Posted on 10/18/2005 11:15:20 AM PDT by xsrdx
TRIBES
I’m generally an optimist, and it’s been my pleasure to be able to write mostly about the good and the noble things in our lives. But the events in the Gulf – of Mexico – have brought to a head a summer and a year that has been getting progressively uglier and more painful to watch.
Snip
Let’s talk about these two Tribes: Pink, the color of bunny ears, and Grey, the color of a mechanical pencil lead.
I live in both worlds. In entertainment, everything is Pink, the color of Angelyne’s Stingray – it’s exciting and dynamic and glamorous. I’m also a pilot, and I know honest-to-God rocket scientists, and combat flight crews and Special Ops guys -- stone-cold Grey, all of them -- and am proud and deeply honored to call them my friends.
The Pink Tribe is all about feeling good: feeling good about yourself! Sexually, emotionally, artistically – nothing is off limits, nothing is forbidden, convention is fossilized insanity and everybody gets to do their own thing without regard to consequences, reality, or natural law. A Spell, perhaps.
The Pink Tribe motto, in fact, is the ultimate Zen Koan, the sound of one hand clapping: EVERYBODY IS SPECIAL.
Then, in the other corner, there is the Grey Tribe – the grey of reinforced concrete. This is a Tribe where emotion is repressed because Emotion Clouds Judgment. This is the world of Quadratic Equations and Stress Risers and Loads Torsional, Compressive and Tensile, a place where Reality Can Ruin Your Best Day, the place where Murphy mercilessly picks off the Weak and the Incompetent...
The Grey Tribe motto is, near as I can tell, THINGS BREAK SOMETIMES AND PLEASE DON’T LET IT BE MY BRIDGE.
(Excerpt) Read more at ejectejecteject.com ...
That is a description for the ages.
This is old, but still incredible. Bill Whittle is the Mark Twain for our age. Read every single thing he has on his website, then buy his book to support his writing.
Because everybody dies. Even liberals. And all I can say is that I believe in my heart that I would rather die for something bigger than myself than lead a life where nothing is more important than me. I admit freely that were I actually there I might freeze up, and wet my pants, and hide behind a stewardess, because you can never really know until you are there. But my times on the highways late at night, and with the only engine silent at 9000 feet over the South Georgia pine forests and at 400 feet climbing out of Prescott Arizona on Christmas day reassure me, a little, that perhaps I might do okay. Just as well as a common person, a common American person in a crisis – that’s all I pray for.
Much has been said regarding how much more massive an event Katrina is relative to lower Manhattan. But the fact remains that firemen went up the stairs when people were coming down, and one ordinary group of people on an ordinary flight on an ordinary day defeated the very best that the global terror network could put together. Our ladies junior varsity squad whipped the living shit out of their Super Bowl A-team over Pennsylvania that day, and they did it because for one brief shining moment enough passengers on that airplane went Grey.
Great article.
I like the comparision between the pink and grey tribes.
Bump for one hell of a good rant.
I found his comments on hollywood narcissism, and the writings of LTC Dave Grossman regarding Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs, in particular, well worth the time it takes to read the article.
BFLR!
Whooooee! What a rant! And an absolute bullseye hit on describing the present situation...
Another great essay.
I read Tribes and started reading Sanctuary. This guy seems like a great writer, although I wish he'd post the "Cliff Notes" version of his articles.
Is he a FReeper?
Dunno, came across the "Tribes" article on another forum and found it "FR Appropriate".
I'm sure he'd like it here!
Grey = Engineers who built the stadium?
Pink= Those who let feelings and ego dictate reality.
Grey= The SOB that has to deal with reality as it is and get things done.
When did Don King get into this fray?
Bump for later
Excellent.....
Long, but excellent in content and logic. Bookmarked for a revisit.
This guy is great, unfortunately he's closed comments to the thread. If you're out there Bill Whittle, this tag lines for you........
bookmark
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