An important characteristic for someone who wants to survive is blending in. Standing out can be very dangerous. When it comes to survival, it could potentially be deadly. Attracting attention to yourself is the last thing you want. People will be desperately looking for the tools they need to survive. And if you stand out, you are putting that target on your back. There are two solutions. You could hide yourself well enough so no one will see you. Or you could make sure that if they do see you, they don’t notice you, like the grey man theory. The grey man theory means to blend in so well that that they don’t see you even if they look at you.
With the grey man theory, you rely on people not noticing you. They might look, but your presence won’t really register in their brains. It’s all about psychology.
Avoiding Tacti-cool
Camouflage and tactical attire have become very popular amongst the survival community. People wear it in their everyday lives. But this kind of clothing is a terrible thing to wear in a post-disaster world. This tacti-cool clothing would make anyone stand out in any situation. It may seem practical in a survival situation, but the need for being unnoticed is greater.
How Do You Become the Grey Man?
Becoming the grey man is actually not that difficult. It merely means to look like everyone else around you. If everyone around you is dirty and wearing old clothes with holes in them, you want to have the same thing going on. Roll around in dirt if you need to!
In a post-disaster world, most people will be starving. So you have to avoid looking fat and healthy. If you are still plump and walking in the open, there is no way you will be able to become the grey man. You must put yourself on a strict diet so you lose weight like the people around you. You want to fit in. Another important thing to do is avoid movement that stands out from the crowd. If a mob is running, you run. If people are standing and staring at something, you do the same.
People Who No One Sees
There are people who our eyes just pass over without us taking notice. They are all around us. As human beings we ignore things that make us uncomfortable, so this can be intentional. Or we get busy with other things. One group of people we don’t really notice are street people. We drive past them, walk past them, and never actually see them. Another category of people is those in uniform. We always see the uniform, not the person in that uniform.
Conclusion
Any method you use to become the grey man has to be done with extreme care. You must understand the culture and norms of where you are. Those norms are where you can disappear. Pay attention to the small details, anything could make you stand out.