Over the past year or so I have been experimenting with larger knives, essentially to see what the big deal is about carrying a big chopper. This has led me to leave the axe behind on a couple of trips in favour of trying a machete, CS Kukri, and ESEE Junglas. In reading online about various knives, in an attempt to find information, read reviews, etc., there is a strong correlation between the "Jeffersonian view of what America is and should be" proponents and the fascination with and usage of big knives. Essentially, there seems to be a strong connection between big knives and the defensive mindset.
As a Canadian and having lived in the USA, there is a strong acceptance of seeing big knives and even when wearing an 8-10" blade in a restaurant or store I've never been questioned or hastled. The other statements from previous posters that strikes to the heart of it is the "dude", the "wilderness craftsperson" and my addition, "the wilderness conquerer" mindset. For better or worse, we (in North America, are still struggling culturally to truly inhabit our landscape as home, as opposed to a hostile "other" that must be grappled and fought with at every turn. Even though many of us in North America would object to this conceptualization on a personal level, history supports the idea of a continuing frontier mindset. This grappling with the wilderness, and the prevalence of the Jeffersonian thinking combine to give us a preference for big knives, defensive thinking, and a fertile ground for tacticool marketing.
The bushcrafter ideal that is more common on this forum, is fertile ground for the marketing of the gentle bush craftsperson. This consumer profile seems to require a different quantity and style of merchandise to allow them to live out their outdoor fantasies. Which one is superiour? Each is a product of history, culture, marketing, and some imported influences. In North America, we have a long history of remarkable bushcrafters (Sears, Mason, Jacobson, Kochanski, Seton) who continue to influence skills and thinking on both sides of the pond. But these are the influencers of the readers and armchair academics/historians, not the producers and consumers of tactical marketing and outdoor recreation based consumerism.
The other reality is the intentionality behind the culture that has been created on this forum. Topics such as defensive weaponry, hardening ones dwelling, self-defence, conspiracy theories, political/economic collapse, preponomics, religious motivation, etc. are typically not welcomed on this forum. There have been threads on these topics that have been locked (possibly even deleted). The result has been a winnowing of the readership and opinions to reflect the ground rules set in place for this very pleasant place to hang out. Without a strong (or perhaps it's a vocal) core of these individuals on the forum, we simply do not read the same types of content and opinions.