# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380 "2022-09-28T11:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 73
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1442 "2023-01-14T02:55:27Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > How often do you find yourself in a situation where you urgently need a knife when you’re away from home? I’ve always got a pocket knife in my pocket, unless I’m about to go into somewhere where even those are forbidden and I forgot to leave it in the car. That doesn’t come up very often. It doesn’t live in the car, though; and it’s a tool. So I just answered tools. I use some tool on that knife probably on average several times a day, and some of those times occur when I’m in town. – I’m somewhat surprised by the percentage of people posting here who apparently don’t have tools in their car. Not even a lug wrench? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1443 "2023-01-14T03:08:26Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Not even a lug wrench? I mean, every car comes with a lug wrench. I also don’t know why I’d need a multitool (which is what I think you mean when you say “knife”) in the car, but you do you. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1444 "2023-01-14T03:23:59Z")
Not exactly every car these days. If you have run-flats you don’t really need one, and a surprising number of cars don’t come with spare tires standard. Honestly I was kind of shocked when I read that, but it checks out. > **[Vehicles-Sold-Without-a-Spare-Tire.pdf](https://publicaffairsresources.aaa.biz/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Vehicles-Sold-Without-a-Spare-Tire.pdf)** > > 293.76 KB ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1445 "2023-01-14T03:27:48Z")
It’s a Swiss army knife. I use the screwdrivers, the scissors, the awl as a general poker, one of the knife blades, and the tweezers; for anything from an unexpectedly torn fingernail or splinter or loose thread on my clothes, to getting packages open, to tightening down something I just noticed, to cutting a bit off something I want to eat (and additional stuff in the field.) It’s not in the car as such, it’s in my pocket; but if I’m in the car, then it’s in the car. I understand that people manage in modern society without some equivalent in their pockets, but I don’t fully understand how. How do you get packages open? > [@squeegee](#): > > every car comes with a lug wrench Not every car still has one after people have had the car for a while; but that is kind of what I was thinking. I mean, if a baseball bat is a weapon, so is a lug wrench; but 63% of the respondents said there was nothing in their car that could be used as a weapon. > [@DCnDC](#): > > Not exactly every car these days. If you have run-flats you don’t really need one, and a surprising number of cars don’t come with spare tires standard. Ah. That might explain it. Still, even a screwdriver or a hammer can be a weapon. I guess a lot of people just don’t keep any tools in their cars. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1446 "2023-01-14T04:05:20Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > That poll is terribly unclear. Am I dropped into the body I had then and I get to relive my life from that point, or do I appear as a new person? Same you, same body, you get to relive life from that point. But you have a lot more wisdom and experience now. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1447 "2023-01-14T04:06:07Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > and a surprising number of cars don’t come with spare tires standard. Honestly I was kind of shocked when I read that, but it checks out. I have a 2012 Ford Mustang. No spare tire, no jack, just a can of tire sealant and a pump. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1448 "2023-01-14T04:30:47Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I understand that people manage in modern society without some equivalent in their pockets, but I don’t fully understand how. How do you get packages open? I don’t recall ever having to open a package when I was away from home. When does that happen? For many years I carried a Swiss Army knife on my belt, but a few years ago I realized I was using it maybe once a year, so I decided the trouble of having it getting in my way every single day wasn’t worth the very occasional advantage of having it, so I stopped carrying it. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1449 "2023-01-14T04:32:04Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > How do you get packages open? Keys are excellent at cutting tape on boxes ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1450 "2023-01-14T04:34:06Z")
If I have a lug wrench, I don’t know where it is. By the time I got out of the car, opened the trunk, and found it, I would be dead or unconscious. So I don’t consider that a weapon. OTOH, if I can get swinging room for my purse, that’s a weapon. (but I don’t think of it as such) ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1451 "2023-01-14T04:37:44Z")
If I’m at home, I have something like this: > **[Safety Cutter - Micro-Ceramic Blade | Slice](https://www.sliceproducts.com/products/safety-cutter?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=17304683660&matchtype=&device=t&gclid=Cj0KCQiAn4SeBhCwARIsANeF9DJbTQmow-JDFlLZGtx_dZqNOfJZ9RxPPRuscEolrIFIeVgi7tbuHUoaAqjFEALw_wcB)** > > The mouse-shaped Slice® Safety Cutter combines innovative design and safety. Check out this mini-powerhouse, loved by crafters and safety managers alike. If I’m iin my car, I’m not opening packages ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1452 "2023-01-14T05:02:10Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Not even a lug wrench? My car didn’t even come with a spare tire, just a pump and a can of fix-a-flat, so a lug wrench wouldn’t be of much use. I suppose in theory my jumper cables could be used as a weapon, but I didn’t think of that when I answered the poll. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1453 "2023-01-14T05:20:17Z")
For the casting poll I picked other. If I was casting someone I always felt I would seek out actors who I liked in the past but who haven’t done anything since then. Like what is happening with Ke Huy Quan right now. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1454 "2023-01-14T05:23:15Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > It’s a Swiss army knife. I use the screwdrivers, the scissors, the awl as a general poker, one of the knife blades, and the tweezers; for anything from an unexpectedly torn fingernail or splinter or loose thread on my clothes, to getting packages open, to tightening down something I just noticed, to cutting a bit off something I want to eat (and additional stuff in the field.) It’s not in the car as such, it’s in my pocket; but if I’m in the car, then it’s in the car. This. I almost always have a knife with me. And i use it must every day. > [@markn\_1](#): > > I don’t recall ever having to open a package when I was away from home. When does that happen? Well, today i was at an event with a table of packaged food, and the"family sized" bag of M&Ms was being recalcitrant. So i used my pocket knife. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1455 "2023-01-14T05:34:18Z")
Hell, I wash potatoes before _and_ after I peel them. Potatoes are one of the dirtiest vegetables in terms of pesticides and other contaminants… though I don’t have a good sense of how dangerous that is overall, after decades of eating potatoes regularly. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1456 "2023-01-14T05:37:50Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > though I don’t have a good sense of how dangerous that is overall, after decades of eating potatoes regularly. Much like iocane powder, perhaps you’ve spent the last few years building up an immunity. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1457 "2023-01-14T05:48:41Z")
“ I have poisoned one of these batches of french fries…“ ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1458 "2023-01-14T12:49:45Z")
Carjacker: Gimme your keys or I’ll shoot you Me: (rummaging through the trunk) Now where in the hell is that lug wrench? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1459 "2023-01-14T13:27:46Z")
_Calvin and Hobbes_ over _Bloom County_ by a light year. Genius over mediocrity IMHO. I still write checks. I’ve read too many stories about data breaches to want to have my credit card number sitting in lots of company files. We have a garlic press and use at least once a week. It came with a little plastic doohickey to clean out the holes, but some of its tines got bent, so nowadays I usually just soak the press in water and the leftover garlic crud then cleans out pretty easily. I always have my Swiss Army knife (Eagle Scout version!) with me, and use it often. It’d be too small to help me in a carjacking, however. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1460 "2023-01-14T13:32:49Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > By the time I got out of the car, opened the trunk, and found it, I would be dead or unconscious. So I don’t consider that a weapon. This. I have a wrench (but in the boot, not the trunk, 'cos i’m from the UK !) but i took the question to mean easily accessible weaponry. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1461 "2023-01-14T13:43:24Z")
Oh, i don’t think any of the things i have is an effective weapon. I wouldn’t try to use any of them if i were car jacked. I still voted that i had them. I have a friend who got in a lot of trouble crossing the US Canadian border because he didn’t declare that he had a weapon when there was a pocket knife in the center console. He didn’t think of it as a weapon, so he had said “no” when asked. If he’d declared it, it would have been legal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=72) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=74)