Why is carrying a knife looked down upon by those who dont?

Harlyn said:
I live in NYC and i used to carry knives for self defense when i was younger and obviously being a teen i've had a balisong and a automatic blade just to have the cooler looking knife than everybody else until i got arrested and caught with the automatic since then i became a law abiding below 4" blade caring citizen. and found other uses for the blades to lol.
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I appreciate your honesty.

There is almost no knife laws in Canada but I keep my EDC below 4 inches too. I get by just fine.
 
This happens very rarely where I live and when it does, (outsiders) everyone laughs and calls them a liberal.
 
Why is carrying a knife looked down upon by those who dont?
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Is it? Is it true that all people who don't carry a knife "look down on", or disapprove, of those who do?

I'm asking this as a legitimate question.

My experience is that carrying a knife is common and that disapproving comments are actually rare.

If I use my knife in public I have gotten a few "funny looks". I asked a person, who was looking disapproving at my package opening, one time what they did not like about what I was doing. She said, "Shouldn't you be cutting away from your body rather than pulling towards it?"

I can't interpret a "funny look" unless I ask.

tipoc
 
I live in New Jersey and work in a manufacturing company and every one of our workers carry a folder or fixed blade knife in a sheath on their belt. if they don't have one they can go to our storeroom and get one for free and get a new one when it gets dull. These knives are carried to and from work as well and no one has had any problems from what I know. In the office no one says anything about my Endura but I have gotten a couple comments about my Gerber Covert when I take it out to use it.
 
I've been told that the knife laws in Texas are many decades old and were written to address the problem of that era. Even though I might have carried a combination penknife, jackknife, Case, Shrade Walden, Old Timer or Buck (my choice), there was another element of society who did not have a Boy Scout mentality.

These "thugs" did not help the image of the blade. Hollywood hasn't helped, either.

As Harvey once asked, "Guns or knives, Butch."
 
I think a lot of people read some kind of nefarious or evil intent into the use or carry of knives. I see them primarily as tools, then as nifty gadgets or even art, but always as inanimate objects. I think some people, for whatever reason, see knives themselves as evil or dangerous and probably determine that such an object could only be used for evil or nefarious acts.

In short, people are really silly. :rolleyes:
 
I was on the receiving end of the "people who carry weapons are insecure cowards" argument of an NKP last night. She was a hot chick though.
 
I live in Texas, and even here there are some unnecessary tense moments. I was at target buying a vic recruit and the lady behind the counter paused and asked me what exactly i was planning to do with it. I wanted to say kill and steal, but she would have probably belived me.
 
I've just ordered a couple more Victorinox SAKs - I'm a hitman and I have people to kill! Actually I've never used a knife as a weapon or even bought one for that purpose. I'm aware that my BK-7 & BK-9 would be capable of harming others, but I have no interest in that - I haven't even harmed live trees with them, but I have chopped and batoned some already dead & fallen trees. My Leatherman Wave and Victorinox Cybertool that I EDC would be poor choices for de-animating people but I carry them because they are useful for heaps of other stuff. I kinda feel sorry for people that can only see these things as weapons.
 
It's all in where you find yourself. My undergrad major was in Animal Science/Pre-Vet Medicine, and when on the ag. campus at Tennessee-Knoxville, I was considered a non-country, borderline city slicker freak because:

-I wore a ball cap rather than a cowboy hat;
-tennis shoes rather than cowboy boots;
-Levi's rather than Wranglers (back then, the classy, plastic-patched variety was pretty much all they offered :barf:);
-refused to chew tobacco; and
-carried only a large folder, w/no fixed blade Buck hunting knife in a belt sheath as did almost all other males.

Then again, most "normal" ag. students were looked upon as freaks when in a class like, say, microbiology over on the main campus. If I'd ever whipped out my folder on the main campus, even back in 1985, I'd have horrified over half my teachers in socialist, er, i mean, liberal arts classes.

I was doing my best to strike a happy medium and fit in both worlds--but I always had a knife with me.

CrimsonTideShooter said:
I am in class right now at the university of Alabama. I have my manix 2 clipped on my right pocket right now. No gasps or weird comments. Heck I even whip it out occasionally to cut the foot long straws that come with drinks.


No one even pays attention. I love the south. :)
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spydercomil said:
I live in Texas, and even here there are some unnecessary tense moments. I was at target buying a vic recruit and the lady behind the counter paused and asked me what exactly i was planning to do with it. I wanted to say kill and steal, but she would have probably belived me.
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None of her business, of course. But, in that scenario, I would not have resisted temptation and actually would have said, "I could tell you. But, I'd have to kill you and then eat your brain." (with a big smile on my face)
 
its because they (people which do not carry knifes) have very sharp teeth and nails. Those people scare me. for me, I have nice straight teeth and trim my nails so I dont scratch my @$$ to shreads when I wipe so I need my knife. to each their own.
 
I think a lot of people that are having problems need to reflect on themselves. My guess is they are carrying a ridiculus knife for the task at hand or they look kind of shady. Not saying your bad guys but first impressions are very real
 
Also wanted to add that there are quite a few knife people on here that see knives as weapons. Why is it suprising that the non knife wielding public does too? Again, I think these people get uncomfortable if your looking a little shady using your knife. I use my knife on university campus all the time with no comments or weird looks. How you present goes a long way with perceived intent
 
I carried a Benchmade auto through college (tiny liberal arts college in Oregon). Almost never recieved feedback or criticism for my knife (Snody Resistor - not the most friendly looking thing). I carried it mostly because college rules prohibited hunting knives, not autos :D.

College security didn't care, neither did did the local police (was told once I couldn't longboard through downtown at night). The only people who regularly gave me flak was my roommate, who was oddly enough a bit of a hick, and my swim coach, mainly because the knife was bigger then needed. Most of my more urbane friends though it was a cool knife.

Now, I work at Costco, where I can carry a flimsy box knife (and have to hunt around the warehouse for replacement blades) or use my pocketknife - a BM MiniGrip. That choice is a no brainer :)
 
spydercomil said:
I live in Texas, and even here there are some unnecessary tense moments. I was at target buying a vic recruit and the lady behind the counter paused and asked me what exactly i was planning to do with it. I wanted to say kill and steal, but she would have probably belived me.
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Not Texas!

I think I'll just go stroke out now. You guys divide up all my cheap chinese folders, Moras and SAK's.
 
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