The online community of knife collectors, A Knife Family Forged in Steel
You know we all are passionate about topics we feel strong about- for some folks it's football (War Eagle!), for others it's religion (..let's not go there), for others it is politics (...don't go there either), but there are many others.
Really though there are hot topics with just about every subject matter and when you mix a room full of individuals together (virtually or real world) there is always the potential for heated discussions... cause we just see things differently.
We have been very fortunate here at iKnifeCollector. I have watched, for going on two years now, our members abide by our community "understandings." We all get along very well considering all the different opinions and preferences represented. And do you know what? These differences make our community unique...and interesting.
Like you, I enjoy meeting knife folks from all over the world- folks who like different type knives- some production and others handmade, some brand new and others covered with patina, some great big Rambo type knives, while other knives are those little pearl Sunday knives.
One thing I've witnessed about our community too is our respect for each other and how well we allow our fellow members to have, and share their opinions. Do we always agree with each other? No we don't, but we handle it like good neighbors- not feuding kinfolks.
With all this said, I do have a question though. And while I don't want to discuss all the particulars here (not right now anyway), I do want to get your opinion on this question-
What do you think is THE most controversial topic you've seen talked about when it comes to knives?
It goes without saying- I don't want any people's names here or any of the actual details of the argument, only high-level topics and/or identifying the subject matter.
...I'm just curious :)
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James come on now isn’t that why we call ourselves civilized. Every time we’d like to act out, to stab, or shoot someone why do we hold back? Because we understand that life is a gift, you have one chance to make it right, how will you use your chance? I’m a combat vet from the Viet Nam era and I still have the nightmares about the way I was, and guess what, I’m not that guy anymore. I still love the steel, and I still love to shoot, but the fear and hate isn’t there anymore.
"How very little can be done under the spirit of fear." Florence Nightingale
Knives and the law. Most think in the UK think if you want to carry a knife you want to stab someone.
:-(
Well...the most controversial topic that I've seen talked about when it comes to knives? I'm going to generalize my answer to this under the heading of "knife control". We've all heard about "gun control", right? Well, make no mistake about it, "knife control" is being enforced daily...with additional and onerous regulation being proposed nearly as often.
The subject of "knife control" is a controversial one. In one camp, we have a group of people who believe that anything...and everything...that could possibly be used to hurt people, should be outlawed. In another camp, we have a group of politicians and bureaucrats that think that they were born to rule the masses (if you don't recognize this for what it is, you are under a seriously detrimental case of delusion). And in yet another camp are a group of people who believe strongly in individual freedom. Certainly, I'm generalizing here...which will, in itself, be seen as a "controversial". To those people I say this; broad topics cannot be discussed without generalizations. This said, each of the aforementioned groups push their own agendas...which, in most cases, run counter to the interests of the other two groups.
As long as there are large groups of people...with differing opinions, there will be controversy. In today's society, the word "controversy" is automatically granted a negative connotation. From my perspective, controversy can be very healthy and productive...even when it is of the "spirited" variety. This is how I see "controversy" and, to be sure, many people don't see it the same way. Of course, controversy can be heated enough to generate very counterproductive and harmful results. This happens when the mindset of people is such that they cannot tolerate and respect another person's opposing point of view. When that emotional state is reached...people can cross the proverbial line in an attempt to force the opposing individual to comply and surrender their own individualism.
Relative to knife control, here is how I see the three groups of people that I described above:
* The "ban everything that could be used to hurt people" group: I think that these people have a painfully naive view of life. It is physically impossible to stop people from hurting each other. Banning guns or knives won't, remotely, stop violence from happening. Why? The types of people inclined to hurt others don't obey laws. So...if law abiding citizens agree to give up their guns and their knives...all they succeed in doing is enabling the people inclined to hurt them. The human capacity for violence is nearly infinite. It would be nice if everybody really could just co-exist...but that just isn't consistent with human nature.
* The "ruler" group: At the risk of sounding cynical...I think that most of the people in this group tend to be concerned with cementing their own power. They will do whatever they need to in order to manipulate the "ban everything" crowd into their camp. Why that group and not the "individual freedom group"? Well, the latter is a threat and isn't as easy to manipulate. Also, that group is made up of individualists...who, inherently, refuse to rely on the government to "take care" of them. From the "ruler" perspective, that makes the individualists a dangerous form of opposition. The "ruler" group is parasitic in nature and tends to be most interested in feeding itself. To be fair, within that group are a few, genuinely good people...ones that really care about "the people". Unfortunately, to be successful in politics requires a predatory nature. You can't change the stripes on a tiger...
The "individual freedom" group: Each group comes with some upside...and some downside. The upside to the "ban everything" group is that they generally do want "peace"...if not harmony. The upside to the "ruler" group is that every society needs leaders. The downsides to both groups are pretty evident. In regards to the "individual freedom" group, the upside is that it respects people as individuals and steers away from group-think. This group also tends to drive innovation. The downside is that too much individualism tends to break societies...even the best of them. Candidly, I fit most with this group. I don't need to be lead...and surely don't want to be restricted or told what to do/not do.
Ok...all that crazy generalized philosophy spat out, how does it relate to knife control? Well, the "ban everythings" want knives, guns and the like quarantined. Of course, they forget that such an act encourages violence. They also tend to want us all to live in pristine bubble wrap. While perhaps somewhat "well meaning", this group of people have a very negative influence on the knife world. I think that misguided understanding of human nature is downright dangerous. These foolish folks are a detriment to knife-freedom.
The "ruler" group opportunes off of the weakness of the "ban everythings". Since they view the "individualists" as a threat, they use the misguided fear of the "ban everythings" as a tool to try and disarm and weaken their opposition. This, of course, is done to strengthen their own power base. I know, I know...sounds like kooky conspiracy theory stuff. It's not...really. I'm not saying that "government" is bad and some kind of nasty villain lurking in the shadows to squish us all. What I am saying is that each of these groups has a "nature". Like any animal, we can all expect each group to follow it's very nature. And the nature of government is what it is...and these self-obsessed charmers are bad for knife-freedom.
The "individual freedom" group...by virtue of it's core beliefs...is actually very good for the "knife control" issue. It maintains a more realistic view of human nature and understands the old adage of "knives and guns don't kill people...people kill people". Still, within this group are a few extremists that try to manipulate the general principle to enable them to be categorically irresponsible.
Well...I could go on, but I'm sure that what I've written is politically incorrect enough to be quite controversial. Like I mentioned above, I"m good with spirited controversy...so if ya'all need to throw rocks, I'm wearing my helmet. Let 'em fly...
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