Why people are afraid of knives?

My guess would be that ignorance translates into fear; not a lot of people use knives in today's society, or ever think to use them for anything besides violence. Knives used to be a common tool to be carried around, but for lack of need or pressure from above, only the enthusiasts bother anymore. We also happen to live in a time of paranoia.
 
It isn't just knifes either, i heard someone saying that Vit C causes cancer and I should be cautious about take them.
 
I gave my friend a Kershaw Blur, and he's not a knife person, but understands the usefulness of them. We were at work, and He was reaching for something in his pocket, and accidentally pulled the knife out and it hit the floor. Since it's an assisted, it of course snapped open. One of the Pharmacists (we are pharmacy technicians) was walking behind him, and was like "Oh my god, why do you have a sword in your pocket?!" And proceeded to tell everyone of the "sword he was carrying". Strangely enough, when asked, He said I gave it to him, and everyone said "Oh, that makes sense, nevermind.":confused: I'm like the knife guy, so it's ok for me I guess..
 
Short story. Coming back from BLADE 2007, I handed the female Canada Customs agent my passport and she asked what I had been doing in Atlanta? "Attending a knife show." I replied.

Her response: "Really? I think knives are so scary!"

This from one of those highly-trained people (is it still 6 weeks at a camp in Quebec?) protecting our borders.

To my credit, I let that one slide and walked away.
 
I agree with the style really mattering comment. I used to carry a modern folder, and got alot of looks using it. Now that I carry a SAK I can get away with it, people find them so useful, the bright red plastic seems to give it a toy like appeal.
 
I'm okay with people being afraid of knives. It's the ones who think knives aren't dangerous I worry about.

That said, I've never run into someone who got scared or upset when I pulled one of mine out for something. Could be the area (TX again) or the environment (retail) or the knives I use outside of home (mostly SAKs).

I guess if boy scouts carry them they don't count as murder death kill weapons. :D
 
It's a nasty cocktail of deliberate media misinformation then peddled by opportunistic politicians who want to make laws on everything thus creating criminal categories and behaviour. This results in irrational fear and a primitive reasoning that says knives are evil, having one is wicked and anti-social thus a knife owner must be 'sick' a 'loner' or any other of those media cliches.

Knives are tools, knives are also art and proof of mans' creativity and ingenuity. Most of us regard knives as impressive and beautiful, we KNOW, we are right:thumbup:

I find a previous poster's anecdote about the vet reacting hysterically to knives as ludicrous! How the hell does she carry out operations or biopsies??? With a plastic spoon?:barf:
 
I've carried a pocket knife pretty much every day for better than 30 years and, honestly, can't remember anyone freaking. Now the Glock, that's a different matter---
 
Again here as stated b4. Most often I get asked why I carry a pocket knife right after using said knife to help someone out that obviosly needs something better than their own teath to tear something open.

It's like...............................uuuuuuummmmmmm.................................geeeeeeee.......................didn't you just see for yourself why someone might wanna carry a knife???????
 
physh said:
and the blade is shorter than 3 inches, but i've had many people tell me wow that's a big knife.
Click to expand...

These are probably the same people that will pickup a 5" steak knife
at the dinner table or a 7" boning knife in the kitchen. They don't
see there is really not a difference in their purpose.

mike
 
Why are people so afraid of knives?

Because they watch too much TV. They have been socialized into the fact that hey don't need tools. I grew up being able to fix my own cars, and fix things around the house. So to me a knife is a tool. To someone who has never used a utility knife to score drywall, or a regular pocket knife to cut radiator hose for your car a knife is a weapon.

People don't spend nearly enough time doing things themselves. They need to spend more time sitting out back on the porch talking with their kids instead of "working from home" while their kid plays video games and learns nothing.

If people went camping more and tried to use a slight bit of common sense with everything they would realize that knives are a great tool.

I ask myself why do people drive in the left lane on the expressway and drive under the speed limit when there is nobody in the middle or right lanes. It's because they are sheep. They don't think about things they just do. In Germany you get a ticket for doing anything but passing in the left lane.

As Ron White likes to say, "you can't fix stupid".
 
Pyxlated said:
My guess would be that ignorance translates into fear; not a lot of people use knives in today's society, or ever think to use them for anything besides violence. Knives used to be a common tool to be carried around, but for lack of need or pressure from above, only the enthusiasts bother anymore. We also happen to live in a time of paranoia.
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This is my theory also.

I grew up using knives as tools. Most kids had one just like they had a pea shooter. (For the year-challenged, a pea shooter was like a straw only sized so that dried peas fit through it. Acted like a blow gun. Had a lot of pea shooter fights.)

Now, even people my age seem to be blade challenged. It's still just a tool to me and a man is not complete unless he knows how to keep one sharp and cut properly with one.
 
This is why Jeff Cooper coined the term hoplophobia, or the irrational fear of guns and knives. Many physiologists say that an irrational fear of any inanimate object is a sign of sexual and social immaturity. Think what would happen if you freaked out every time a person pulled out a pen or a toaster. You would be sent to a nice foam padded cell and given happy pills, yet it is perfectly acceptable to be afraid of guns and knives?
 
d_vman said:
Fear. Most people are afraid of weapons of any kind. It is a fact that there are people out there who will use violence to further their own ends. (whatever those ends may be) These people believe that simply disarming the violent individual will solve the problem. (Gun control anyone?) Now, if this works in their mind... No weapons = no violence... then is stands that weapons = violence. So if you are someone who carries a knife, or keeps a gun in your truck ect... then you must mean to do violence.

What these people fail to realize that it is the person behind the tool (I don't like the term weapon... my knives and guns are simply tools) that matters. If you intend to cause harm, you will... regardless of the 'tools' at your disposal.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

D
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you are right in so many ways. with the "no weapons = no violence" thing, if that were true, we would all be like the black knight, with no arms or legs, but a stump for a body. our fists can be used as weapons, but our fingers do some of the darndest things (like perform surgery). same with our feet. we can kick someone, but we also use them for walking. alot of ppl are ignorant and self-centered. :rolleyes: idiots

samhain73: wth? how stupid could you (refering to the person who freaked) be to think that a knife the size of a blur is a SWORD?? i would assume that they think that their kitchen knives are all claymores or something.

like they say, ignorance is bliss
 
What is wierd, is that people not only are afraid of knives, but they see them in a sort of shady sense. I am a pastor and have a knife website--I can't tell you how many people have said, "Wow, that is a wierd combo." Even knife people. They somehow see being a pastor as incompatible with knives. They wouldn't say the same thing if I had a site selling television (which is far more subversive than knives....)

grrrr
 
I guess i"m lucky. I don't run into this much around here. Guns yes. I remember back when my wife was just my G/f and I kept a shotty under her bed, we were moving her out and it was leaned against the wall in the living room. Her friend walked in and freaked out. She wouldn't sit still whiile it was there. of course being an ass I kept saying "OMG I think it just moved!".
 
LOL, my g'f has been desensitized to guns and knifes already. She still would shoot anything with it, but as long as she aint freaking out.

The first time she met me at the range, her whole face went red, and was speechless when she saw me shooting stuff. Similar reaction from her friend the other night when I cracked a coconut open with the Sog bowie.
 
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