One benefit of open carry is that it will work to offset the indoctrination that is going on in our schools that even an image or finger positioning of a gun is abhorrent and shameful.
It might even work to start some adults thinking about it when they see folks walking around open carrying without a trail of dead bodies in their wake.
I've always found it a manifestation of the "Ostrich Syndrome" when folks become extremely alarmed and agitated by the sight of a person carrying openly, particularly police officers.
Unless a criminal is insane, they won't go about advertising they are armed prior to their nefarious acts, so someone open carrying should be less suspect than anyone not open carrying.
Further, the justification for the publication of CC permit holder lists by news papers is always that their neighbors have the right to know who might be carrying a weapon. Well, open carry lets them know without all that news print wasted.
Honestly, it comes down to: If I don't see the weapon open carried, I wont hyperventilate and have a panic attack because I don't know it is there.
Just like an ostrich with it's head in the sand.