Why carry a knife?

If your topic has nothing to do with Spyderco, you can post it here.
JRinFL
Member
Posts: 6145
Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2015 10:30 am
Location: Unfashionable West End of the Galaxy (SE USA)

Re: Why carry a knife?

#21

Post by JRinFL »

Some might be tempted to say that serfs have no rights.
"...it costs nothing to be polite." - Winston Churchill
“Maybe the cheese in the mousetrap is an artificially created cheaper price?” -Sal
Friends call me Jim. As do my foes.
M.N.O.S.D. 0001
James Y
Member
Posts: 7994
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:33 am
Location: Southern CA

Re: Why carry a knife?

#22

Post by James Y »

IMO, telling a non-knife person about the various uses and benefits of carrying a knife does nothing to change their minds, or make them want to carry one. Especially if they are an anti-knife carry person. In the same way as someone telling me I 'should' do this or that. Instead of 'seeing the light' and fully accepting knife carry, most will double down on their preconceived opinions.

I worked for 13 years at a massage/wellness center, and never had any problems using any of my knives there, cutting straps, breaking down supply boxes, etc. And the people I worked with, many pro-knife people would probably stereotype as being fervently anti-knife. But they all accepted it, including the two owners. One guy, the only other long-term male worker there, even got himself a Kershaw Blur in S30V, after seeing me use my knives for various tasks.

I never made a big production out of my knives, and only brought them out nondescriptly whenever I was using them, and not talking about them. Even though the rest of them didn't get knives for themselves, they would sometimes comment on how useful a knife can be from watching me use mine.

Many people's ideas about people who carry knives are emotionally rooted. Oftentimes, quietly setting an example of benign, utilitarian knife use over time works FAR better than trying to change people's minds with arguments designed to appeal to their logical minds.

Jim
User avatar
shunsui
Member
Posts: 1639
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 10:22 pm

Re: Why carry a knife?

#23

Post by shunsui »

Why carry a knife ?

Well it certainly beats the alternatives.
aicolainen
Member
Posts: 1787
Joined: Thu Jun 27, 2019 4:08 am
Location: Norway

Re: Why carry a knife?

#24

Post by aicolainen »

Read both articles and found myself nodding in recognition.
I actually think I may have come across the 2014 article before, or one very similar in theme and style .

The (cognitive) divide in the population is just spectacular at this point. It seems that only tiny variations in culture and environment may produce personalities that either consider knives as pragmatic tools, or as a threat. Very black and white with very little space for gray in between. I guess that's how it is with most things these days, seems pretty sad and unnecessary.

It’s frustrating when the fragile fractions of the population, who may be too obsessed with their modern, disconnected crusades to realize the true fragilities of humanity, are ripping us of our rights to cover very basic needs and frowning upon those who still can.

If you're behaving like a grown up in today's world, meaning that you're just reasonable enough to not take our modern conveniences for granted. Like looking around the next curve, planning ahead and simply being reasonably prepared to take care of yourself and your close ones, and generally going about life like responsible person, you're probably breaking at least a couple of laws these days. While I would argue it is actually the opposite that would be more sensible, i.e. that in most cases it would be more reasonable to hold people legally responsible for their negligence.

The (knife)laws around here are too ambiguous to really know what you're allowed to carry and when.
This makes it kind of hard to be a responsible grown up. I obviously carry knives, because that isn't inherently a bad thing - it's actually quite responsible for most people. And while I want to respect the laws and the democratic process, I don't have it in me to respect blurry lines. If you can't tell me what I'm allowed to do, I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure that could potentially get me in trouble, but so be it.
I'm also not trying to get in trouble, so I avoid carrying and using knives where and when I expect it to be overwhelmingly socially unacceptable. This thinking is also reflected by what I carry, i.e. usually as small, discreet and non threatening as practically doable. I don't want to provoke anyone.
User avatar
ladybug93
Member
Posts: 8014
Joined: Tue May 15, 2018 11:20 pm

Re: Why carry a knife?

#25

Post by ladybug93 »

aicolainen wrote:
Wed Jun 15, 2022 7:00 am
It’s frustrating when the fragile fractions of the population, who may be too obsessed with their modern, disconnected crusades to realize the true fragilities of humanity, are ripping us of our rights to cover very basic needs and frowning upon those who still can.
well said. we're too comfortable in our society. we've forgotten how brutal the environment is and how fragile our own lives are. for all it's given us, modern convenience has also made us very weak and unskilled.
keep your knife sharp and your focus sharper.
current collection:
C253GBBK, C258GFBL, C101GBBK2, C11GYW, C11FWNB20CV, C101GBN15V2, C101GODFDE2, C60GGY, C149G, C189, C101GBN2, MT35, C211TI, C242CF, C217GSSF, C101BN2, C85G2, C91BBK, C142G, C122GBBK, LBK, LYL3HB, C193, C28YL2, C11ZPGYD, C41YL5, C252G, C130G, PLKIT1
spyderco steels:
CPM 20CV, CPM 15V, CTS 204P, CPM CRUWEAR, CPM S30V, N690Co, M390, CPM MagnaCut, LC200N, CTS XHP, H1, 8Cr13MoV, GIN-1, CTS BD1, VG-10, VG-10/Damascus, 440C
Post Reply