There's nothing more reprehensible than disdain for the weak. Back when I was an active firefighter and we did various trauma incidents, we never once suggested to the person who had a pole through their abdomen that they should have driven a different route. When we did search and rescue in the woods for lost hunters, we didn't need to tell them (if they were alive) that they should have packed better.
It's better to just be an example, and leave it at that. Some will follow your lead, some won't and that's OK.
And as far as "sheep" go - I get sick of that term for others, as it's both disparaging to sheep and not really accurate.
Human society isn't as simple as sheep, sheep dogs and some kind of Shepherd overseeing it all (if you're into that sort of thing).
In fact, it's far more subtle and complex, much more like a gigantic baseball club. In the same way the pitcher isn't going to be equipped to cut the grass and the stadium announcer certainly won't be batting cleanup, we all have our part to play on earth and if you spend lots of time pointing out how bad the other guy is at what you're good at, you'll never really be a part of the team. On the other hand, if you make what you're good at help the team, you're doing us all some good.
So, yeah, I know a lot of my friends are ill-equipped for things I'm well equipped for. But you know what? A few years ago, my friend's then 9 year old girl took the dogs for a walk and vanished for hours. They didn't call 911, they called ME (I called 911 for them). But what an honor to be thought of as a person to be relied upon to quickly deal with a situation like that.
So that's how I deal with the folks who occasionally tweak me - like a coworker of mine - for being "over prepared". I smile and say, "Hey, look, we're in New York City. If something's gonna happen, it's gonna happen here again. So who would you rather have sitting in the same office, me or someone else?" That always gets a smile - and eventually, I do get the side questions about what kind of multi-tool they should carry and all that.
So, don't worry about the Chicken Little accusations. Just be clear, they are not dumb or inferior - they are just people who see the world differently than you.
that's all well and good, but the whole point of EDC is that there might not be someone around with the tool you need when you need it.
I have no disdain for the "weak," but weakness is not the same as being willfully helpless, and the ones referred to as "sheep" fall into the latter category. The "sheep" thing just means they follow the crowd(flock) and whoever's America's Top Model(the shepherd) this week. If you have a better term for those who follow the crowd for the sake of being part of the crowd, and emulate the famous just because they're famous, by all means share.
And regardless of what an honor it was, your friends should have called 911 themselves. Not that they shouldn't have called you, but if the girl had been in real trouble, LE would be better equipped to deal with it.
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