chopper" is safer than them driving that "4-wheeled killing machine". My comment to my wife's co-workers and friends regarding my carrying of guns or use of large blades is that they are afraid of a large penis (said to both males and females)...that usually shuts them up pretty quick

ROCK6