Stealthy Senior Citizens?

There is no specific subject for this forum, talk about whatever you want.
Post Reply
Necrogue
Member
Posts: 49
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2021 1:19 am
Location: Simper Occultus
Contact:

Stealthy Senior Citizens?

Post by Necrogue » Wed Feb 24, 2021 3:24 am

This past weekend I watched a film called ‘American Animals’. The film recounts the actual events of an art heist (art books specifically) told in a uniquely blended perspective of actor portrayals cleverly interspersed with commentary from the actual perpetrators. The film features many thematic elements akin to ‘Night Opping’; such as surveillance, infiltration and exhilaration tactics, etcetera.

I won’t say too much as I wouldn’t want to spoil the film for any who might not have seen it and may want to check it out. However, I would like to open discussion about a particular scene/comment in the film which got me thinking. Without giving away anything more than necessary, I will simply say that the robbery plan involved the college aged perpetrators disguising themselves as elderly people. In the film one asks why they were donning the guise of old people and is told, “...being old is the closest thing to being invisible”. That statement really got me thinking, questioning, and considering. Is it true? Think about your own day to day activities, do you notice the elderly? Or do they fade into the background and pass virtually unnoticed? Consider the first of the assignments in the ‘Homework’ thread; did it make you more, less, or indifferently likely to notice senior citizens? Now consider the larger public sphere, the much more common ‘non-opping’ community at large, do you think they notice their fellow golden aged societal co-inhabitants, or do you think, as the movie asserts, that seniors have an almost ‘carte Blanche’ license to lurk largely unseen, unquestioned, and/or unencumbered by all save the limitations of their own advanced age?
“For a while they stood there, like men on the edge of a sleep where nightmare lurks, holding it off, though they know that they can only come to morning through shadows.” —J.R.R. Tolkien, ‘The Passage of the Marshes’, The Two Towers

User avatar
Sicarius
Member
Posts: 428
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2020 6:50 pm
Location: Possibly on a distant Mediterranean shore... one day
Contact:

Re: Stealthy Senior Citizens?

Post by Sicarius » Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:37 pm

Younger people stand out for several reasons, in my opinion. Clothing tends to differ from your middle-aged people just doing their daily tasks, and walking speed can be faster but not always. Young people also tend to be very loud, so when with friends you hear their conversations. Some of them look weird too... from funky, rainbow hair to running around half-naked as "empowerment".

Old people would go more unnoticed in my opinion, but not much as stated. One great advantage is being able to fake bad sensual perceptions. Fancy wording aside, you can say that you cannot hear, etc, and use these as excuses. Mental diseases such as Dementia and Alzheimers could also be used as excuses. People tend to be nicer to old people, or at least not blatantly moody in my experience.

I still would not disguise myself as an elderly person. A workman or other such disguise would work better in my opinion. However, there may be a time when an elderly disguise could work better. And if you are looking for an excuse to purchase a realistic mask from "The Masker", here is one; Imagine all the fun you could have popping out of bushes and scaring people as an old person? :)
"If one cannot be both, it is much better to be feared than loved" - Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

User avatar
Xanatos
Moderator
Posts: 2675
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:51 am
Location: The last place you look.
Contact:

Re: Stealthy Senior Citizens?

Post by Xanatos » Wed Feb 24, 2021 3:50 pm

Underage kids have been disguising themselves as elderly people to buy alcohol over the past year. The mandatory facemasks really help. Just need a wig, grandpa glasses, 'old people' clothing and sort of hobble along like an old person.
We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each lies an irreparable truth.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.

Necrogue
Member
Posts: 49
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2021 1:19 am
Location: Simper Occultus
Contact:

Re: Stealthy Senior Citizens?

Post by Necrogue » Thu Feb 25, 2021 12:43 am

I recall Ninjalicious suggesting in his book that ‘older’ (not even necessarily elderly, but over 30ish) people were generally considered ‘less suspicious’ overall.

I also seem to remember former CIA head of disguise Jonna Mendez stating that the CIA liked to use older people and/or disguise younger people as older people, because older people are generally considered to be less threatening.

Of course those examples lead me to question whether those sources ever watched Scooby Doo..... “Why it’s Old Man Withers from the amusement park!!!” ...... of course he “....would’ve gotten away with it; if it hadn’t been for you pesky kids!”

Jinkies

User avatar
Sicarius
Member
Posts: 428
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2020 6:50 pm
Location: Possibly on a distant Mediterranean shore... one day
Contact:

Re: Stealthy Senior Citizens?

Post by Sicarius » Thu Feb 25, 2021 12:59 am

Zoinks!

1960's scooby doo fucks, throw that modern garbage in the trash
"If one cannot be both, it is much better to be feared than loved" - Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

User avatar
Psychlonic
Member
Posts: 1202
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:30 am
Location: Earth
Contact:

Re: Stealthy Senior Citizens?

Post by Psychlonic » Thu Feb 25, 2021 4:30 am

There's a rather massive amount to be said about social preconceptions and how they can be leveraged in life for whatever reason, even just everyday life.

I've been fortunate enough to have lived and observed many things to the point I can play with how I'm seen pretty readily.

Confidence is the biggest factor and the one that I notice the most. If someone is fidgety and acting strange, I notice that immediately. So do most people. There's a factor of "putting on a show" that seems to come with younger people where they're very noticeable and intentionally so. They're trying to advertise to somebody, connect with like-minded people, look attractive, whatever. Generally, people past a certain age have their life mostly figured out and subdue themselves more. If anything, they look bored or impatient but rarely trying as hard. It's a pretty intricate thing and not one that could be written as a guide very easily.

Age in itself comes with expectations. Generally there seems to be a mental association most people have with age and status. For example, you're expected to be of somewhat lower status the younger you are and that's expected to improve the older you are. However, appearing of low status makes you appear suspicious while appearing of too high status at a younger age also appears suspect. If you're trying to appear outside of your status class, lacking the above mentioned confidence is also a red flag.

However, most old people do tend to fly under the radar. If they're not drawing too much attention to themselves, I probably won't pay them too much mind.

And within all of these things, there's also cognitive blind spots of a sort. Similar to actual camouflage principles, there are ways to draw people's attention to and away from things. If you have traits that might be a red flag, you can actually use that to your advantage in social situations. In two-person scenarios, simply put a suspicious person will draw attention away from another who's seemingly not associated with them. Or this could apply to something as simple as concealed carry.

This post is kind of all over the place, but there are HUGE social considerations that apply every single day and learning about them is pretty cool. I encourage all of you to play with it for yourselves - try going into the same place twice at different times/shifts/days. First time, go in dressed in somewhat worn out clothing. Very point A to point B in your movements. Stand behind some shelves, see if anyone keeps an eye on you. Then go back in the second time dressed clean but informal. Collared shirt, not too fancy. Appear interested in your surroundings, meander. You'll be treated way different.

Of course, other things subvert or mess with expectations as well. As a comical personal example, if you're like me and look like toxic masculinity, you'll be looked at really funny if you go into a place you'd expect to see maybe nerds or hippies. *shrug* But again, even that can be twisted to your advantage. The throw of can be so huge to a person you can totally absorb all of their attention and maybe even catch them off guard in conversation.
Knowledge alone is not power, it is the potential for power. That potential can only be unlocked through applying that knowledge and realizing the skill.

User avatar
Sicarius
Member
Posts: 428
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2020 6:50 pm
Location: Possibly on a distant Mediterranean shore... one day
Contact:

Re: Stealthy Senior Citizens?

Post by Sicarius » Thu Feb 25, 2021 1:02 pm

The whole "grey-man" idea is fascinating, I just gloss over it due to standing out for one reason or another
"If one cannot be both, it is much better to be feared than loved" - Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

Post Reply