Benchmade is a dumpster fire right now

[Borderland]

Any topic even approaching controversy or an emotional topic is subject to set off a social media firestorm.

The interweb has gotten mad at me a few times. Guess what? It's not real. I give not a hoot for what people who don't live in my community have to say on a local matter. For some reason, people from Florida want to constantly lecture me on Florida law. I won't work in Florida. The law there is irrelevant. Their posts, emails, and angry phone calls are irrelevant. I pay attention to what I hear at the shop where I get my morning biscuit. I pay attention to what I hear when working a local high school game.

Benchmade will care if they see a prolonged loss of market share. Otherwise, all of the electrons flying about right now will matter not.

This whole thing will be forgotten in about 2 weeks. Social media will have moved on to the next political felony by some company like Yeti or Benchmade..

Donald Trump supported democrats when he was running a business in NYC. He never saw any problem with it because he lived in NYC and that's where he did business. Benchmade is in OR. Guess who controls the politics in that state.

Like you say. All politics are local.

[JodyH]

Like you say. All politics are local.

Until Benchmade paid Udall (D CO) and Heinrich (D NM) that made their bullshit local to me.

[Borderland]

I'm thinking BM's donations had more to do with the committees those two were on in congress more than their party affiliation. There could be no other reason than that.

Business decisions are sometimes like that. You have to pay to play.

Anyway, there are a lot of other good knife companies out there to throw your money at and I'm sure they would be happy to have your business.

Meanwhile BM just keeps on selling good knifes and supporting their customers.

[rob_s]

Lots of posts here about “if I boycotted every company who donated to something I didn’t like I’d have to move to a farm and make everything myself from scratch” type sentiment. I actually agree to a large extent.

But, for me anyway, there is a difference between Levi’s doing things politically I don’t like and Benchmade. The former is. Giant conglomeration that is not directly in the... whatever we are calling our market now. Benchmade is “one of our own”, should have known better, and feels like more of a betrayal.

[nalesq]

Lots of posts here about “if I boycotted every company who donated to something I didn’t like I’d have to move to a farm and make everything myself from scratch” type sentiment. I actually agree to a large extent.

But, for me anyway, there is a difference between Levi’s doing things politically I don’t like and Benchmade. The former is. Giant conglomeration that is not directly in the... whatever we are calling our market now. Benchmade is “one of our own”, should have known better, and feels like more of a betrayal.

This is a great articulation of the emotional nature of these impulses.

How else to explain how folks can get so incredibly wound up about the politics of any US-based company, yet continue to buy without pause foreign goods made by foreign companies that openly support horrible regimes elsewhere?


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[JodyH]

foreign companies that openly support horrible regimes elsewhere?

Because they are elsewhere....?
I'd rather give a $1 to a Chinese communist who's a possible future threat than $1 to an American communist who's actively fucking me over right here and right now.

When it comes to Benchmade I'd rather just buy something from any of a dozen direct competitors who don't have the same baggage.

[rob_s]

This is a great articulation of the emotional nature of these impulses.

How else to explain how folks can get so incredibly wound up about the politics of any US-based company, yet continue to buy without pause foreign goods made by foreign companies that openly support horrible regimes elsewhere?

or, instead of throwing out the typical conservative/libertarian/gunfag insult of "emotional" (of which, I'm equally guilty at times), it could be that we expect to be able to hold those working in our own industry to a higher standard than we do those that aren't a direct part of said industry.

[nalesq]

or, instead of throwing out the typical conservative/libertarian/gunfag insult of "emotional" (of which, I'm equally guilty at times), it could be that we expect to be able to hold those working in our own industry to a higher standard than we do those that aren't a direct part of said industry.

I didn’t mean “emotional” in this case to be insulting. I too feel much angrier at Benchmade than the communists because I thought Benchmade was my kind of company, and half of my carry knives were made by them.


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[mmc45414]

Part of the reason was that in the past, if I said I was never gonna ever buy something from someplace for damn sure never would, forever.

The most current example would have been a regional convenience store chain, UDF. Right after I got my shiny new CHL to put in my wallet the bastards posted no carry signs on all their stores. I wrote (IMO) a pretty articulate email documenting that I stopped at one or another of their stores almost every morning, and since I was driving for business and personal reasons, and buying coffee and donuts, I was on track to spend about $2400yr there, and I let them know that. I also pointed out there was a competitive store about 300yds away that had gas and coffee and donuts. They replied, saying that they felt they would be safer without my money and my gun in their stores and I didn't go back for about a decade, until I learned they had changed their policy. I bought an $80 fill up there yesterday.

But these days I put less of a burden on myself. My favorite grocery store made a big show of their decision to not sell gun magazines, and I didn't quit going there, but I quit going there almost exclusively. But when my wife's recipe calls for stuff from their salad bar, I go there. And when I am traveling for business and I know they have what I want, instead of roaming around in unfamiliar places, including some where I might get my ass kicked (or killed), I go there. But I am less inclined to go, and recently just spent $190 at the other store my wife would rather go to anyway.

ETA: In the case of Benchmade, I have been buying Spyderco for a while, but was eyeballing one of their knives, that I really don't need, and I am just less inclined to buy something I didn't really need anyway.