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Posted: 4/20/2022 7:54:43 AM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I was in Amsterdam wearing nothing to stand out and had a dude walk up “Hey American gangster. Need some coke?” Sometimes trying to hide is impossible. You simply looked American. Same thing happened to me in the mid 80's on a youth trip. (I politely declined.) |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 7:54:57 AM EDT
[#2]
Tag
On an interesting side note I had to write "grey" as a hair color on something this week. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 7:58:09 AM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryFail. That’s Mike Vining, he’ll kill you deader than shit. His comfy shoes, flood pants and photog vest give him away every time, lol. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 7:59:49 AM EDT
[#4]
Smiling makes you gray.
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:04:22 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Polo with khaki shorts talk white socks and white Skechers. No one would bat an eye. Add a Fanny pack for additional camouflage. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:04:34 AM EDT
[#6]
I get no end of shit from my “grunt style” friends about what I wear.
Normal day is pastel t-shirt, slim fit jeans from Target, and sandals. In cold weather I just throw on a bright colored Arcteryx jacket and press. Backpack and laptop bags are all civilian branded gear. I refer to my wardrobe as “liberal-flage”. So far I don’t think I have been identified once. Medium sized town in TX, most of the country boys just ignore me while passing judgement on what they assume is lack of any useful life skills. The professionals could give a damn either way, best part is that when hanging out with the other parents from school, I am consistently approached by the more liberal ones, and the have no idea that I am covertly Making America Great Again. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:06:39 AM EDT
[#7]
Boots, jeans, polo or button down shirt and ball cap. I look just like a gray man redneck and don’t stand out at all.
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:15:09 AM EDT
[#8]
The point to be made is that blending in is highly dependent on the area, as well as the demographic. Your going to stick out like a sore thumb wearing a polo and loafers in the hood, but blend right in wearing jorts in Pigeon Forge.
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:15:19 AM EDT
[#9]
Say what?
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:21:08 AM EDT
[#10]
It’s amazing to see how much people can misunderstand and overcomplicate the idea of dressing and behaving like a normal person.
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:23:17 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It’s amazing to see how much people can misunderstand and overcomplicate the idea of dressing and behaving like a normal person. It's difficult and complicated to dress and act like a normal person if you're not one. 
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:23:21 AM EDT
[#12]
I wear jeans or carrhart pants and a polo or tshirt 99% of the time, as does every other white male within 500 miles of me.
No one cares what you are wearing. lol |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:25:24 AM EDT
[#13]
No one in those pics are "grey men" as you put it. If they were you wouldn't have pics of them because you wouldn't have a clue.
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:25:32 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I wore European purchased clothing and they could still tell I was an American. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I was in Amsterdam wearing nothing to stand out and had a dude walk up “Hey American gangster. Need some coke?” Sometimes trying to hide is impossible. I wore European purchased clothing and they could still tell I was an American. being 400 lbs is a dead giveaway. OP does have a valid point. tee shirt or polo. laptop backpack. athletic branded coat. 30s or 40s starter pack footware. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:28:00 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: No one in those pics are "grey men" as you put it. If they were you wouldn't have pics of them because you wouldn't have a clue. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:29:52 AM EDT
[#16]
Sorry I read this as "You are not a gay man and you're horrible at trying" and thought it was a perfect General Discussion thread.
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:30:56 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sorry I read this as "You are not a gay man and you're horrible at trying" and thought it was a perfect General Discussion thread.  |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:31:29 AM EDT
[#18]
You could walk around with an AR slung over your back and 95% of people wouldn't even notice because their noses are buried in their phones.
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:36:09 AM EDT
[#19]
My CCW sash blends in everywhere I go.
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:37:15 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It’s amazing to see how much people can misunderstand and overcomplicate the idea of dressing and behaving like a normal person. its GD and half the people here appear to have 0 social interaction as a daily basis outside mom checking in the basement that they're all set. so the premise checks out. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:38:10 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Fail. That’s Mike Vining, he’ll kill you deader than shit. His comfy shoes, flood pants and photog vest give him away every time, lol. Quote HistoryQuoted: Fail. That’s Mike Vining, he’ll kill you deader than shit. His comfy shoes, flood pants and photog vest give him away every time, lol. That guy? I doubt it, he looks like a frisky cat would give him trouble lol! |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:39:23 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Super-duper gray man is dressing like a tradesman with slightly dirty pants and a tool bag. That look can get you anywhere without anyone thinking you're anything more than a fixture. You forgot the clipboard. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:39:44 AM EDT
[#23]
It is impossible for me to grey man. Lifelong civilian and everywhere I go, even wearing fucking skinny jeans and a sweater, I'll get the "are you a cop?" or "were you military?"
I will never be able to blend in. 
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:40:19 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It’s the shoes. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I was in Amsterdam wearing nothing to stand out and had a dude walk up “Hey American gangster. Need some coke?” Sometimes trying to hide is impossible. It’s the shoes. Night clubs in New Zealand will turn away patrons who aren't wearing polished shoes. No sports type shoes allowed. I shit you not. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:43:22 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That guy? I doubt it, he looks like a frisky cat would give him trouble lol! Quote HistoryQuoted: That guy? I doubt it, he looks like a frisky cat would give him trouble lol!  Sergeant Major Mike R. Vining enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1968 and completed Basic Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Following his completion of Advanced Individual Training at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama in the Ammunition Renovation Course, he attended the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Course and the Nuclear Weapons Disposal Course at Indian Head, Maryland. Following his training, SGM Vining deployed to Vietnam with the 99th Ordnance Detachment (EOD) where he was awarded the Bronze Star in 1971 for his meritorious service in ground operations and EOD duties. In 1973, he joined the 543rd Ordnance Detachment (EOD) at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, during which time he was awarded for heroism as an EOD specialist during a series of terrorist bombings in Quincy, Illinois. In 1978, SGM Vining volunteered for a new unit being formed, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta, where he served until 1985 as the unit’s first EOD specialist. During his assignment, he participated in Operation Eagle Claw in Iran and Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada. Following an assignment with the 176th Ordnance Detachment (EOD) at Fort Richardson, Alaska, he returned to Delta Force where he served as Chief EOD Technician, Research and Development Sergeant Major, and Breaching Sergeant Major from 1986 until 1992. During this assignment, he deployed in support of Operation Pocket Planner and Operation Desert Storm. Sergeant Major Vining culminated his Army career as the Special Plans Sergeant Major for U.S. Special Operations Command and Joint Special Operations Command. During this tour, he served as the Senior Enlisted Advisor for the Joint Special Operations Task Force during Operation Uphold Democracy and as the Explosives Expert on the Downing Assessment Task Force, which investigated the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia in 1996. Sergeant Major Mike R. Vining retired in 1999.    Guy on the right (coming back from Operation Eagle Claw). That's what I'd call a Gray Man. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:43:34 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It’s amazing to see how much people can misunderstand and overcomplicate the idea of dressing and behaving like a normal person. You mean I don't look like a normal person in my 5.11 taclites, molon labe t-shirt, high top Salomons, Oakley gascans, flag bearing cap, blacked out G-shock and molle backpack? |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:43:36 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The local trails are filled with people wearing weighted vests and camelbacks. Molle chest pouches actually fit right in. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Nobody will notice my Hill People Gear pack! Say what you will about the tenets of Crossfit dude, it has normalized wearing a plate carrier in public. Anybody gets suspicious? Drop and do a burpee. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:45:44 AM EDT
[#28]
Im a master at being invisible to hot women
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:46:44 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It is impossible for me to grey man. Lifelong civilian and everywhere I go, even wearing fucking skinny jeans and a sweater, I'll get the "are you a cop?" or "were you military?" I will never be able to blend in. It's probably your haircut. I rock a pretty short crew cut and don't dress like a slob and I've been asked the same thing plenty of times. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:47:05 AM EDT
[#30]
I'm usually in a flannel with dickies and chuck taylors. Nobody suspects the cholo looking guy with a big red beard
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:47:29 AM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: OP is not wrong. OP is definitely not wrong. At my previous job, there was a guy that wore cargo pants, usually khaki or green, usually a black teeshirt and a khaki vest. He glowed so bright... I always thought, if I were a nutter going on a spree, he's the first person in the area I'd target. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:48:55 AM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yup. A hoodie and a pair of wranglers goes a long way. Nah I got called a mall ninja one day at the gun store.. to this day I don't know why, even thd guy behind the counter was confused. I was wearing steel toe Double H boots, cinch green or white label jeans, a carharrt hoody, and an orange ball cap with the Winston fly-fishing logo.
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:50:20 AM EDT
[#33]
Don't know why this is so hard. Just dress like the people around you. Around here that's Walmart, Tractor Supply, and Rural King. You can even wear your OD green Tactical Tailor ballcap with the velcro and subdued American flag or Don't Tread on Me patch since everyone is wearing them too.
If you want to go places w/o questions put on some dirty workwear, grab a Veto Pro Pac tool bag, and have a "F this, they've got me working a Saturday" attitude. Bonus points if you embroider a telecom or HVAC Co. logo on your jacket. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:54:35 AM EDT
[#34]
Wanna dress like someone who you most likely want to ignore?
Go spend a months paycheck at your local bougie 'outdoor' rock climbing / ski / bike store. Bonus points if it has "mountain" in the name of the store. REI is a good 'chain store' example. Marmot, Kuhl, Patagonia, Prana, North Face, civvy Arcteryx stuff, etc. All that stuff is high quality clothing that looks nice and performs well, and makes you look like a most-likely centrist-liberal dude who's gonna buy some local artisan sourdough at the farmers market before he takes his Subaru with a "COEXIST" sticker up to the hills and go kayaking to his favorite rock climbing spot this weekend, while staying at a quaint VRBO near a small vineyard with a nice pinot noir and wants to have a nice Sunday brunch at a place with a good hollandaise and deviled quail eggs on the menu. That guy is ignorable and forgettable. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:56:07 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Tag On an interesting side note I had to write "grey" as a hair color on something this week. Was it deportation paperwork? ‘Cause here in America, decent white Christians spell it “gray.” How many centimeters of that grey hair you got? |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 8:56:30 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I was thinking about this today. Dressing like a well groomed normal person is the new grey man. Lose the 5.11, Salomons, Oakleys, and flannel shirts. Pick up a nice pair of jeans, a tailored shirt, and some nice shoes. Blend to your environment. Around here you’d stick out like a sore thumb. If you don’t wear at least one item of clothing that says Carhartt on it and Keen or Ariat work boots we’ll know something’s up. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:00:15 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You forgot the clipboard. Clipboards are for canvasers and DTD sales nowdays. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:01:08 AM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Tag On an interesting side note I had to write "grey" as a hair color on something this week. Same thing happened to me the last time I filled out a 4473. I didn't think bald was appropriate so I had to put down grey. That kind of made me realize I'm getting old. Heck, I could almost put down white at this point. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:01:35 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That guy? I doubt it, he looks like a frisky cat would give him trouble lol!  Attached File |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:03:55 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Don't know why this is so hard. Just dress like the people around you. Around here that's Walmart, Tractor Supply, and Rural King. You can even wear your OD green Tactical Tailor ballcap with the velcro and subdued American flag or Don't Tread on Me patch since everyone is wearing them too. If you want to go places w/o questions put on some dirty workwear, grab a Veto Pro Pac tool bag, and have a "F this, they've got me working a Saturday" attitude. Bonus points if you embroider a telecom or HVAC Co. logo on your jacket. This! Bonus: if you don't plaster your truck with stickers and have a cone in the bed to put out behind (or in front) then you can park wherever you like. I worked for a network cabling company right out of HS, then a local nonprofit, neither of which had marked company vehicles. It's amazing how no one even looks twice if you have a cone and/or look like a contractor. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:07:13 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Wanna dress like someone who you most likely want to ignore? Go spend a months paycheck at your local bougie 'outdoor' rock climbing / ski / bike store. Bonus points if it has "mountain" in the name of the store. REI is a good 'chain store' example. Marmot, Kuhl, Patagonia, Prana, North Face, civvy Arcteryx stuff, etc. All that stuff is high quality clothing that looks nice and performs well, and makes you look like a most-likely centrist-liberal dude who's gonna buy some local artisan sourdough at the farmers market before he takes his Subaru with a "COEXIST" sticker up to the hills and go kayaking to his favorite rock climbing spot this weekend, while staying at a quaint VRBO near a small vineyard with a nice pinot noir and wants to have a nice Sunday brunch at a place with a good hollandaise and deviled quail eggs on the menu. That guy is ignorable and forgettable. you been following me? what would you suggest? lol |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:10:01 AM EDT
[#42]
Last month my wife and I covered the Mama Tried Motorcycle show in Milwaukee, we had press passes for the event but not the race. We showed up at the Fiserv Forum with our camera gear and security let us in with no questions asked. We didn't have to go through screening or anything. A Milwaukee police officer escorted us right to the press box
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:12:13 AM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I was in Amsterdam wearing nothing to stand out and had a dude walk up “Hey American gangster. Need some coke?” Sometimes trying to hide is impossible. Being nude on a street was probably the giveaway. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:13:19 AM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yes, that's the point of this thread. Ok. So you posted a thread about normal people, apparently either in the .MIL or LEO, walking around not trying to "gray out…." because I don't see anyone in those pics that's trying to be the "gray man". What are those 1st pics? 5.11 shirt advertisements? You attempt at an edgy thread is an utter failure and you should feel bad. |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:14:31 AM EDT
[#45]
I didn't read the whole thread. I'll just say I worry a lot more about being a hard target than I worry about being invisible.
*shrug* |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:16:04 AM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: OP is not wrong. FPNI |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:16:05 AM EDT
[#47]
Fuck the whole gray man concept. It's all a fucking fallacy. You're only gray in your personal perception bubble. Fortunately most people are so fucking self-absorbed they wouldn't notice you if you were wearing pink tights with blue polka dots and your favorite furry outfit. Potential threats will mark you regardless of your looks, demeanor, or goofy-ass persona.
Focus on your own situational awareness and personal preparation; wear what makes you comfortable and don't draw excessive attention to yourself. If you think you have to change your clothes, how you talk, or how you act to fit in, you're never going to fit in. Gray man is a fucking joke and fallacy. Be situationally aware of your environment, know yourself, don't be stupid = gray man. ROCK6 |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:17:55 AM EDT
[#48]
I always tell my dad he dresses in the "that guy 100% has a gun" uniform.
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:19:21 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The (then) wife was mad at me as we were in a strange city looking for a location of her cult church. I had spotted two people on the sidewalk and said 'There's two of them, we'll ask them'. She was furious with me, but I was right. @MarkHatfield white shirts and navy pants? |
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Posted: 4/20/2022 9:20:04 AM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This! Bonus: if you don't plaster your truck with stickers and have a cone in the bed to put out behind (or in front) then you can park wherever you like. I worked for a network cabling company right out of HS, then a local nonprofit, neither of which had marked company vehicles. It's amazing how no one even looks twice if you have a cone and/or look like a contractor. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Don't know why this is so hard. Just dress like the people around you. Around here that's Walmart, Tractor Supply, and Rural King. You can even wear your OD green Tactical Tailor ballcap with the velcro and subdued American flag or Don't Tread on Me patch since everyone is wearing them too. If you want to go places w/o questions put on some dirty workwear, grab a Veto Pro Pac tool bag, and have a "F this, they've got me working a Saturday" attitude. Bonus points if you embroider a telecom or HVAC Co. logo on your jacket. This! Bonus: if you don't plaster your truck with stickers and have a cone in the bed to put out behind (or in front) then you can park wherever you like. I worked for a network cabling company right out of HS, then a local nonprofit, neither of which had marked company vehicles. It's amazing how no one even looks twice if you have a cone and/or look like a contractor. It's also easy enough to slap magnetic stickers to the door panels. A 24x18 w/ a logo isn't very much at all and lends some additional credibility. |
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