Sheeple Friendly Spyders?

[JD Spydo]

Over the years in literally dozens of posts here at Spyderville there has been many mentions made of knives and other gear as being "Sheeple Friendly".
I can fully relate to that because almost daily I encounter some poor pathetic media-brainwashed soul who thinks that a simple pocketknife is truly a terrorist's weapon :eek: >> when we all here know that just the opposite is true I frequently encounter certain people that when they see me using one of my Spyders you would think that I had pulled out a Black Mamba, Spitting Cobra or even an UZI out of my pocket when you see their reactions to me simply using one of my pocketknives :rolleyes: . And I'm talking about grown, adult people too :confused:

Now I will admit that my personal EDCs ( M390 Military and Stainless RESCUE models) are probably more than what most guys here in Missouri carry on a daily basis but I truly work with my Spyderco EDCs on a daily basis and I'm always extremely careful with them>> and in most cases I try to conceal them. But you would think that by some of the reactions I get that I must be a member of "ISIS" or some other terrorist group :confused: . Which unfortunately shows you how "media-brainwashed" many of our fellow citizens are in this great country ( USA) in our modern age. So in some instances where I have to work at or when I have to do some job around a bunch of pathetically brainwashed souls I go out of my way to use a Spyder that I deem to be more "Sheeple Friendly.

I have found that certain colors, the overall size of the knife, certain blade designs and how clean the knife is are a few examples of what seems to put the sheep people at ease :rolleyes: How do you all adjust to the current environment when using your Spyders? What do you all find that puts people in a less anxious state of mind when using your Spyders? How do we make our EDCs "Sheeple Friendly" :rolleyes: ??

[Liquid Cobra]

If no one is around I use whatever I am carrying to make the cut. If people are around I discreetly use the ladybug on my keys. Either way the thing that needs cutting is getting cut. :cool:

[cwp]

My experience is that the more "tactical" a knife looks (this is admittedly subjective), and the larger it is, the more people tend to be anxious about it. DLC coatings, serrated edges, and aggressive blade shapes (again, subjective) are all part of what I think of as "tactical". The type of environment also counts. If I pulled out a SpyderEdge DLC PM2 in an office environment, I'd expect to alarm some people. If I'm working on a construction site and pull out the same knife I'd expect much less of a reaction.

Flippers also seem to be a common flashpoint. People see a flipper and think "switchblade" and their minds leap immediately to "criminal".

The best option seems to be small colorful knives with, for lack of a better word, personality. The One Eyed Jack is probably unlikely to cause anyone to lose it. The Lil Lum isn't bad. The bright orange Meerkat is both small and colorful. The Dragonfly should be fine if you have it in a bright color but the blade shape might be a little too much for the fainthearted.

My method of handling this has been to not make a big deal out of using my knives. If you quick-draw a PM2, Spydieflick it open, slash through the tape on a package like you're wielding a lightsaber, and then let it drop shut, then yeah, you're going to attract attention and not all of it is going to be favorable. Use exactly the same knife to open exactly the same package but do it unhurriedly and without flashy moves and you'll probably draw a lot less hostility.

[bearfacedkiller]

I think that it is sometimes more about who the person is, how they look and how they act while using the tool.

If you expect a response or try to illicit a response then you are more apt to receive one. If you are nonchalant about it then you might not.

I am an average unassuming looking middle class guy and I don’t Spydieflick my knives. I have never had an issue pulling out a Military to use for something but I don’t make a big deal about it either.

I have always been lucky and have lived and worked places that don’t seem too sensitive around knives. Maybe my above theories only apply where I live?

[MichaelScott]

When it isn’t strange to see someone with a Glock or wheel gun on their hip around here or the church people packing Sunday mornings, carrying a knife is a non-issue.

People who are afraid of weapons aren’t sheep and those of us who carry them aren’t sheep dogs. Thinking like that furthers the distance and distrust between those who support the right to have arms and those who don’t. Conversation is more helpful than labels.

[blues]

When it isn’t strange to see someone with a Glock or wheel gun on their hip around here or the church people packing Sunday mornings, carrying a knife is a non-issue.

People who are afraid of weapons aren’t sheep and those of us who carry them aren’t sheep dogs. Thinking like that furthers the distance and distrust between those who support the right to have arms and those who don’t. Conversation is more helpful than labels.

Well said. I was intending to address the matter but you have expressed my position well. We are ambassadors, whether as concealed firearms carriers, knife carriers or both.

I do my best to educate those with an interest, and not freak out those who don't. For that reason I'll carry something like a Para 3 in town if there's a chance I may use a pocketknife in a public place...and something larger around home and environs.

Hearts and minds. If we do our part it will only help.

I think something the size of the Urban or Calypso Jr. is a decent, relatively non-threatening size. I find my old Dragonfly too hard to manipulate one handed, though it would be appropriate for the more restrictive settings.

[Tucson Tom]

If you want to go down the road of a knife ambassador, just be bold, carry what you want, and use it as if it is the most normal thing in the world. Because it is. If you start trying to adapt your lifestyle to suit other peoples reactions, you are in for all kinds of misery.

Of course if there is some corporate policy where you work, or laws in your area, you need to toe the line, but other than that, be bold, be brave. Influence the world, don't be influenced by it.

[JD Spydo]

I think that it is sometimes more about who the person is, how they look and how they act while using the tool.

If you expect a response or try to illicit a response then you are more apt to receive one. If you are nonchalant about it then you might not.

I am an average unassuming looking middle class guy and I don’t Spydieflick my knives. I have never had an issue pulling out a Military to use for something but I don’t make a big deal about it either.

I have always been lucky and have lived and worked places that don’t seem too sensitive around knives. Maybe my above theories only apply where I live?

You make some really good points there BFK and I've thought about two of them extensively. First of all the "Appearance" aspect is truly one that deserves some consideration. But that shouldn't be a factor for me personally because truly I'm about as conservative looking as you would ever find IMO. I have no tatoos, no earings, no piercings nor do I wear any shirts with any provocative messages on them. And from a clothing standpoint I'm truly about a Carhartt conservative as you can get and I do wear Carhartt and similar brands of clothing by the way.

It could be the type of people I've been working around the more I think about it. But on the other hand they never think twice when they need me to cut something for them>> because none of them with maybe two exceptions carry any pocketknife or multitool. IT's as though they've been brainwashed to believe that "tools are sinful" is about the best I can come up with :confused:

Oh and I never pull out a knife unless I am actually using it.

[blues]

If you want to go down the road of a knife ambassador, just be bold, carry what you want, and use it as if it is the most normal thing in the world. Because it is. If you start trying to adapt your lifestyle to suit other peoples reactions, you are in for all kinds of misery.

Of course if there is some corporate policy where you work, or laws in your area, you need to toe the line, but other than that, be bold, be brave. Influence the world, don't be influenced by it.

I don't know about you, but if I'm in close proximity to a person I don't know who pulls out a knife like the Spyderco Police, the first thing I do is assess the situation.

Perhaps I'm overly sensitive after spending a career in law enforcement, but I try to put myself in the position of what someone not used to carrying guns and knives will feel if they encounter me or someone else putting one to use.

I don't let the world intrude (too much) on how I life my life, but I don't think having empathy or consideration for others makes one a pussy either.

[VashHash]

I once cut open a box with my native 5. I had my finger on the spine so I wouldn't cut too deep into the package. A guy walked by and said "wow that's a sharp fingernail." I turned my hand over and showed him the knife. He said i didn't even see it. We both laughed after. I agree about not conforming because of pressure from others. If it's legal I'll carry it. If someone is afraid of a knife a different type is still going to cause that same fear.

[JD Spydo]

When it isn’t strange to see someone with a Glock or wheel gun on their hip around here or the church people packing Sunday mornings, carrying a knife is a non-issue.

People who are afraid of weapons aren’t sheep and those of us who carry them aren’t sheep dogs. Thinking like that furthers the distance and distrust between those who support the right to have arms and those who don’t. Conversation is more helpful than labels.

We are ambassadors, whether as concealed firearms carriers, knife carriers or both.

I do my best to educate those with an interest, and not freak out those who don't.

Hearts and minds. If we do our part it will only help.

Those are some excellent points "blues" :) Because as intense as we are with our hobby/obsession we do want to let everyone know that we are absolutely no threat to them what so ever. And I have educated a couple of ladies I work with but they were somewhat educated and endowed with common sense to where they could be educated. So many are media brainwashed and jaded to the point to where you are literally wasting your time trying to talk to them unfortunately

I've got one time I remember when I was taking a college course and I was in a group where we had to make up a poster with pictures in it. I took my blue PE Dodo and cut all the pics out with it. I even had one of the ladies there that liked the Dodo and wanted one until I told her how much it cost :rolleyes: >> but she sure liked working with mine :D And I believe that the "BLUE" color along with it's short blade and non threatening appearance made it "sheeple friendly" >> and that's the main thrust of what I want this thread to explore.

[JD Spydo]

I once cut open a box with my native 5. I had my finger on the spine so I wouldn't cut too deep into the package. A guy walked by and said "wow that's a sharp fingernail." I turned my hand over and showed him the knife. He said i didn't even see it. We both laughed after. I agree about not conforming because of pressure from others. If it's legal I'll carry it. If someone is afraid of a knife a different type is still going to cause that same fear.

Oh I have to sort of disagree with you on that one VASH :) because just like I pointed out on my previous post when talking about how I took my blue PE Dodo to a college class I was attending and we were cutting out some pictures for a project the very same ladies that liked my Blue PE Dodo literally acted sort of afraid of my black handled C-60 Ayoob model that I used to open a box for the class a week later ( at the instructors request) and I do truly believe it was strictly and only the appearance that made the ultimate difference in that particular case.

No I truly believe that there are some knives in our hobby that average, un-educated people could embrace whereas there are other models that essentially will do the same cutting jobs that will instill fear instead>> I know this to be a fact because I've personally experienced it more than one occasion my own self. But I do see where you're coming from and I don't think we're really that far apart but I did want to clearify that.

[anycal]

Although fear is many times irrational and doesn't always come from direct experience, it does exist. Using a derogatory term describing these folks doesn't really help the cause. I am not a sensitive type, but nonetheless...

[Gevatter]

If it's within legal limits and I need to use a knife I would't care about it's apperance to the people around.
On the other hand I made the experience as a knifeguy, that it is easy to underestimate the situation. A co-worker once pulled a knife on me and the first thing that came to my mind was "Oh nice honey horn scales".

[ladybug93]

i carry a dragonfly salt sometimes along with a bigger knife. i bought that knife thinking it wouldn’t make people nervous because it’s so small and it almost looks like a toy in yellow. i was wrong people still get weird when they see it. maybe it’s the serrations...?
anyway, i think the only way around this one is carrying some kind of traditional pocket knife that requires two hands to open. somehow, your grandfather’s knife is okay.

as far as being an ambassador goes, i think it’s more important to let people see you use a knife appropriately than anything else. i was sitting around bored with some people and i pulled out a swiss army knife. they looked at me confused about why i even had the knife, but then i carved a chicken stick while we were sitting around and it went from weird to cool. same goes with opening packages. everyone knows i always have a knife and they frequently ask me to open or cut things for them. i always encourage them to carry a knife too. playing with a paramilitary 2 in the cafeteria is going to make people nervous though, and that doesn’t help anyone.

[wrdwrght]

People who are afraid of weapons aren’t sheep and those of us who carry them aren’t sheep dogs. Thinking like that furthers the distance and distrust between those who support the right to have arms and those who don’t. Conversation is more helpful than labels.

Thank you, Michael. You’ve completely captured my point-of-view.

[Tucson Tom]

I don't know about you, but if I'm in close proximity to a person I don't know who pulls out a knife like the Spyderco Police, the first thing I do is assess the situation.

I don't let the world intrude (too much) on how I life my life, but I don't think having empathy or consideration for others makes one a pussy either.

I would not argue with that. A lot of it would depend on circumstances. If there was a need to pull the knife (we are unboxing a pallet or some such) and he gets the knife out, it all makes sense. If some strange individual in some dark back alley pulls a knife out, my mind is going in a whole 'nuther direction.

99 percent of the time in my life, my knife stays in my pocket. And if it comes out, there is a reason -- something needs to be cut. Most people aren't that observant and don't even realize I am carrying a knife or what that thing is in my pocket. Those that do notice, rarely will ever know if it is a native 5 or a police because it ain't never coming out of my pocket. And if it does, it will generally be clear why and what is going to be done with it. At that point if they have problems, I am not going to coddle them.

[Tucson Tom]

I'll share a second hand story, just because it came to mind, and I find it interesting. You can take it for what it is worth. The source is reliable.

This is told by a buddy of mine. He used to make a living setting tile. He was in some warehouse and a guy (as far as I know, who he has never seen before), comes out from behind some boxes with a knife in hand and in some threatening posture. He finds himself looking down the barrel of my buddies .45 -- his response is "hey, I am just joking around". My friends response is, "you are going to get yourself killed joking around like that".

[The Deacon]

Haven't gotten a "deer in the headlights" look since I moved to South Carolina. Heck, even my MT Combat Troodon doesn't raise any eyebrows. OTOH, back when I worked in the Albany NY area, my coworkers were a bunch of bleating heart liberals who cringed at the sight of my wood handled Stretch's 3.5" blade, but saw absolutely nothing wrong with leaving several 8" and 10" chef's knives laying on a table not ten feet from my cubicle and accessible to anyone, including the guy on the cleaning crew who talked to himself constantly. Even there, I found knives like Kiwi, Kopa, and the C27 Jess Horn that bore at least a passing resemblance to what most non-knifenuts expect a pocket knife to look like drew the least negative, and even some occasional positive, attention.

[SF Native]

Seems to be a bit of context of the situation and some of the trends of people isolating themselves. Less people are growing up fishing, hunting, running around the forrest and whittling sticks. They just are not used to seeing a knife unless it’s in a kitchen.
Unfortunately we have some militarization of our society like our police and such. Styles are tactical, which doesn’t help as they just look aggressive and they really only work the same as old school knives. It’s just advertising or window dressing. Flippers look great, but the look is that of a switch blade. Must be bad, but have no idea why.
A few coworkers have asked about my knives and now I show them what I’m carrying. Engaging people on a one on one level seems to help. They know you are not a nut job. I’m cutting an apple, not stabbing the boss.