It's funny when I see threads sometimes with some knife "enthusiast" acting like he's such a victim who's being crucified by the non-knife people in society. And then I'll see threads where some knife "enthusiast" who thinks that just because he chooses to carry a knife with him everyday it makes him feel unique unlike some of the mortals in society who decide not to. We really need to get out of this mindset that just because we like knives and love this hobby, there's something special about it. It's just a hobby. We like knives. We're no different than a person who decides to collect stamps.
People who are alarmed upon seeing a guy take out a knife 3 inch bladed pocket knife in public to open a pack of Sweet-n-lo are not "sheep". They're just people who are aware that society is filled with weirdos. Let them be concerned. If they start running and screaming like banshees at the sight of a swiss army knife, that's one thing. But for the most part, even us knife guys would have some reservations upon seeing anybody flick a knife open in public even if it is just for a micro second.
Knife "enthusiasts" do not do society a favor by carrying a knife in public. Nobody other than us knife fans care about blade steels. Or sebenzas. Or locks. Or the latest knife designs. But who cares? It's a small sub-culture. That's fine. I don't look down on people who don't carry a knife in public. Neither should you. Only people who are insecure about their status and accomplishments in society would be insecure enough to think so.
Like I said, we are not more "informed" about being efficient in society just because we carry a knife. That would be like a guy who lifts weights just because there might be a time when he'll need to lift a Mazda off of a woman during rush hour. Sure, the time might come when a person might have an emergency and need a loose string cut off from his sweater vest and one of us knife guys will be the savior society needed, but one can only wish for a day like that. I know this thread will p!ss a lot of you off, but it had to be said. A lot of you are pretty silly.
Wait, does that mean if I lift weights AND carry a knife, I'm twice as silly?
You bring up some good points. It sounds kind of abrasive and it's naturally going to cause butthurt, but it's an interesting point of discussion. Your 'sweet-n-lo' example is too close to the truth to be funny - half of the stories people post here about folks "freaking out" over seeing a knife in public go along the lines of: "So I whipped out my Cold Steel XL Voyager to cut my Big Mac into thirds and someone freaked out" - well, Genius, of course someone freaked out. They all seem to start with "I was doing a task that didn't need to be done in the first place, with a flashy/huge/tactical knife, and then someone was concerned and I don't get it".
That's not a thing that normal people do, I don't care where you are or whether you're allowed to do it - doing crap that draws attention to yourself like that is like painting "There's something not quite right about this person" on your chest. You didn't need to cut that big mac into thirds in the first place, and you certainly didn't need to bring along your giant novelty-sized pocket knife to do it.
Even if what you're doing with your knife in public is permitted, it is usually not normal behaviour, and it makes sense that people get concerned about it. Whining about political correctness-this, sheeple-that isn't going to help change your lot in life half so much as a little common sense and discretion on the part of the knife user.
Additionally, I chuckle every time I hear about some fat, untrained, inexperienced individual who starts carrying a flashlight, glock, and pocket knife and brands himself a "Sheepdog" and protector of the republic. The notion that you want to be prepared and equipped to help other people in need is a good notion, and the term 'Sheepdog' isn't necessarily a bad moniker. What this mentality seems to have devolved into is unfit, untrained people buying a million tactical accessories and thinking that they're prepared for hell or high water. You can be helpful to other people, sure, but you'll benefit everyone much more by taking first aid courses and getting in shape than you will by carrying around a bunch of silly tactical gadgets. IMHO, a lot (not all, but a lot) of these "sheepdogs" are no different from people who spend too much money on their electronic gadgets or stamp collections - they just like collecting things that they don't actually intend/know how to use, and they're just as useless.
[youtube]5wI7qIpTsnc[/youtube]
Laughed my butt off when I got to the 1:00 mark. It's one thing for someone who knows what they're doing to carry a gun/knife/flashlight and all that entails, but I wonder how many people watch this and then genuinely think that they become the upper crust of society just by jamming a 1911 into their waistband on the way to their desk job...
That said, carrying a knife (or gun, or flashlight, or whatever) isn't a silly or useless thing to do in and of itself. It has perfectly legitimate uses outside of this tactical sheepdog fad.
Not everyone who puts a knife in their pocket when they go to work in the morning is one of these nutnfancy-level sheepdog types who take themselves super seriously. Lately, I carry a knife because a) I am a dork and I like them, and b) because I find them useful every now and again. Formerly, I carried a knife because I was a knife dork and my job needed cutting tasks done all the time, but I've had something of a career change and I don't even need to do much cutting anymore in the run of a day. That's really as complicated as it gets for me, and I don't put much thought into how I'm going to save the day with my pocket knife and become the hero society deserves.
If someone wants to carry a knife "just in case", then what does it matter? I find the over-the-top sheepdog attitude to be pretty silly, but there's nothing wrong with carrying a knife.
As an aside, bashing weightlifting is extremely silly, because it's useful in literally every physical activity you do, not just in lifting mazdas off of soccer moms or whatever (although it is useful in that regard, too). Being strong and fit makes difficult physical chores easy, and makes easy tasks even easier. Plus it helps keep you healthy and is much more useful in stressful / hazardous situations than having a million tactical gadgets in your pockets. :thumbup:
