The Grey Man Strategy

Keeping a low profile during a major disruption is critical to you and your family's survival. The last thing you want is for people to know how well-armed and equipped you really are. Keep your preps and your supplies a secret. Avoid the temptation of showing off your arsenal and food stores to friends and neighbors. This behavior can lead to you becoming a target for looters, the miltary, or desperate neighbors later on. Make sure all your family members do the same. One slip of the lip to could be disasterous to all your hard work.

It's much better to blend in with the crowd, and be looked upon as just another hapless victim trying to eek out an existense from the few resources remaining. Dress and act like some poor schmoe who has nothing worth taking. Be a wolf in sheep's clothing. It's always better to have an opponent underestimate you, thus giving you the edge.

If the local authorities, military, etc. are distributing aid, be sure to fall in line like everyone else, unless you think it might be a roundup in disguise. Trust your instincts. Remember, you don't have to keep them if it troubles your conscience too badly. Simply pass them out among individuals in your community that you know are in desparate need. This act will serve a two-fold purpose, 1) it relieves you of your guilt, and 2) you come off looking like a really"swell" guy.

On the other hand, If your conscience is not that well developed, use them as barter items for goods or services which you truly need.

It's all about surviving, not being the next Johnny Rambo or Mad Max. That type of thinking may very well get you or your loved ones killed. Play it smart, lay Low, keep your preps secret, and pray no one finds you out.

LLoyd45 and others,

I use a similar tack when going to and fro work. My place of employment is downtown..in an older area of the adjacent city. This often means crime..breakins and looting. When I used to take my olde Chevy I would have the floors filled with olde food wrappers...and trash. Very seldom would I bother to clean it out...LOL LOL..mostly when I could no longer stand it. THe car needs painting very bad but I wont do it. It is part of a camoflage to make it look like a bum resides in that vehicle.

Now a days I mostly ride my moped to and fro work. Not many folks pay attention to a guy on a moped. They mostly filter them out. Exactly what is desirable to do here.

Correct..blend in with the crowd and or filter yourself out of the scenery so that people more easily underestimate you ...quite correct.

Good ideas you have posted here LLoyd45. Thanks.

Orangetom

Originally posted by LLoyd45
It's much better to blend in with the crowd, and be looked upon as just another hapless victim trying to eek out an existense from the few resources remaining. Dress and act like some poor schmoe who has nothing worth taking. Be a wolf in sheep's clothing. It's always better to have an opponent underestimate you, thus giving you the edge.

If the fit hit the shan and you were well prepared with ample stocks of food and power to keep fit and healthy, that would make you a target by everyone else around you who is suffering poor health from deprivations, as you would look exactly that...fit and healthy!

In that situation, it would be an idea to be able to use make-up and basic theatrical FX to make yourself look gaunt, unkempt, and generally ill with something unpleasant (impetigo, rashes and sores, bruised and sallow skin, etc) and make yourself smell dirty and 'soiled' by dressing in a spare set of dirty clothes

reply to post by citizen smith

Eactly. Wear tattered, oversized clothing to make yourself appear thinner and more destitute, and try not to bath too frequently. You want to develop a natural aroma (think skunk) which will make people less likely to want to approach you, much less search you.

Originally posted by LLoyd45
You want to develop a natural aroma (think skunk) which will make people less likely to want to approach you, much less search you.

If you own or know someone who owns a large 'alpha-male' type breed of dog maybe applying some of its pee/poop to a shabby bur warm overcoat with would have the same effect with the idea of the added bonus of making you have the scent-profile to other dogs of being the 'biggest mutt on the block' and not to be messed with, as scavenging feral dogs would be the biggest threat to safety after humans





[edit on 21-1-2008 by citizen smith]

This thread really makes excellent points. I see many ATS members beating their chests on the survival board about how prepared and autonomous they are.

If one advertises that to broadly it just means that during the crunch you may well find people showing up at your door expecting help or a handout. Even a "good friend" might not think twice about your family when it comes to feeding his own. Never under-estimate other people's survival intincts and never advertise your own preparations. Information is power.

I particularly like the advice about falling in with the crowd. If you have ever been in a hurricane zone, you know that if you look all clean and refreshed people ask you lots of questions about where you were that had water, power, etc.

Once during a hurricane aftermath my family knew of a source for ice but we didn't tell anyone because literally people were raiding the local ice distributor when a new train load of ice rolled into town. People were scuffling and getting into fights over it. However, we were across town loading up as much as we could store and shared what we could AFTER we got back. If we had let on about the source to others beforehand we would have had to scuffle for it too. It may seem opportunistic or harsh but when the SHTF in the real world, it's survival of the fittest and usually, like in nature, that means camoflage techniques. In other words, flying under the radar.

reply to post by kosmicjack


It's a really bad idea to advertise your preps even to your close friends and family. Not that they would necessarily cause you harm intentionally, but all it takes is for one unscrupulous person to overhear a conversation about all your weapons and preps, and suddenly your a target for robbery or worse. This doesn't even have to be during a crisis either.

I know one gentleman locally who constantly bragged about his vast firearm collection, and shortly afterwards he was robbed, and all his guns and the vault they were in were stolen! Whether you realize it or not, someone is always watching you. They probably know when you're at home, what hours you're at work, and whether someone is at home during the day time.

During a major disaster, you'll be looked upon like the Red Cross to those same people that you bragged to in the past. If you do decide to share the fruits of your labor with them, don't expect their gratitude in return. Once they've literally ate you out of house and home they'll move on to greener pastures, leaving you high and dry. Believe me, I know from personal experience!

reply to post by orangetom1999

Thanks orangetom for the kudos. Making yourself look like slim pickings is a great tactic. Most thugs will figure all they may possibly get from you is a lot of hard knocks and little else.

Originally posted by LLoyd45
If the local authorities, military, etc. are distributing aid, be sure to fall in line like everyone else, unless you think it might be a roundup in disguise.

Im not familure with this "roundup", is this a collection of people by the military, or people posing as Military?

Originally posted by LLoyd45

It's all about surviving, not being the next Johnny Rambo or Mad Max. That type of thinking may very well get you or your loved ones killed. Play it smart, lay Low, keep your preps secret, and pray no one finds you out.

I agree, it is about surviving. Many people, psychic and non-psychic are talking about the great change and the upcoming times. I have a feeling that its coming and it's coming soon. Not the End of The World that is, but the change. Big change. For everyone.

The thing is, if we fight Them, we will not win. We must be smarter than Them, we must seduce Them to the Light Side so to speak.

[edit on 25-1-2008 by Spooky Fox Mulder]

reply to post by Spooky Fox Mulder

The thing is, if we fight Them, we will not win. We must be smarter than Them, we must seduce Them to the Light Side so to speak.

I don't expect to be able to beat them. I only need to outlast them. I just need to lay low until it plays out. I believe we'll have great oppression for the first few years but it won't last. I think we can seriously begin to rebuild within a decade of the onset.


[edit on 25-1-2008 by SemperParatus]

Originally posted by SemperParatus

I don't expect to be able to beat them. I only need to outlast them.
[edit on 25-1-2008 by SemperParatus]

We will be assimilated. Resistance is futile


Well, perhaps they are not so bad once we get to know them.

I'm not feeling this for a few reasons. Quite a few, in fact.

1. Crowds are one of the worst places to be. Let's say you're in a crowd of other fugees. A gunshot or two goes off, and everyone freaks out. Guess what? You get sucked under, and end up smeared across three blocks. Events such as the Khodynka Tradgedy , the February 2004 Stoning of the Devil (270 killed), and the Baghdad Bridge Stampede show what happens when panic and crowds mix.

2. Making yourself look weak in a time of trouble may get you sympathy, but remember there are wolves out there. People prey upon one another regularly. Who is targeted then,hmmm? Not the strong, generally.

3. Looking destitute will not get you any sympathy from the bug-in types. Remember the Katrina incidents? Morbid stuff. People defending their blocks shot tresspassers. I remember one picture I saw, a corpse tied to a stopsign, with 'YOU LOOT WE SHOOT' spray painted on the sign itself.

People are friendly, but only up to a point. Might want to consider hiding entirely.

DE

Cant say I'd hide entirely....better to be hidden in plain veiw, as the saying go's "keep your friends close............." in that sense, should you suddenly show up as you have run out of food, your presence will raise interest with Civil Protection (figuratively speaking) and your fellow refugees..

David Stirling founder of the SAS once said a man could walk right through an enemy camp unnoticed if he had balls of steel.

Interestingly enough the above group advocate "being the grey man" there but not there.

Originally posted by DeusEx
I'm not feeling this for a few reasons. Quite a few, in fact.

2. Making yourself look weak in a time of trouble may get you sympathy, but remember there are wolves out there. People prey upon one another regularly. Who is targeted then,hmmm? Not the strong, generally.

Looking weak is subterfuge. You're still armed, you're still strong and healthy, you only appear to be weak. The wolves may try to prey on you, but they'll be unpleasantly surprised when they find out you're not. You have the advantage then, not them. They have underestimated you as an opponent.

3. Looking destitute will not get you any sympathy from the bug-in types. Remember the Katrina incidents? Morbid stuff. People defending their blocks shot tresspassers. I remember one picture I saw, a corpse tied to a stopsign, with 'YOU LOOT WE SHOOT' spray painted on the sign itself.

You're goal is not to gain sympathy or get something for nothing, it's to blend in with the crowd and avoid direct confrontation as much as possible. If you go strolling down the street looking like Mad Max you'll be seen as a threat, and a threat that probably has supplies as well.

If you look a little ragged around the edges, you're a much less inviting target. They'll probably figure all they'll get from you is lice or a few lumps for their efforts.

[Quote]
People are friendly, but only up to a point. Might want to consider hiding entirely.

DE You can't hide forever. Eventually someone will find you. As for people being friendly, I've never counted on it. Most people will help you out if there is no costs to them. The moment it starts requiring a little time or effort on their part, you can forget it. You got to look out for number one, because nobody aside from your family will.

Did you coin this phrase "Grey Man Strategy"

I can't find it anywhere.

reply to post by Eratosthenes
Unfortunate I didn't coin the phrase, though I wish I could take credit for it.

There isn't a great deal of information on the internet about it nowadays, but once upon a time it was a popular topic. I'm just regurgitating what I remember of the strategy, and my thoughts on the matter.

Yes, this makes perfect sense! My neighbor shows everybody his 100+ arms, ammo, food stocks for a year, extra clothing, water....

An WTSHTF guess where the starving hordes are going to try and find a meal? He won't last long against tens or hundreds of desperate people.

The goal is to not look BEAT down and poor OR well armed and feed. As these two draw way to much attention to one's self. If you look well fed and armed, people will attack you for obvious reasons. If you look poor and beat down, then ass holes will attack you just because they think they can tear you a new one. In the later case, you may be well armed, and able to quickly take care of the situation, however, that is not in your best interest. In survival mode, there is only one goal, to live. Why use a gun when you don't have to? Why draw attention when you don't have to? Why look desperate, thus drawing attention no matter how forthcoming or welcome it may seem, when you don't have to?

The definition of grey is inbetween black and white. You want to look hungery but not starving. You want to look dirty and worn out, but not covered in babie poop and skunk gunk. You want to make people's eyes slid right over you without giving you a second thought. If you come strolling into a food camp covered from head to toe in mud and skunk poop, with cuts and burses every where, people are going to notice you. They might see you as some one who has seen their better days, but that's the thing, they will have noticed you.

The best thing to do is just wear some normal, every day cloths. Nothing to fancy or bland. Some blue jeans work, just not to blue. A normal white t-shirt, with a normal over shirt, not to nice or colorful yet not to drab ether. DON'T wear tenie shoes. IMO they stick out like a sore thumb, unless you have worn them for six months and they look KINDA wore. I would go with some normal brown shoes. Nothing fancy yet something that will give you some protection while running through the muck.

As weapons go. You are going to want something that is DEAD accurate at up to 20 feet, can easily be hidden in you pockets, and most importantly, reliable. Unless we are in an all out war zone, then those AKAs and 45 magnums aren't going to be all that helpful. The most they are going to do is A)slow you down and B) draw so much attention you might as well light yourself on fire and run down the road screaming "I am the f-ing anti-Christ. The best gun to go with, or my choice, is a glock 17, 19 etc. I love those darn things

Originally posted by RobertRogers
Yes, this makes perfect sense! My neighbor shows everybody his 100+ arms, ammo, food stocks for a year, extra clothing, water....

An WTSHTF guess where the starving hordes are going to try and find a meal? He won't last long against tens or hundreds of desperate people.

everybody will know who to go to.

and bring people with them./tell people about it
who will bring people with them/tell people about it
who will bring people with them./tell people about it...

-