Pennsylvania Zombie Response Team

Quote:  SurvivalBlog Contributor March 10, 2022  
This article was written a bit “Tongue in cheek”. I will compare two types of preppers- the Red Shirt and the Gray Man.
The Red Shirt
Although I am neither a science fiction fan nor a Star Trek Trekkie, I live with several who are. When I watch these shows, there is quite a bit of explanation given so I can follow the plot. But something I have learned is that when danger arises in the original Star Trek series, it is generally the team member that is wearing the red tunic who gets killed. This is called the “Red Shirt Syndrome”.
So let’s look at the Red Shirt Prepper…Maybe you are one of them. You are known by your overt actions. Here are your common behavioral traits:
You talk about prepping. Constantly and persistently. Regardless of the topic, you steer it back to prepping. You talk about the prices of long-term foods and the shortages of ammunition. When those who know you are a prepper start asking questions about what you think they should be doing, you tell them everything: stock up on food and ammo, buy guns, build underground bunkers, order potassium iodide tablets, etc. Give them “The whole bale of hay”.
You use the word prepping – not “being prepared”, but prepping. Yep, prepping is the word. You ridicule those who are getting prepared. After all, these other people are just playing around and they won’t last long when the world falls apart.
You proclaim to all that you are a prepper. When other shoppers comment about the multiple bundles of toilet paper you have in your cart, you just smile and say, “It’s okay. I’m a prepper.”
You show people your preps. After all, you have worked hard to turn that unused bedroom into a full-blown prepper pantry. When friends come for dinner, be sure they get the full tour of your pantry and the many tubs full of supplies for when the world ends.
You preach stockpiling to everyone you meet. When you are at your favorite bulk food store (Costco, Sam’s Club, GFS) speak loudly as you check out about the exceedingly high amount of rice and beans you now have. You boast about the amounts of rice and beans and the cases of #10 cans in your bunker.
You post pictures of your guns and your cases of ammunition on social media. In fact, you post lots of pictures of all of your weapons and the “secret closet” where you hide them. You include pictures of the cases of ammo for each of your guns.
You are outspoken against the government in your frequent letters to the editor of your local newspaper. You rant and rave on about the eroding of your personal freedoms and the over-reaching of the government. You keep pointing out the faults and contradictions of those in places of power- both locally and on the state and federal level.
You openly carry. That’s right; you strap on that “John Wayne” holster and place that “Dirty Harry” honkin’ big gun and go shopping at Wal-Mart. Then head to the farm store (although you won’t turn as many heads here).  Then you act shocked and offended when the local law enforcement shows up looking for a man with a gun. You shout about the Second Amendment and how your constitutional rights are being trampled.
You share articles about “end times” and “apocalyptic” themes. You promote movies that are post-apocalyptic in nature. You are well versed in shows like The Walking Dead, Alone in the Woods, and National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers. You speak in acronyms like TEOTWAWKI, OpSec and SHTF.
You are known as the “tin foil hat” person- the one who is “out there”. Your friends and even your family laugh at you and your bizarre conspiracy theories. But you don’t mind
The Gray Man
The opposite end of the spectrum is being a “gray man”. The origin of this term is as vague as its meaning- which is this: one who is practicing the art of blending into one’s surroundings. The purpose of blending in is to obtain the goal of maintaining operational security (OPSEC). The final outcome is (hopefully) the exact opposite of the RED SHIRT person. The Gray Man is concerned with surviving while avoiding conflict if at all possible.
So maybe you are a gray man (or woman)? If so then these are some of your behaviors:
You don’t stand out. If you are out and about, you act like you are part of the crowd, because you know that being a lone wolf is neither safe nor wise. Your goal is to draw no attention from others. You try to be the one person that no one remembers.
You blend into your surroundings. Everything about you is neutral: your clothing is bland in color and similar to those around you. If others are lacking in hygiene, you also need a bath. If others are lacking food, then you wear loose-fitting clothing (so as to appear to be losing weight from lack of food). When others are asking questions as to what happened or what should be done, you, too, act as if you are just as concerned about the situation as they are and just as ignorant regarding the true state of affairs.
You watch your words, in all situations.
Regarding preparation: You tell no one that you are prepared for disasters. You don’t let them know about your extra supplies (food, water, weapons, and ammo). You don’t speak of your fully stocked pantry. You listen more than speak. You save these discussions for when you are talking with others whom you are sure are also of the same persuasion-if you absolutely must. But for the most part you just listen.
If you have children in your home you have stressed to them that some items are family secrets that are not to be shared with anyone. (How you handle telling them what is not to be talked about with those outside the family depends on the age of the kids. Be sure to stress that secrecy is for the protection and survival of the family.)
Regarding local and national political situations… When asked your opinion regarding a political situation, you act disinterested of the situation. This can lead to some astonished looks and comments of disbelief. You might even explain your lack of knowledge by claiming to not watch the depressing news.
Regarding theories. Although you may have done research and have documented facts, you keep these to yourself. What you deem truth, others may call “conspiracies” but you do not engage them in a debate nor do you try to change their mind, for you see the futility of this act.
You are evasive when “inquiring minds” ask about your unusual purchases (buying in bulk, etc.) Rather than engaging in a detailed report regarding your pantry, you simply state you are buying for a restaurant/food pantry/large gathering.
You do not post videos about prepping, even instructional and educational ones. You know that this will draw unnecessary and unwanted attention to yourself. If you do make and post videos, the subject is for preparedness for minor emergencies, such as ice storms or tornadoes and not for worst case scenarios such as complete grid failure or nuclear war. Sometimes you use your real name but when you don’t, your pen name is not prepper-related.
When close family and friends ask what you think they should be doing to prepare for the unrest in the world, you tread lightly and start small. First you ask them what they think they need to do. Then you ask them what they have already done. (Teach them using the “elephant for dinner” technique…you know how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time!) You teach them in manageable bites. Then you start with lesson one: Have extra food and water on hand, and then you go from there- at their pace.
You are discrete regarding your personal details when writing articles about prepping (like this one and others I have written.) You make sure that your location (or even near location) are not exact and that you cannot be easily tracked down. For example, if writing an article about security systems and the one you use, you are positive that even those who are your friends will not be able to discover that you are the author. And as pleased and proud of the fact that you are now a published author, you do not brag about this fact!
Which Are You?
So the bottom line is this: Red Shirt or Gray Man? Which one are you? Most of us want to be the “gray man” but sometimes find ourselves becoming a bit red! I once used a gray paint called Glistening Gray and some friends thought it looked purple. I was confused until I opened the can after it sat there for a month and the tint on the top of the liquid was MAGENTA! As people of preparedness practices, we can have the same problem. We have every intention of being discrete but then we fall into normalcy bias and end up wearing a red shirt, which could get us killed!
Once we discover the red areas of our lives we should take heart and work toward change. It takes time to change our ways, but with all worthwhile habits, it will be worth it. We shouldn’t expect to turn from red to gray overnight!
Since we have discussed the Red Shirt with his extreme and somewhat outrageous behaviors, and the elusive Gray Man and his near-invisible actions, hopefully we all can work towards being more gray than red!