boredelmo,
It is I that thanks you!
You are assisting a lot more folks than you realize.
Seriously!
I took a look at your location after I read where you shared :
I will admit that I am afraid of knives, slightly by the memories that are brought on upon them but mainly, I am afraid of people who are afraid of knives.
Here is how I
read the room.
This "room" reminds me a lot of "rooms" in the UK, and of Restrictive workplaces and campuses in the USA.
"
Houston has been near the top of the list of crime statistics more than once, including murder, and more near the top at times more so than others.
Austin has had "societal attitude" changes over the years as well. Some "say" this has something to do with political leanings .
[We are not going there, I am just being polite].
When one hears nothing but negative all the time, it wears one down. Everyone is going on about crime, murder, and whatever else, and wanting to put the blame on something.
People holler at one another, including elected officials , for a fix.
If you blame a "thing" you can shift the blame, have a band-aid fix, scapegoat, ...whatever one wants to call it, or needs to have to rationalize and qualify what actions are taken, or not taken.
i.e. Kids do not like broccoli
Just mention to a kid the word "broccoli" and they hate it.
They have no idea what this broccoli is, what it looks like it, what one is supposed to do with it, or not do with it, - except - hate it.
Why?
Because they have heard bigger kids go on and on about "hating broccoli".
Whatever this broccoli stuff is, it is bad, nasty, the most awfullest stuff and it needs to be banned!
"MoOM, what are these small green round thingies on my plate?
"Broccoli"
"Oh noooo! Not that!"
A kid can scoot a chair back, hop down and set a world record running for cover.
I tell kids broccoli is a very expensive, special veggie, and they cannot have any, as they have to be so tall to appreciate and enjoy it.
My hand is always shown above the height than the kid asking.
This of course means a kid wants some.
This green round ball looking thingie, is "expensive", "special" and "and one has to be so tall".
I get these kids looks, as they know me , and I tell them, it is broccoli.
They don't have to like it, just take a bite.
They do, some like it 'okay' , some not at all, and some like it better with cheese.
Heck kids would eat worms if you put enough cheese on them.
This is the part I mention the book "How to eat worms" and another mentoring dealie with that book...
My point is, some folks have no frigging idea why crime is what it is, so they blame a object as that is what everyone else is blaming.
Switchblades were designed with ladies in mind.
Now switchblades are banned in a lot of places as some punks acted as punks and "switch blades did this, so it must be the switchblades fault".
We don't have switchblades legal in many areas, we still have punks.
I mean it is one thing to be afraid of a switchblade because one was cut, or it was used to get a door open and items stolen...heck half the folks blaming and wanting switchblades "banned" had no idea what one looked like until shown.
boredelmo,
Suggestions.
You stock shelves you say. Fine, try one of the carton cutters I mentioned.
Grocery Stores when I was coming up, used these all the time. Companies gave them to Grocery Stores.
Maxwell House Coffee, Gerber Baby Food, Campbell's Soup, Coca-Cola, Alpo Dog Food, ...etc., had these company products and logo's on these carton cutters they gave to grocery stores as advertising , and employees were given these to use.
Tom Krein is a nice guy.
PM him and ask him about a Victorinox Paring Knife he and I talked about.
Get one of these to use at home.
You can always toss it in a box and put it up.
Still, I trust Tom and I betcha, this Vic Paring knife might assist in getting past some things.
You have a right to your fears, I am not discounting these.
I respect you too much to do so.
Reading the room if you will, you are around a lot of folks with the "Broccoli Syndrome" when it comes to objects and crime, and knife is the object.
D.C. has a Broccoli Syndrome with Guns...
Get a carton cutter, paring knife, and big order of cheese dip.
Pig out on the cheese dip and see if the knives are more palatable.
Hey , if nothing else, you got to pig out on cheese dip...