Successfully Blending In: 5 Tips From a Special Agent Every Survivalist Should Follow

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2. Dressing for OPSEC doesn’t mean a disguise

Here’s another one that gives a lot of people away – what you wear. Whether you’re trying to watch someone and not be noticed or trying to not be picked out of a crowd, the point isn’t to look different, it’s to not be noticed and remembered.

 
Your goal, whether you’re trying to walk through an area you might not supposed to be in, or you’re trying to not be the one picked out of the crowd to be their next victim, is not to look like someone else – it’s to not be noticed.

 
Essentially, this is the same thing as your demeanor. In most cases, you’ll want to dress like others there. If everyone’s dressed in board shorts and t-shirts, you don’t want to be in a long-sleeved dress shirt and khakis. If you’re in the yuppie part of town, you don’t want to be dressed in a sweatsuit.

In addition to being a part of the “group” by not standing out by what you wear and how you act, there is still more that goes into these important techniques. Remember, one wrong move or not blending in could do you or your group some serious harm.

To learn how else to blend in and not stand out during a critical survival moment, check out the next slide. 

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25 Comments

  1. Paul Lang said:

    Look harmless and friendly. If your in full Tactical and carrying an AR, you will be the first threat taken out.

  2. Chris Nichols said:

    In metaphysics, the fifth element of ether is invisibility, expansive, homogeneous, and has no tangible substance to impede or harm.

  3. Bruce Blakeney said:

    This is where we who follow Christ will differ. We are to be salt to the Earth and light to the world. We are not to be the victim, but overcomers! More than conquerors! I will ‘make’ peace with my brothers and sisters in Christ as we confront evil that comes to kill, steal, and destroy. In Christ, we have hope. His way leads to life, and life everlasting.

  4. Jack Blevins said:

    If that works for you, that’s great. As for me, I would rather fight on my feet, than die on my knees. No disrespect, to you but I believe I’ll just continue to conceal carry. You,even as a Christian,have a right to protect your family and yourself. “The Lords Prayer”, would be last resort for me. Again, no disrespect but you may not pray your way out of a attack situation. Not defending yourself,to protect your family or yourself, just doesn’t seem logical to me , Christian or not. Just saying.

  5. Bruce Blakeney said:

    I don’t think I was clear enough, I’m sorry. When the day comes, I will not conceal. Can a city on a hill be hid? No. We Christians are to be salt and light. When salt is used as a preservative, it doesn’t prevent food from spoiling by being nice to bacteria. It protects the good while preventing the spread of the bad.

    What kind of a Christian would stand by idle while innocent people are being murdered before them? Especially if the Lord has given that person the strength and ability to save them? “He that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

    The words of the Lord’s Prayer, which technically is just a template Christ gave us, carries weight. “Thy kingdom come thy will be done”. How is a man dying because of his enemy’s greed, the Lord’s will for your life? This is not the selfless sacrifice Christ provided. in the garden, when Christ surrendered Himself to the officers of the San Hedrin court, He was not a defenseless lamb, nor was He ever. Had He decided to change His mind, He has the power to cut the world in half, and taking back the life that His Father gave to the soldiers of the San hedrin, and the roman soldiers.

    Living as a harmless person doesn’t make you a holier person. Having the capacity to defend yourself but choosing not to, and your opponent knows you had every opportunity but chose instead to surrender, sends a different message. But I would only do that if I felt led by the Spirit to do so.

    Instead, I would rather be a beacon of light, as a lighthouse to vessels trying to reach safety. What good is a lighthouse if rioters destroy it? That’s what I meant when I said we would ‘make’ peace.

  6. Bruce Blakeney said:

    What are the ways of Christ if not perfection according to the Law of God? He is the manifestation of the word of God, every statute is His character. That was why there was no sin in Him, because He walked in complete obedience to His Father’s Law.

    We were shown how to be citizens of God’s kingdom, God’s Law shows how the perfect government should operate. We as Christians should abide by the laws of any government, unless they cause us to disobey God. If there is no government, no order, but rampant lawlessness, that doesn’t change who we are. We are to seek justice, love, and mercy. We cannot be a watchman on a wall that is silent while enemies charge his citizens unawares.

    Christ humbled Himself like a lamb to be slain. But it did not change who He is…the Lion of the Tribe of Judah!

  7. Chris Bell said:

    What’s funny is if it was any other religion, you’d be considered an extremists or a fanatic.

  8. Bruce Blakeney said:

    The difference is that my faith doesn’t say to force people to believe what I do or die, but to love my neighbor and treat them as myself. And if my neighbors are being attacked, what am I to do? Abandon them?

    And I am to love my enemies. But does a shepherd allow a wolf to come in and attack his flock? No. But wisdom would be preventing the situation from occurring in the first place.

    But the Lord is not pleased with those who love violence, which I actively try to avoid. Looking after the welfare of everyone around me is not extreme or the acts of a fanatic. Jesus Christ was publicly executed for stating He was/is the Son of God. Rose from the dead three days later. When He died, an earthquake occurred which shook the temple, rending the veal inside from top to bottom. What sounds ordinary about that?

  9. Bruce Blakeney said:

    Jack Blevins: Jehovah’s Witness? Hardly. Christian. But my views are close to Messianic Judaism. I study the word of God, and lean upon the guiding of the Holy Spirit, which is just as active as He was in the days of Peter and Paul.

  10. Bruce Blakeney said:

    The Watchmen on the wall comment. That’s what made you think that. But that was mentioned in the Old Testament, which is a principle that applies to us today. We will be held accountable for the souls we could have saved but would not. We were commanded to let everyone know the good news of their salvation. Commandment is not too strong of a word, seeing that it comes from our God and King.

  11. Riah Kris said:

    5th element is ‘spirit’.
    Earth, air, water, fire, spirit.

  12. Ed Hughes said:

    These days people walking around in hooded sweatshirsts stand out and will additional attention from authorities and others.

  13. Aarron Moore said:

    Not Worth the data unless you’re just clueless. I could teach whoever wrote this article a lot just from surviving prison

  14. Graham Wright said:

    Wear a hat :- dark waxed hat for winter , cream or grey for summer . I prefer a bucket hat with a brim all the way round that can be changed in an instant and easily carried in a pocket .

  15. Anonymous said:

    I’d be interested to hear it Aarron. All information is valuable.

  16. Lo Gar said:

    Yeah, I’d be interested in a “lessons from prison” article.

  17. Anonymous said:

    God knows you don’t have to do much to end up in jail these days. It’s all ‘survival’.

  18. Greg Korpela said:

    Hilarious that you picked the most conspicuous looking person possible for blending in…

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