Ladies On The Edge

[ChrisinHove]

The internet now allows us all to find peers in any interest or mindset, helping to normalise those.

Mostly that’s healthier than old-time, often oppressive, societal norms, sometimes it’s definitely not.

[The Mastiff]

I've never really seen all that much " oppressive, societal norms" until recently with the left demanding conformity. It mostly was just " if you want to do strange stuff keep it away from people who don't want to be around it and especially other peoples children" . Some groups ( churches, religions and such ) are pretty bad but except for children brought in by families everyone there is voluntary. If someone is a member of a group that threatens shunning or other measures to keep the members in line that is actually a choice of the individual and pretty much the opposite of a societal norm .

[TomAiello]

I've never really seen all that much " oppressive, societal norms" until recently with the left demanding conformity. It mostly was just " if you want to do strange stuff keep it away from people who don't want to be around it and especially other peoples children" . Some groups ( churches, religions and such ) are pretty bad but except for children brought in by families everyone there is voluntary. If someone is a member of a group that threatens shunning or other measures to keep the members in line that is actually a choice of the individual and pretty much the opposite of a societal norm .

This has been my observation as well.

I live out in 'cowboy country' though, where 'do whatever you want, just don't bring it to my ranch without my permission' has been a pretty ingrained attitude for the last hundred and fifty years. For example, this is the part of the country where most people's response to polygamy has been 'well, are they all adults?'

Oppressive societal conformity is a new thing around here (and hasn't made many inroads) and it's definitely not associated with the traditional culture in these parts.

I totally agree with Chris about the internet though. It allows people to find their 'tribe' in ways that were impossible without geographic relocation just a generation ago. That's good in a lot of ways, but also bad when the 'tribe' turns into an echo chamber.

[The Mastiff]

This has been my observation as well.

I see that trope all the time in movies and TV shows but rarely in real life. Real people don't like being told what to do and push back. It's a strong American trait. I hope it always will be . It amazes me that some local governments are now trying to get citizens to turn in others for silly stuff like not wearing masks while walking alone in the park. There will be a few that do enjoy the power of getting someone in trouble. I saw that a lot when running various websites. The same one or two people were always wanting to tell on someone but the majority just mind their own business and take care of themselves. That whole "busybody" thing often comes along with certain personality disorders.

By the way I've also noted the tropes about southerners I've seen all my life coming out of hollywood do not resemble the people I've met down here. It really pays to keep your eyes open while making up your own mind and ignore stereotypes.

joe

[Doc Dan]

Let me take what I said further still. In the US military there is a big push to get rid of mean drill instructors who are tough on recruits and might hurt their feelings. Truth.

[ChrisinHove]

Thanks, Tom, you put it better than I did.

You chaps are fortunate to live with such inherent freedom, (I was going to say such “such liberal areas”, but remembered that has quite the opposite meaning for you).

[TomAiello]

You chaps are fortunate to live with such inherent freedom, (I was going to say such “such liberal areas”, but remembered that has quite the opposite meaning for you).

I actually tend to use the word 'liberal' in it's classical sense. In the modern American political lexicon, 'classical liberal' has been replaced with 'libertarian' but that word is starting to take on other connotations as well. The word 'liberal' in our political lexicon is being replaced with 'progressive' when used to indicate a 'left of center' political view in the linear scale of American politics.

Our two party system (a natural result of our FPP voting system) has definitely skewed the political labels around, and made them less useful. With our politics divided into two 'big tents' the contents of the tents require a lot more careful analysis to understand with any clarity. Our largest 'third party' (the classical 'liberal' one) stands at less than 5% support nationally, with one total voting member of our lower legislative house.

[Pokey]

Last month while I was in the SFO a couple of young ladies walked in. They said they were going camping with friends and were out buying equipment. A friend of theirs said a knife was a very good tool to have when camping, so they asked what kind they should get, where to get one, etc. Their friend said, "Just go over to Spyderco and look at the ones they have in the store, they'll help you out." Smart advice. (That wasn't anyone here on the forum was it?)

Someone from the SFO crew showed them the different folders, the fixed blades, educated them about the different steel on the blades, and asked them plenty of questions on where they were going, how long, how far out, etc. They both tried a number of them and each found a "Goldielocks" knife that wasn't a big scary camping knife, but one they could use as an EDC also.

They seemed to be happy campers when they left even before they stepped off the pavement.

[JD Spydo]

Let me take what I said further still. In the US military there is a big push to get rid of mean drill instructors who are tough on recruits and might hurt their feelings. Truth.

Please Doc Say It Ain't So :o But the way a lot of things have played out this year it sadly might be the truth .

I am seeing more and more guys being bullied by their girlfriends in the past 10 years or so. It's not good when either one of them are being abused but that is a terrible trend developing.

People have just got to start resisting all of this garbage.

Very interesting answers on this thread so far. Actually in many ways I am encouraged that more of the ladies are starting to realize how handy a folding knife is. Also I'm happy to see a lot more of the ladies getting an eye for "QUALITY" as well.

[James Y]

I’m guessing that none of the ladies of Spyderville will be chiming in as to what originally spurred their interest in knives...

:o

Jim

[JD Spydo]

I’m guessing that none of the ladies of Spyderville will be chiming in as to what originally spurred their interest in knives...

:o

Jim

We've got a few gals here on the Forum. I hope some of them chime in on this thread.

My fascination of Spyderco and other premium brands of knives have a lot to do with the love and appreciation of High Quality items.

There are a few knife companies that put out decent quality cutlery that costs a lot less than Spyderco or Benchmade knives do. But most of us who gravitate to Spyderco and comparable brands of knives have other reasons for our love of their knives other than having a functional piece of cutlery>> it's the exceptional quality in most cases I'm sure.

I think the main draw for the ladies getting into the knife hobby is that more of them are becoming appreciative of high quality items themselves. I'm almost certain that's probably the common denominator.

[James Y]

Joe,

I (kind of) converted my sister-in-law into a knife carrier. One Christmas many years ago, I gave everyone in our immediate family Victorinox Classic SAKs. Most of them most likely ended up in drawers. But my brother and his wife carried theirs and still are. My brother lost the one I gave him and immediately went out and bought another one, which he still carries to this day. His wife also carries hers every day, and says that since she started carrying it, she can’t imagine going without a pocketknife, because it’s so useful.

Now that’s a ways away from carrying a Spyderco, but it’s something, and it’s still a quality product.

Jim

[Doc Dan]

I had given my wife a liner lock with 154CM steel years ago when it was the thing. That knife opened in her purse without provocation and nearly cut her. She refused to carry it. So, I bought her a pink Benchmade. She carried that knife for a few years and one day she saw my orange Dragonfly. She said, “Ooo, that’s mine!” and took it. She liked that knife so much she asked Sal to make her a purple one. He said, “I’ll see what I can do.” Of course sly Sal already was planning a purple Sprint so his own wife could have one. My wife was thrilled. She is a Sal and Spyderco fan now. So, it turns out I’ve got to buy a pink Delica when they come out.

[TomAiello]

By the way I've also noted the tropes about southerners I've seen all my life coming out of hollywood do not resemble the people I've met down here. It really pays to keep your eyes open while making up your own mind and ignore stereotypes.

Funny story (which is tangentially related):

At the end of every course I teach (so between 2 and 4 times each month) we have the students over to our house for dinner. My wife spends quite a lot of time doing these meals (we keep a guest book and she's now done about 230 of them, generally for groups of between 10 and 20 people. We all try to help (the kids, my other instructors and me) but it's about 90% her work that gets things done (usually the other instructors and I are not available until maybe an hour before dinner).

Last year, I had a student who was a hollywood camera guy. He was the lead cameraman on a major television show (you've heard of it, and so has pretty much everyone else). He was _very_ Hollywood.

One of the other students was Australian. The Australian guy's girlfriend came to dinner with him (she wasn't in the class--we always invite everyone for our end of course dinners).

We're sitting at the table in our back yard eating, drinking and generally socializing. The Hollywood guy starts talking to the Australian's girlfriend. It's pretty normal conversation; 'is this your first time in the states, how do you like it here, are you going to see anything else while you're here...?', that kind of thing.

The Australian girl comments that she likes the US a lot more than she thought she would. She says that she's surprised she hasn't seen any gun violence and that people actually seem pretty nice. I don't think the general news media in Australia is particularly kind to the USA--at least not from her telling. I think she half expected to see mass shootings, police brutality and racist lynchings, and all the evils that the rest of the world seem to think are daily occurrences here. She specifically mentions that she hasn't seen any evidence of racism, even though she expected it to be rampant here.

Hollywood guy (quite loudly) begins opining about racism in the USA. He begins with 'well, maybe not here, but you should see what it's like in Georgia!" and continues on to 'In Georgia, there are laws that when a white person comes into a room, all the black people have to stand up!" I very specifically remember his 'black people stand up in the presence of whites', but he had a bunch of other examples (all of them pretty outlandish). For example, he felt that people calling him 'sir' when he was shooting just south of Atlanta meant that they had been intimidated by racists their whole lives. He seemed totally unaware that pretty much everyone in the south calls _everyone_ 'sir' and 'ma'am'. I remember when I first visited there (I grew up in California) and I honestly thought people were mocking me by calling me 'sir.' He continues to tirade about how racist Georgia is for a good four or five minutes.

Now, my wife grew up in Georgia--about 30 miles from the main location his tv show uses to shoot a bunch of scenes. She also went to public schools there from kindergarten through college (she got her MD from the University of Alabama, though). She's fairly 'southern'--meaning she's generally polite, courteous, and takes her role as a host quite seriously.

About five minutes into his tirade, I can see that she's beginning to lose patience. Unfortunately, he's going on so continuously (and loudly) that no one else can get a word in edgewise. I actually see at least two other people at the table trying to wave him down (slightly panicked) as they watch her obvious discomfort. Eventually, she leans across the table to him, holds out her hand (in a 'let's shake hands' gesture), and says 'Hi, I'm Cheri, and I'm from Georgia," perhaps a little more forcefully than is normal for her.

Hollywood guy looks surprised that someone has interrupted him. He quickly shakes her hand, says 'nice to meet you' or something along those lines, and then launches back into his tirade with 'And if you think Georgia is bad, let me tell you about Alabama!' He doesn't even bat an eye (or apparently notice what she had said).

About two minutes later my wife excused herself and went inside. Maybe five minutes after that, Hollywood guy wanders off to look for another beer, and one of the other students (who was actually also from Los Angeles, but not Hollywood) looks at everyone who's left and says 'and that's exactly why everyone hates people from LA.'

My wife has never actually thrown anyone out of the house, but I think Hollywood guy was pretty close to being the first. it was honestly an unbelievably surreal experience. He was just so set in his prejudices (and clueless to social cues) that he never even stopped to think that _anyone_ else could possibly think differently than he did.

[James Y]

Sorry, Joe/JD Spydo, for going OT:

Guys, EVERYONE gets stereotyped, in varying degrees, in one way or another. As an American of Asian descent, I’ve personally experienced it, as well as seen/read about many others, more times than I can count (probably more than most). I’ve had strangers compliment me on my English: “Hey, your English is really good!” Or “I know so-and-so who’s also Asian. You must know them.” Or “Can you help me fix this computer (or other piece of tech)? You look like you know how!”

Uh, no. Anyone who knows me knows I’m no tech whiz. And other than the fact that I’ve trained martial arts my whole life, and have the willingness to work hard, I completely explode all the myths and stereotypes about Asian-Americans, or Asians from Asia. Our entire family has always been ‘different’ from the typical Asian or Asian-American stereotype, because like anyone else, we are all individuals.

I’ve also seen people post comments online, like, “I know this Chinese guy from Australia who attends my church, and it always blows my mind when he talks, because he has an Australian accent! And he’s Chinese!! I can’t wrap my head around it!” Well, DUH. He was from Australia. What’s he supposed to talk like?

A Spanish movie director Jaume Collet-Serra has stated that Japanese filmmakers don’t make interesting stories because, due to Japanese culture, they never have strong characters. Inaccurate, stupid statement.

Or, “The Seki knife makers are super-attentive to quality and sharpness in their knives, because if they fail, they follow the Japanese tradition of hara-kiri” (belly cutting, or ritual suicide). The person who wrote this years ago on BF was being serious. Probably the stupidest comment I’ve ever seen posted online.

I’ve even had people say I must have some European mix, not only because my English is good (after all, my paternal grandfather only came here from Japan in the late 1800s :rolleyes:), but also because of my physical appearance. No. People of Asian descent have at least as much diversity in appearance, personalities and opinions as those of European descent.

I’ve also seen or encountered many people (of all groups) who casually stereotype others, yet who are ultra-sensitive about being stereotyped themselves.

I was trying to be good, but now I’ve completely taken this off the rails. :p

Jim

[TomAiello]

I’ve also seen people post comments online, like, “I know this Chinese guy from Australia who attends my church, and it always blows my mind when he talks, because he has an Australian accent! And he’s Chinese!! I can’t wrap my head around it!” Well, DUH. He was from Australia. What’s he supposed to talk like?

If you haven't seen them, check out the 'How to talk Australian' videos on Youtube. They're hilarious:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL9YBw ... FooRZJgHJA

[odomandr]

.....

I’ve also seen or encountered many people (of all groups) who casually stereotype others, yet who are ultra-sensitive
....

DING DING DING DING DING. the suggestion to use the ignore button maybe part of the problem, why get on a discussion forum only to be stuck in the mud and unwilling to discuss or open your mind to another opinion....

[JD Spydo]

I've also been finding it interesting to see that the landscape is changing for the ladies in other aspects too. Not only do they carry, collect and appreciate fine knives I find them getting more and more involved in other activities as well as taking interests in things that they didn't in the past.

Going to more and more local Sports Bars & Restaurants with NFL season here I've been noticing a lot more of the ladies gathering at more of these places than I had in the past. And I'm not just talking 5% to 10% more than usual>> no I'm talking like about 35% to 40% more ladies are now going to facilities like that more than I used to see. Which is great!!

However with the Chiefs ( my local NFL team) winning the last Superbowl I've thought that might have something to do with it. But a guy I know here in the town I live in who owns a gun & defense store he tells me that his female clientele has increased by a large percentage in the past two years. Yeah we might just be witnessing a paradigm change.

[curlyhairedboy]

I don't think there's anything wrong with gender roles, as long as they're not deterministic. It's just as wrong to denigrate someone who chooses traditional roles as it is to denigrate someone who doesn't choose traditional roles. Having the choice is important, and the freedom to choose what you want without getting denigrated is what we should all strive for.

if more women are getting into traditionally masculine activities/hobbies, more power to them.

if more men are getting into traditionally feminine activities/hobbies, more power to them.

Life is shorter than we think.

[JD Spydo]

I’m guessing that none of the ladies of Spyderville will be chiming in as to what originally spurred their interest in knives...

:o

Jim

That's a great point Jim because I'm aware of at least 3 of the ladies here at Spyderville and it does seem like they are hesitant to voice their testimony :confused: . And I did this thread as a compliment to the knife carrying ladies.

I'm sure a lot of them got in to the hobby by their boyfriends or relatives. But I've heard in the past 3 years that the amount of women at the BLADE Show in Atlanta has increased a lot in that time.