Context for those who don't know what a kirpan is or why this became a debate:
A kirpan is one of the sacred objects Sikhs have to carry at all times. The kirpan specifically is supposed to be a physical reminder of a Sikh's duty to fight injustice, stand up for truth and honor, etc. While a kirpan is traditionally a short sword, the word "kirpan" comes from the words kirpa and aan, meaning mercy and grace respectively. This is intentional, as it adds an extra layer of reminder that the kirpan is ONLY to be used in defense of self or others, and NEVER for senseless cruelty or selfish/immoral reasons.
Context for my own opinion on said debate:
I'm not a Sikh, but my Uncle Gurkhi was, my Dad almost was, and I spent a lot of time as a kid in gurdwaras and ashrams asking questions of anyone who would answer them.
(Also, of all the many religious people I've asked questions of, Sikhs are one of my favorites. They answer questions, they don't try to make the answers a sales pitch, and they don't make me feel dumb for asking. Sikhs are great, go visit your local gurdwara and make a Sikh friend or five. 10/10 would reccomend.)
So while I definitely do not have the full authority to say anything firm about it, my personal take based on what I do know after asking many MANY questions about the "cool knifes" as a young child, is that if that baggie of wet boba is reminding him that he both can and should stand up against injustice but also ought to mitigate the harm he does in doing so if possible - which appears to be the case - then the baggie of wet boba is, functionally anyways, an acting kirpan. Might not pass muster for ritual reasons, but fuck if it ain't doing the job just fine.
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