Why are people so weirded out by one of the oldest tools we have?
I agree.
Boy Scouts used to get jack knives in 3rd grade.
My pacifist mom brought me all the guns I wanted when I was a kid; by the time I was about 12 I decided guns were for little boys and put all of mine away. Never felt the need to own one.
My pacifist mom brought me all the guys I wanted when I was a kid
nice
Edited, and you have a filthy mind.
My pacifist mom brought me all the guys I wanted when I was a kid
Um…
Edited, thanks for being pervy
[jk]
and put all of mine away
Mines too?!
The landmine is a purely defensive weapon, unlike a gun.
They’re especially useful for defending against innocent civilians decades after the war ends.
It’s cheap and effective against invaders, sometimes when you’re in bind you need to use terrible tools

Depends on how you use the gun. But that’s the thing about landmines, you “plant” them rather than “use” them, and pure fate alone is the arbiter of the mine’s “use.” Landmines kill indiscriminately, they don’t care what team you’re on, how old you are, if you’re even a combatant at all or just a 6yo civilian child, but a gun at least requires a person to make the decision to act or not. It is for this reason that I contend while guns can be (not always are) used morally, landmines cannot, even when they do happen to find a “correct” target.
I just realized this isn’t NCD…
Clearly you haven’t been paying Fallout.
Just gonna slip this into your pocket…
People are utterly terrified by the idea of something that could cause consequences if wielded improperly.
Or, stated another way:
People are terrified not just of accountability, but of potential, theoretical accountability.
Hyperconsumerism?
0 attention span?
Things are supposed to all be instant, temporary and ephemeral, nothing that implies the potential of long term consequences can be considered without a level of genuine terror.
I had never thought of it that way. You are absolutely correct on the accountability.
I don’t get it, it’s like self infantilizing. Their mommies cut up their food for them.
Because knives are dangerous and we live in a society where you don’t need constant access to a knife.
Edit: turns out knife nuts are just as stupid and crazy as gun nuts…
Knife access is needed frequently enough to warrant at least a nice a little slip joint. You can use them to trim loose threads, open boxes, trim plastic tabs/flashings, dig out splinters, remove bee stings…
My wife asks to borrow a knife most days, and when I’m not carrying one, she gets flustered, yet refuse to bring her own.
When I worked at a fast food place I would bring a knife every day, because one of the things you do a lot of is opening boxes and bags and tearing them open with gloves on sucks ass. You seem to be under the impression that pocket knives are chainsaws lol
You should have asked for a utility knife or box cutter. If you got hurt using your knife, the company could easily draw out and possibly dismiss a WC claim citing unauthorized equipment.
I did, the manager shrugged and told me to borrow the knife another employee brought in lol
I had a shitty job where I was opening lots of boxes for one of my duties but no cutting implements were provided. I asked and it was gently implied that sharp implements would not be provided to anyone in the building and that brining your own was strongly frowned upon. That was…interesting
Depends on the knife really. Even just a 1” non-locking blade on a multitool has excellent utility.
It’s a balance between usefulness and looking like a Crocodile Dundee cosplayer. You take what’s appropriate for where you’re going.
I would say that locking blades a generally safer for the user than a non-locking blade.
Absolutely. Sometimes jobs exceed the abilities of a non-locker and then it gets dangerous.
A smaller blade is less dangerous but not safe. You wouldn’t give a 3 year old a multitool with an exposed knife.
And the second part of the argument was that you don’t need that utility all the time. 99% of the society can get their things done without carrying a knife around.
Thus someone constantly carrying around a potentially dangerous tool would look weird. I’m sure a hammer would also have great versatility but when you see someone casually lugging a hammer around you wouldn’t find it weird?
“A toddler shouldn’t have one, so there’s no reason to ever carry one.”
Do you even listen to yourself?
Uhh… They mentioned a toddler to enforce the argument that a knife, regardless of size, still carries an inherent risk of cutting oneself.
And a pencil carries an inherent risk of poking ones self. Is it unreasonable to carry a pencil with you?
You can do 99% of things without carrying a GPS, phone, internet browser, 3 cameras, a compass, an MP3 player, a TV and contents of the Library of Congress around, but no one bats an eye about someone bringing their modern smartphone literally everywhere.
I’m not 3, I am a competent adult.
I personally wouldn’t go that far, but I’m not 3 either.
In a enormously consumerist society with a lot of packaging, why is it weird to carry a package opening tool?
A smaller blade is less dangerous but not safe. You wouldn’t give a 3 year old a multitool with an exposed knife.
You wouldn’t let a 3 year old cook dinner for himself either. A guy owning an oven is a huge red flag
Enjoy your soft bubble wrap life.
Knives are dangerous. No argument there. Hell, my car keys can be dangerous too. But they are also utilitarian in a lot of different and innocent situations. Having a simple pocket knife is not a bad idea.
- Cutting open boxes
- Cutting wire or string or that flat plastic tie used in packing
- Stripping wire
- Dislodging items
- Scraping things
- Peeling apples
- Whittling
The point is, I’d be less concerned about somebody having a pocket knife than a gun. But, that may be because I’m from the South and it’s more common down here; not that guns aren’t common, but that knives are very common.
Scraping things
Remind me not to loan you my knife.
Same with “dislodging items”
Hell, my car keys can be dangerous too.
I would bet money that the person you’re talking to thinks we shouldn’t be allowed to drive cars either
no, you’re just wrong.
I’m flabbergasted as to how you managed to live long enough to learn the English language, and never had to, like, open a box
Can you explain in detail HOW knives are dangerous? Like more dangerous than the internal combustion engine.
They might cut their fingers while using it to cut their food, they haven’t graduated to forks yet so the likelihood of it is high. And that’s with mom’s supervision.
Did you just seriously ask how knives are dangerous? As if they are inherently not dangerous? And then compare it to something nowhere near related as if to discredit the other poster?
Seriously dude, stop being a troll. Do better!
Edit: turns out knife nuts are just as stupid and crazy as gun nuts…
Nah I’m good fam, you don’t have a nuanced understanding of the topic and have issues of your own…
A knife is about as “inherently dangerous” as milk. Properly kept, it’s never going to be an issue. Accidently leave it on the floor, and someone can slip or get cut.
Being responsible dos not remove a danger from existence. Accidents can still happen. Intent can change. The danger is always present. You even acknowledge this in n your last sentence.
Yes, being responsible and respectful of a dangerous item (e.g. knife, gun, whatever) is always good, and will minimize the danger. But the danger is always present, and thus always requires the responsibility and respect.
I still believe my original point stands.
My point was that spilled milk is just as, if not more dangerous than a knife. Everything in life has a degree of risk. Part of being an adult is managing or accepting those risks. You can roll off your bed and get hurt, does this mean that there is no place in society for bedframes? Perfectly healthy people are going to die or get seriously injured from falling down stairs today, shouldn’t we ban multi-level housing as a response? Probably hundreds of people are going to get cut or die from a knives today, is that a reason not to carry one?
For me, no. I have lots of useful things I do daily with a knife. Not carrying a knife when I needed one has caused me many more issues than carrying a knife when I didn’t. However, if you live in a perfect pampered world where you never need to cut, slice, open, poke, pry, trim, shave or shape anything, I could see why carrying a little pocket folder might be an unnecessary risk. I live in a safe place where crime is low and dangerous wild animals are few, so I don’t carry a firearm, it’s an unnecessary risk and an uncomfortable inconvenience for what I would get out of it.
You seem to have come under the impression that I’m against knives.
I was also calling HikingVet out for what I believe was a bad faith argument.
The danger is always present. Hahaha, like the knife I have folded in my pocket might suddenly attack me at any moment.
This does depend on where you live. In a dense city where you always have access to stores and services, it’s not as vital. Meanwhile someone who lives and works in an isolated area would want to keep more tools on them or in their vehicle (flashlight, first aid kit, lighter, multitool/knife, etc)
Tell that to the EU beurocracts that put a stupid tab in the plastic bottle caps that I now have to cut.
turns out knife nuts are just as stupid and crazy as gun nuts…
Best to just ignore the type of person who carries a weapon like a women carries a full makeup kit.
Both do it for the same reason, impressing men but neither will acknowledge it and get irrationally defensive if it’s pointed out.
If this wasn’t true, they would be downvoting, they’d just ignore it and move on, like a real man but they can’t because they aren’t.
The opinel I carry only seems like a weapon to the weakest and softest whiny diaperbabies.
I have no skin in this game, but you just proved their point. You’re irrationally defensive in here, it’s intense.
Really bad vibes.
Whatever you say chief.
People need comforting lies. The weakest use sarcasm as a substitute for intelligent discourse.
Whatever you say bubble boy.
Also depends on the size of the knife.
Pocket knife: cool. Rambo knife: get the fuck out of there
Have fun explaining to your date why you have a knife while they make this face.

Huh, you must get afraid in a steak restaurant.
Follow the thread, this is about whipping a knife out on a date by a tree, presumably with no witnesses.
It would only be concerning on the first couple dates and mostly because of the declaration of love on a first dates less so the knife. I would imagine if they’re in the heart carving phase she would know he carries a knife by then.
Making shit up doesn’t help your argument.
What did I make up? The no witnesses? You’re right, carving in trees on dates is usually done with lots of people around.
Yeah, you made up a scenario that fits your narrative.
k
🤣🤣🤣🤣
🤡🤡🤡🤡
Mf has never seen a tree in its natural habitat
Knives are normal things to have around. This is like freaking out because you found out someone has a lighter
I think a sizeable factor for the disdain is that EDC-bro that everyone knows who use their knife for everything even when the proper tool is right next to them. Or even the ones who carry an assault-type knife (like a karambit) holstered on their belt just for showing it off.
Those specific people sorta remind me of those fedora-bros where they think of it as an status symbol.
Society now outsources its cutting to machines…
Some reason? I always carry a knife.
You must be a true romantic.
The one guy in the room
“Let me grab the scissors real quick”
“No need, I have a knife!”
“Oh that’s okay, they’re in the drawer right here”
“LET ME HAVE MY MOMENT”
Them scissors in the drawer at the base of the tree?
I also carry a knife; it’s for when I’m NOT at (someone’s) home, typically when I buy some food that needs a little extra effort for eating, e.g. a loaf of bread, whole fruit, cheese, or just opening the package. And there’s a multitude of other rarer use cases.
Why the fuck would someone need to carry a knife at all times?!?
Edit: Geez guys okay okay it was a joke dammit!!
They’re useful if you spend a lot of time outdoors or in almost every blue collar job.
I leave the sheath knife in my car after work though. Wouldn’t take it on a date or carry it around normally.
Yeah, okay…
When I worked at a fast food place I would bring a knife every day, because one of the things you do a lot of is opening boxes and bags and tearing them open with gloves on sucks ass.
Especially breaking down the goddamn soft drink bag boxes. Those things are glued up tighter than fort knox.
Because they like the utility?
Because it’s a useful tool
I’m always a bit bewildered when I get that question right at the moment I take my knife out to help someone open or cut something.
Like, you just needed a knife right now, I got one, I help you, and then you ask me what I carry a knife for?
For exactly this!Because every day im forced to drive an incredibly unsafe machine that has the highest chance of anything i interact with to kill me. A machine so unsafe that in the event of a collision, the safety systems could kill me. My knife has a seatbelt cutter and a glassbreaker, as do every one of my knives. Why would you not carry a knife? Do you carry your keys? Or your wallet? Do you out on clothes every day? You act like its some difficult process to grab my knife when i grab my keys.
I also carry a knife always, use it all the time for boxes and whatnot. Would never consider using it as a weapon for like self defense, that’s why I carry the gun at a times.
Knives can come in many varying sizes and form factors, and can be specialized for usage in many practical and commonly encountered situations.
Utility knives take this concept further and often feature multiple additional, opposable heads geared toward other common household uses, such as screw driver heads, bottle openers, nail files, or even little teensy weensy scissors.
Legit question. It’s weird to always carry a knife with you. But seems like to be normal for the Lemmy community…interesting.
Really good joke tho
My trusty Opinel
I carry a No 12 for work most of the time, when I pull that one I get a few frowns. It’s great for cutting baguettes though, or splitting kindle…
Careful with cutting wood, the (carbon steel) blade can break.
Imagine not carrying a knife everywhere you go.
EDC. Never leave home without one.
Like every normal person?
deleted by creator
I tried, it’s just another thing to carry that I never need. I cannot think of a single instance when 1) I needed a knife 2) I wasn’t in a location which had a more appropriate knife than a pocket knife 3) I couldn’t just use a key.
I always have a pocket knife with me. 🤷♂️
Most of the time, it just gets used as a screwdriver. Maybe they should make pocket screwdrivers that have a secondary knife function… 🤔
Ironically, someone carrying a pocket knife is way less weird to me than the idea of someone carrying a screwdriver.
I always carry a screwdriver/ratchetdriver with a bunch of bits. Sometimes I fix peoples glasses, other times loose doorhandles. Also a small prybar sharp enough to replace a knife in most scenarios.
Right, but not like just a plain flathead screwdriver that you carry around in your pocket
But it would be very useful. I think weird would be if you carry around a T27 torx screwdriver. Very oddly specific
Even weirder, carry around one of those two-point security drivers that I’ve only ever seen used to remove the doors from toilet stalls (during a renovation!)
Then you’re either a creep or someone who wants to fuck around with an elevator. The things your screwdriver tells about you
lol you get it
I always have a knife on me at work. 9 hours a day 5 days a week for over 20 years. So naturally i also carry a knife when i don’t work. I’m so used to having a knife and there isn’t a reason to not carry one imo
I had to stop when I started flying a lot. Had so many knives confiscated…
that would be called a victorinox
'eyyooo!
but nah they’re great.
i just wish they had more edge retention than a toblerone
'eyyooo!
no but seriously a swiss army knife is a very useful pocket thing
sorry for amazon link, but here ya go
They have those …
Mine has a permanent place on my coffee table, but I rarely carry it with me, and haven’t felt I needed to. It mostly get used for opening packages.
This legit sounds like a job for Simone Giertz. She made a fricken ring into a screwdriver, surely she can make a knife tipped with a screwdriver! I guess you’d need two though, one for phillips and one for flat.
Lookup the Kershaw Select Fire. Primary Knife, but fits normal screwdriver bits.
Check out the Gerber Armbar.
I keep a Powerful Pete on my keyring, I use it easy more than I would use a pocket knife.
deleted by creator
Yeah, I don’t really think of those as pocket tools because they can be a little big and heavy trying to pack as many tools in there as possible. A Swiss Army knife is just about all I ever really need in terms of spontaneous tool requirements. Flathead, corkscrew, bottle opener, knife, scissors, toothpick. Perfection.
What do you mean one of them? What kind of moron doesn’t carry a knife as part of their regular kit? Just today, I forgot my knife and was boned because I couldn’t open a thing until I got home. Knives are handy.
We should only question those who don’t regularly carry knives. Are they even trying to be contributing members of society at that point?
I don’t go camping with people who can’t drive stick
I would, but then I’d probably make them learn while we were camping and give them some practice on fire roads etc
I usually take them out, and kick them into the river. It’s the only merciful thing to do with people that can’t drive stick.
Whats interesting is that, in my experience, people find it SUPER weird for you to have a knife
Then a couple hours later, they’re asking to borrow it to open something
you forgot your knife and then someone had sex with you because you DIDN’T open anything?
I did for a while, and I never needed it. I’ve never needed to open something out and about where a key wasn’t perfectly capable.
Funny thing is… I ALWAYS have a knife on me, and I rarely have a key.
Weird, I always have my keys. How do you get into your home?
A) it’s not as romantic when you realize the tree really doesn’t like this
B) I almost always have a knife on me (technically 3: 2 in one multitool and 1 in my other, smaller multitool)
I’m picturing the multitool having a smaller multitool as one of its tools
I thought I remembered The Simpsons doing this gag, but I found the scene, and it has a bunch of sub-tools, but no sub-multitool.
Simpsons did… n’t do it?
I remember king of the hill having a small wd40 to open the lid of the big wd40, but I can’t remember if they ever did the same with a multitool.
A) it’s not as romantic when you realize the tree really doesn’t like this
The heart is fertilizer, for compensation
I carry my multitool everywhere that I won’t find metal detectors. Knives and pliers are possibly the two most useful tools in existence.
My most used multi tool tools in order. Blade, pliers/wire cutters, pry bar, bottle opener. With bottle opener a very distant fourth
For me while working, it’s probably phone, mini screwdriver, bit driver, pen, then laptop.
Bit driver is second on my list of next multi tool features. Only thing higher is a blade that opens without unfolding the pliers.
I collect multi-tools, there’s always a knife on me bc they all have knifes. I mostly have them for scissors and can openers and they’re awesome!
Yup. Nephew printed me a wall mount knife rack to store my favorite ones by the door. Never leave home without a knife.
Favorite one and approximate price?
I carried a Benchmade mini griptilian for 5 years before I lost it. Paid like $119 around 2010. Amazing knife. Steel was a little soft though.
Now would be a Spyderco ambitious, some Kershaw assisted opening knife, and a Benchmade bugout knockoff I got from AliExpress that I love. Great size and fit the budget for what I use it for. I have some others in my camping gear, but don’t know names of them off the top of my head.
I can’t be dropping hundreds of dollars on knives I can easily lose.
Couple Leatherman like the skeletool too, had it for almost the whole warranty. Now it rides in my IT crash bag.
A knife rack… a knife rack. I don’t even own a knife, let alone many knives that would necessitate an entire rack. What am I gonna do… with a knife rack?
so you just dont cook? and buy your food pre chopped or sliced?
lmao sorry i was quoting a scene from Wayne’s World but replacing guns with knives.
ooooooof and ive even seen that movie lol sorry i was truly baffled
I got it immediately, it’s okay, we’re just olds
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
Whenever I see this, I think of an Encyclopedia Brown story. I don’t remember the whole story, but somehow culpability for the crime he was investigating was proven by initials that had been carved in a tree long ago and thus were now high up on the tree, as it had apparently grown considerably in the interim.
He proved that this was fraudulent, as trees grow from the top rather than the bottom, so the initials would have been at roughly the height at which they were initially placed.
edit: Grammar.
Dude I loved the concept of Encyclopedia Brown but so many of the resolutions revolve around the most obscure of knowledge. Like yeah you get to figure out who don it but holy crap relying on knowing the exact dimensions of a US dollar bill to identify the coin collector as the culprit is quite a stretch for 8-12 year olds
Wasn’t knowing obscure knowledge the concept of Encyclopedia Brown?
I meant it’s the whole you have to try to figure out who was lying before reading the last part. I’m realizing as I type this it could’ve entirely not been an intentional part of the reading experience of those books and just something my mom inserted when she was reading them to me
Sounds like a damned good mom. Kudos to her for working so hard.
The problem with the encyclopedia brown crime-solving was that everything was predicated on being guilty until proven innocent. Almost every single one of his ‘cases’ was never really solved, the perp usually just confessed as soon as a single lie was ‘proven.’
Holy cow, 40 year old memory unlocked.
Happy to be of service!
Has this person never heard of swiss army knives?
Now you’re telling me all of them went on a walk with soldiers from Switzerland? Be serious.
I just want to use this post to make a PSA - ALWAYS keep a blade in your car! In the case of a serious accident you may need it to cut off your or a passenger’s seatbelt, as the locking mechanisms can get stuck and make it difficult to reach the buckle/release. Ideally you want to keep a “vehicle escape tool” which has a hooked safety blade and a punch for shattering your windows if needed. But the right knife could do in a pinch.

also applies if it wasn’t an accident, just want to point that out
Ideally you want to keep a “vehicle escape tool” which has a hooked safety blade and a punch for shattering your windows if needed.
Multiple even, at different places.
You don’t want to be hanging upside down in your burning car while being unable to find your escape tool.
Agreed! They’re pretty small and inexpensive, leave one in every compartment you can.
Good Call. I also recommend looking for one that has that little metal nipple thing on the end that’s meant to shatter glass if you need to break it.
*at least one of them
You’ve never gotten into a romantic knife fight with your beloved? Way more exciting than wrestling.
I, too, wish to be part of the Addams Family.
deleted by creator
I generally tear apart cheese and fruit with my bare hands on dates at the park, no need for a knife. That would be scary
I carried a folding pocket knife in my pocket for a really long time. Eventually, someone educated me that multi-tools (that include knives) exist. I carry this everywhere now instead of a knife. This is a lot more useful than a folding pocket knife: https://www.gerbergear.com/en-us/shop/multi-tools/all-multi-tools/suspension-nxt-black-30-001777 - You may still have plenty of uses for a fixed blade knife in addition to this, but getting some kind of multitool (I am not a fan of Leatherman), is a good upgrade to a daily carry knife.
Never carved anything into a tree; that’s fucking dumb.
Same here. Growing up, you got a pocket knife for Christmas or your birthday some time around middle school (usually a Swiss Army or Boy Scout knife) and it was just a thing you carried like your wallet or house key.
Multitools changed the tradition a little, but didn’t end it. Largely it meant another round of all us kids getting a multitool for Christmas.
I’m not a big EDC guy, but I still habitually have a good penlight and one of these on me most of the time: https://www.gerbergear.com/en-us/shop/multi-tools/all-multi-tools/armbar-drive-onyx-30-001585
The scissors and screwdriver come in handy more often than the blade. So these days if I give knife/tool it tends to be something like that rather than a Jackhawk 9000 sort of thing.































