Advice to actor Bradley Cooper from marksman Col. Jeff Cooper.
On Conditions of situational awareness:
Condition White represents a state of complete unawareness and unpreparedness. In this state you are oblivious to things going on around you and are exceedingly vulnerable to attack.
The next level is yellow. Condition Yellow represents a state of relaxed alert. There is no specific, obvious threat present, but you are aware that danger is always a possibility. You are aware of people around you as well as the environment in general. Condition Yellow is our goal state for everyday life.
Conditions Orange and Red arevfor those who have trained and armed themselves to deal with direct threats...not for actors.
Listening to music on headphones at the end of a subway platform is really not a smart idea. In NYC street parlance in days past such a one was referred to as wheat...the source of bread.
I am very uncomfortable in big cities—my “condition” is that I stay away from them.