Why the stigma with knives ?

People are afraid of knives because of the media.
All they ever report is crime, if they reported more good and less bad things might eventually get better in 30yrs or so. ( I can hope can't I )

The way I see it people think that every bad guy is a murder with a gun or knife so there's been more shoot first ask questions later.
Because of this criminals can't take any chances, there used to be a lot of toy guns in paper bags or finger guns in pockets pointed at people but now that won't fly.

Probably .99% of the time your not gonna see a criminals knife until they're robbing you, otherwise you're probably just looking at a responsible person who edc's a cutting tool.

If somebody used a wrench to rob a bank people would be afraid to go to the mechanic .
 
Usually it's the person 'wielding' the knife, not the knife. Dress accordingly and use your tools with an ounce of perspective.

If somebody plays a fool with a waved knife and gets them banned, I'm comin for ya ;)
 
In a society where people rarely carry things on their belt, anything hanging their gets noticed. Heck, I notice phone belt clips and think its a gun before I realize what it is.
Then to boot, the general public has absolutely no knowledge of knives besides the cheap $2 walmart brand knives. From what I've seen, anything beyond your grandpa's knife and the cheap gas station knives draws people's attention
Now, from what I've seen, knives are slowly becoming more accepted thanks to survival shows and youtube.
 
rschuch said:
Just the fact that most people don't carry a knife in public makes it something different and draws attention. That it can be used as a weapon, whether that's the intention or not, makes it more attention grabbing. And I think most people that do carry will carry a folding knife tucked in a pants pocket, so a knife in a holster is more similar to a gun in a holster. To carry a knife at work really depends on your exposure to the general public whether you'll get stares or not. I'm in a print shop with little public exposure and mostly guys I work with, so no one cares. They've known me for 7 years and know I'd never do anything dangerous with it. That said, there ARE those I work with that, if they carried a knife, they WOULD get second looks because they aren't quite all there and who knows, right? So if you're John Q. Public and someone helping you get an item off the top shelf has a knife strapped to their side, how do you know if they're me (harmless) or Crazy-Eyed Joe (who knows)?
So get indignant all you want, but a quick look from the other side of the fence and, yeah, I get it. I wouldn't carry a sword in public, though I own them. It's not a thing you do anymore, and back when people DID, whether you're talking feudal Japan or Renaissance Italy, there was a reason for it and people died because of it. I use my blade at work almost every day for boxes, tape, paper, etc., so I carry it. Maybe the best response if a customer your business depends on jumps back because you have a blade is - get a smaller one, maybe a folder or explain, "I need this for work" because, be honest here, do you NEED a 5" fillet knife to cut up a box, or do you just want to have one and you're feeling kind of guilty about it?
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Youve obviously never tried to cut a tangled rope off a propshaft while underwater , id like to see you try with a razorknife. The mora is excellent for this because it also lets me pry , and has the blade reach to get the job done.
 
GB940Rookie said:
I pulled a small knife out of a guys back one time. It was about halfway in. Nobody else would do it. That was kinda weird.
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Probably because most of them understood that doing that is particing medicine without a license and would basically lay the responsibility for any chronic injury suffered as a result squarely at your feet.
 
jc57 said:
Well, both the OP and I are in TN. Which technically isn't the "Deep South" but right next door. :) Though there are pockets of genteel society in the larger metropolitan enclaves that might be taken aback by the sight of a pointy object.

If he's a boat mechanic his clientele may be some of the more well-heeled members of Nashville society and not used to us ruffians and our ways. Though if he works on commercial boats instead of pleasure craft, in which case I have no idea. I would think that most people would expect a MECHANIC to have any and all manner of tools at his disposal and a sheathed knife wouldn't warrant a second glance.

So I dunno what to tell you, Dix, other than to use the opportunity to educate someone (if the venue is appropriate) such as "Oh yeah, this is a Mora knife. Swedish. Great quality but very affordable. It's based on an old traditional Scandinavian pattern. Want to look at it? It comes in really handy while working on boats." Or alternatively, go the ominous route and tell them "Yeah, very deadly... If I want it to be."

:)
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exactly , even the well to dos mostly carry knives and we are in TN so yeehaw and yes , you would think that someone around hoses , rope , plastic all day would carry a decent knife . Some people just dont understand i guess .
 
I don't see too many people toting fixed blades here even though it's perfectly legal. Mostly see and carry them while fishing or other outdoor recreation. Few people feel they need to edc a fixed blade because of all the great folders available these days that are far more convenient and comfortable to carry. First thing I do when I get back to the jeep is take the thing off my belt.
 
Where I live, a folding knife with a 5.0 inch blade will not get a second look. Put a fixed blade on your belt, and you're accused of planning to kill someone.
 
Dixierust said:
exactly , even the well to dos mostly carry knives and we are in TN so yeehaw and yes , you would think that someone around hoses , rope , plastic all day would carry a decent knife . Some people just dont understand i guess .
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I do understand and yes, it sounds like you need to carry a knife on the job (or certainly have one available when you need it). But you can do it discreetly. What do the other folks you work with do?

People's reaction to a knife or gun is often linked to one's overall appearance and the "I'll kill you if you touch me" vibs that you give off. I basically live in "jeans" and a carhartt tea shirt. I might add that a Mora is a pretty good choice.
 
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I'm closing in on 60 and always have a knife on me as I have for the past 40 yrs or so. I really can't think of a time when I've had a negative reaction to using a knife at work or after work in all those years. Granted I don't have a large fixed blade on my belt but I do carry large folders like spyderco military or police models. Also I don't live in northern Idaho or some other conservative stronghold. Maybe something else going on to cause negative reactions.

Mike
 
Dixierust said:
Youve obviously never tried to cut a tangled rope off a propshaft while underwater , id like to see you try with a razorknife. The mora is excellent for this because it also lets me pry , and has the blade reach to get the job done.
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And you didn't try explaining that to the person who was put off by your knife. So instead of taking 5 seconds to be an ambassador/educator and easily flip someone to our side, you gave them a snarky comment and made sure they stayed against our side.

Then you decided to come here and complain about all the people against our side.

See the disconnect?

No one has negative feelings about knives. They have negative feelings about people with knives who act like jerks.

Why didn't people have an issue with someone carrying a knife in "the good old days"? Because the people carrying knives acted like adults, not petulant children.

Now please everybody go back to blaming the "sheeple," or the "government," or "society," or the "effeminazation" of America. Continue. Don't want to ruin the fun.
 
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Dixierust said:
Why the stigma with knives?
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Because so many people these days have allowed themselves to be conditioned by others' opinions.

Instead of introspection and deciding what to believe for themselves and understanding why they believe something, these people have allowed and accepted others telling them what to think and what to believe.

It's more than just knives and a large part of what's wrong with many societies these days.
 
After reading Marcinek and Leghog's last posts, I think you could have responded better when the customer/client reacted to your Mora on your belt. The environment and your job duties make all the difference in the world.

People have become sheeple. Maybe it has always been that way, but it seems society has been shifting towards the sheeple side for years here in the US. People want to feel safe and the terrorist events and gang related drive by shootings in the last 20 years have not helped. The police can not protect you, but that is what most people like to believe. Knives are used to cut things and yes, they can be used as weapons like many common tools that most of us own. So, when you can, be discreet with your knife carry and deployment. If a fixed blade works best for you, then just try to be discreet at work and when a customer reacts, simply explain that you have to cut things frequently on the job and utility knives really don't work well in many cases (rather than saying something like .... you should see the ones I have at home kind of response. We all here like knives and use knives. In most cases we could get by with a knife that potentially causes less negative reactions with most people. But we like what we like and go forward.
 
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Fear plus the box cutter and scissors have replaced Knifes as the primary cutting tool in the work place. That being said I only had an reaction like yours two times the past 20 years once was at the Service Center and the other was at a Convenience store where a rookie cop got overly interested in my Bowie Knife I was wearing as part of a Civil War reenactment. His Sergeant told him to set down and be quiet.
 
How could anyone ever be afraid of a mora ? With their bright handles and plastic sheath/handle they just scream tradesmans cutting tool.
 
brownshoe said:
He did not say he flaunted his auto, just that he opened it and didn't keep it silent. Nothing wrong with that. WHy own knives you won't use? When autos were illegal to carry but legal to own, I would open mine in public but silently. Now that they are legal, they get the full thwack :)

You do realize this is a site for knife enthusiasts? We should exercise our rights and use legal cutlery openly whenever we need to. It's for the protection of our hobby. This doesn't mean "flaunting." Plus if your business dictates a certain decorum, then as an American, we do what must be done for money, hide your knife :) but still carry it.
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^ I stated that "I personally," don't go around flaunting my knives in public places (such as a grocery store).

Regardless, I don't agree with your perspective. There is absolutely no reason, for a "knife enthusiast," to be walking around a supermarket (around women & children), & flipping out an automatic, making loud thwacking noises, purely for attention. That's just plain asinine, & one of thee most stupid things I've read in my 3 years here.

And I am, a knife enthusiast! And I do exercise my right to use my cutlery, in a prudent manner, when I feel the need to. :)

More importantly: exercising ones rights, & taking them to extremes, are two, totally different things!

Why give the opposition, examples of stupidity like this, to bolster their argument?
 

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22-rimfire said:
After reading Marcinek and Leghog's last posts, I think you could have responded better when the customer/client reacted to your Mora on your belt. The environment and your job duties make all the difference in the world.

People have become sheeple. Maybe it has always been that way, but it seems society has been shifting towards the sheeple side for years here in the US. People want to feel safe and the terrorist events and gang related drive by shootings in the last 20 years have not helped. The police can not protect you, but that is what most people like to believe. Knives are used to cut things and yes, they can be used as weapons like many common tools that most of us own. So, when you can, be discreet with your knife carry and deployment. If a fixed blade works best for you, then just try to be discreet at work and when a customer reacts, simply explain that you have to cut things frequently on the job and utility knives really don't work well in many cases (rather than saying something like .... you should see the ones I have at home kind of response. We all here like knives and use knives. In most cases we could get by with a knife that potentially causes less negative reactions with most people. But we like what we like and go forward.
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My point exactly. If you need a decent fixed blade at work, by all means keep one. Just be ready to have something intelligent to say about it. Police have knives and guns, rescue workers as well as many other professions. If you find you're in contact with a lot of the general public and keep getting stares and shocked expressions, maybe get one of the pink Moras! Who could be afraid of that? And it'll make it easier to find if you drop it in the water.

I get the guy flaunting the auto. We pay lots of money for these things and select just the right EDC so of course we want to show it off. But we're not 12, and it's not a G.I. Joe. It's a potential weapon. I NEVER pull out my knife in public, especially in a casual setting like a grocery store or restaurant. If I use it at work, it comes out, cuts something, then back in the pocket. There are two people I share with - I have a co-worker who used to collect Spydercos who gets to inspect all my new acquisitions, and there's a guy in shipping who collects guns who also asks now and then what my EDC of the day is. That's it.
 
One way that I've found to almost completely banish any nervous jokes or awkward reaction is to carry a SAK style knife or handsome, small traditional in addition to a larger, modern folder. When around my employees or completely unobserved I simply use the larger folder for convenience and performance. If there are customers around I just reach for the traditional. I find that a nice, red SAK or a traditional with wood covers almost invariably get either no reaction or somewhat pleasant curiosity. Maybe a quick joke about drinking since mine invariably has a corkscrew and bottle opener.
 
In my personal part of the country, the NYC/NE NJ area I KINDA understand the stigma against knives..... This area has never, ever in recent memory been particularly gun friendly, so the weapon of choice for most low level hood, thugs, muggers, what have you has been some sort of knife or a cutting/stabbing weapon at least. Hell there's certain knives here like the 007 folder or the innocent enough Mercator Kat knife that a lot of old timers will still tell you are a hoods weapon. Add to the fact that, recently we've had a large amount of random slashings on the subways here by mentally unhinged individuals l, that yea, I can kinda understand where the average person is coming from..... That's why for me, discretion is paramount. If I'm on the F train and have a clamshell package I want to open, I won't pull out my Vic classic to do it, it can wait till I get home or somewhere private. That being said, I also still carry a knife just about everywhere I go, I just stay discreet so I don't have to explain anything to anybody.
 
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