Next Steps: The Grey Man
The latest from Habcan:
The Grey Man is always invisible in plain sight.
The Grey Man is totally aware of his environs, his own capabilities or lack thereof, his weaponry and his levels of competence with that weaponry. He constantly strives to improve upon both his capabilities and competence. In public, he is always respectful, even to the point of obsequiousness if the situation calls for it. He always appears to be just a little confused by what is happening around him, while in reality he is alertly doing a tactical assessment.
The Grey Man NEVER draws attention to himself by word, dress, action, or mannerism. The Young Grey Man is dismissed as a wimp, the Older as a doddering old fool. The Grey Man derives great inner satisfaction from having this portrayal of himself accepted by all he meets, for it means he is succeeding in his disguise of his actual persona.
The Grey Man is a private man. He practices with his weaponry in private, or only with his fellow Grey Men, always in a secluded location. If he must resort to use of a public facility, he schedules his practice for times when he is likely to be the only one there. At such times he would probably wear bright clothing, to be remembered only as ‘that guy in the red jacket and sunglasses’, a quite different person from his usual persona. If right-handed, he would always occupy the leftmost station on a NRA bullseye pistol range, with his back to an observer, or the rightmost one for riflery or combat pistol practice. He would not have his name emblazoned on clothing or equipment, nor would he have any noteworthy affiliation proclaimed on his cap. “He’s just a guy. Comes every Wednesday morning for his coffeebreak. Always pays cash.”
The Grey Man does not drive a pink Cadillac with steer horns on the hood, NOR does he drive the biggest mutherin’ 4X4-with-all-the-bells-and-whistles BOV in the lot. The older his vehicle is, the rustier, the less likely it is to draw attention (or to be stolen, for that matter). This vehicle is, under its exterior, scrupulously maintained and in excellent running order. If pulled over by authority on the basis of appearance, it can be shown to meet or exceed all requirements under licensing laws, and an obsequious co-operative manner precludes a search under the seats. The Grey Man does not speed on the highway: cruise control is his friend. So is the Highway Patrol: he waves to any he sees. If he travels the same route constantly, at the same times, The Grey Man becomes a ‘fixture’ and can be dismissed from conscious observation.
It helps the Survivor to build up this persona of The Grey Man gradually and over time. The anti-gun sheeple neighbors will quickly rat out the ‘Patriot’ who is always loudly declaiming about his ‘Rights’ and ‘what will happen if they try to take my guns’. The Grey Man goes far out of his way never to offend anyone, imitating the duck which appears calm on the surface of his pond whilst paddling like hell under the surface.
Be seen as conservative in all you do. A Survivor is a Grey Man, and that little old grey man alone over there in the corner is probably a Survivor!
And that young guy next to him? Just another wimp? Or are they both watching each other’s backs?
Making the other guy waste precious time in assessing the situation is a big part of staying alive. Practice being grey now, while there's time to build your skills.
7 Comments:
Spot on Habcan!
Sage advice that all serious folks should follow.
Long Live The Grey Man!
The WRSA does not seem to be following the "Grey Mans" example. I would think if you you want the WRSA to stick around a while that a "kindler, softer public image would be better. Just a thought. . there is no need to post this, its just meant for the mods to see.
Excellent, as usual. Sure wish you were on our side of the border!
Pacer
hello friends, i would like any who find this information useful or interesting to check a philosophy known as the "TAO" or the way. the way is a strategy that can be used to insure a victory even where others might only percieve defeat. the TAO or the way is as simple as water that flows down a hill, it is subtle, silent, and inocuous; but one has only look at something like the grand canyon to see how powerful a thing flowing water can be. with the teaching of the TAO, a "grey man" could in my opion increase his effectivness and also gain insight into what it really means to master ones self and ones environment. this is not to say that the TAO is all you need, it is not all you need! i feel there is nothing in this world that can fill such an all inclusive category. the TAO is only a tool, or perhaps it is a mindset creator, it is not a religion and will not compromise a faith such as christianity it is just a tool-- a tool for the mind. fight the good fight and don't take any guff from the swine who would seek to make you dependent on them or their goverment. ;)
This is pretty much exactly what I've tried to say before to people in lesser terms. For us to be most effective, people can't think of us as just a right wing gun nut. We just have to blend in and appear to be nothing more than middle of the road.
This is similar to one of my rules of survival; Avoid Exposure
*Guard your image - Dress and groom yourself in the same manner as is generally acceptable among people of similar age, income, and gender in your area. In other words, don't stand out.
*Guard your words - Don't talk openly about anything that everyone else doesn't also talk about, and if drawn into a conversation that could be considered "controversial", shrug and offer a vague, noncommittal opinion.
*Guard your actions - Use innocuous activities to cover your real actions. For example, if you're going to the range, be seen loading up fishing gear and wear your fishing clothes, and make sure you have a fishing license, or dress and equip yourself for golf, but in either case, make sure you can talk the talk if the neighbors get nosy, as they always do.
*Guard your associations - Don't be seen with "suspicious" types of people. For example, if your friends come over, make sure they don't dress like Rambo and don't have militant bumperstickers on their vehicles, etc. If someone can't fit in with the neighbors, they shouldn't come over, unless they can be passed off as a repairman or such.
One of the things that hold us back from being the Grey man is the fact that we feel the need to defend our beliefs. If you are a person of any religious beliefs that demand that you try to convert people to your beliefs this may be a lot harder to do.
Virtually any time we open our mouths the words we say are being recorded, and critiqued by ready, judgmental ears. You wanna lose a job. Speak your mind. You wanna ruin your marriage. Speak frankly. Don't hold back and you will know what I mean. just stop the illusions. Learning to carry some of the skills we already have into all areas socially is to be the Grey man. There is never really any outlet of expression for the Grey man.
There is really no one you can convert or change to your thinking except maybe a child. So give up on the rest. If you are religious just pray that God will make opportunities for the adults to be helped, because 99% of the time they are already set in their ideas.
People are really anxious to pick your brain. They are nosy. It is human nature. The Gray man knowing the truth of that nature makes him powerful enough to resist his own nature.
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