It’s Not Appearance, It’s The Perception
One of the best survival skills you can have is the ability to blend in with a crowd so you can avoid attracting attention. With riots erupting across the country, if you find yourself caught in the middle of a crowd of protestors and rioters, the best thing you can do is avoid standing out so you can blend in and escape.
This is called being a gray man. (Or gray woman, but for simplicity’s sake, we’ll use the term gray man.) The video at the bottom of this post by Black Scout Survival explains what a gray man is and how you can become one.
The ability to blend in doesn’t just depend on your looks or clothing, but also on your movement. You need to move with the flow and direction of the crowd rather than against it. You also need to move at the same pace as the rest of the crowd.
Appearance Can Make You Stand Out
When it comes to looks and appearance, the gray man is simply an average person in every way. There are no features that make him stand out. A gray man does not mean you can’t be tactical, but it does mean you can’t look tactical.
Think of it this way: If you walked into a grocery store right now, would you stand out, or would nobody notice you? Ideally, nobody would notice you. But for that to happen, you need to look very average. Don’t wear any identifying logos or flashy clothing.
Instead, wear clothes that make it easy for you to blend in. If you were to wear a hat with a USA flag or the logo of a sports team, it would immediately stand out. This is fine if you’re open to conversation with patriots and other sports fans, but not during a crisis scenario.
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It’s harder if you have characteristics that you can’t get rid of. For example, you may be very muscular, you may have a birthmark, you may be unusually tall, and so forth. These kinds of things will stop you from being a gray man, and the best thing you can do in this case is to blend in as best you can.
You probably have some questions. If so, I highly encourage you to watch the video below for a more detailed explanation.
Can You Blend In
Things to think about, huh?
It is normal for people to do and wear things that make them unique. Matter of fact, there is a whole market out there built around this. That is all fine and good but when it comes to being prepared to survive, you may want to think about the items you have stored for this kind of situation.
All I am saying is when you are building Your Survival Plan, leave the multi-colored circus afro wig at home! If you are interested in this kind of thing but have no clue where to start, fill out the form below and I will give you a free guide on what you need to have on hand at all times. If you want help streamlining the process, click the link above and I will guide you through getting these things together in a way that builds a habit and make it normal for you so you are ready before you have to be!
Thanks,
Chad
Luckily I am one of those people who do not like to stand out in a crowd, so this article identified with me beautifully. It also made me feel better that I am better equipped to survive in an emergency situation. Our country is having a lot of unrest at the moment with looting and rioting going on, and if I was to be caught up in one of those crowds I would definitely keep my head low and go with the flow. One has to in order to survive.
Also if you are not noticed, and you have nothing of value, you don’t make such an easy or obvious target. I wouldn’t even wear a ring out the way things are at the moment.
Hi Michel,
I am the same, in fact, I have been compared to Shrek in the past. I don’t get out much, dress pretty plain, and could not care less about the bling!
If you relate with this, the next thing to think about is situational awareness. Check out this blog.
Thanks for stopping by!
Chad
I enjoyed this article more than I expected to. MY husband is the survivalist and prepper. I only browse from time to time. I never thought of “going undercover” as more than something I see on tv cop shows but reading your statement about accidently getting caught in a riot really opened my eyes.
I am not sure I stand out but I will be taking the time to think about that every time I leave the house.
“All I am saying is when you are building Your Survival Plan, leave the multi-colored circus afro wig at home!”
That had me laughing out loud!
Hello Brianna,
I am glad you enjoyed this article! I get the fact that people want to be comfortable, unique, and some even the center of attention. Nothing wrong with that. I even like to have fun and crack a joke every chance I get. Being aware and planning for these situations is what makes us preppers. I am sure you are aware if your husband does this.
Some take it a little too far in my opinion. There is an opportunity to be ready before you have to be around every corner but I am hoping we never see it. Not to be the guy using scare tactics either but watch the news on any given day.
It is like a circus! I am glad you found that! Makes me smile too!
Chad