Without A Trace: Smart, Safe Or Obnoxious?
No, not the show, the list. I couldn’t help but notice that Dr. Will Miller, a 
comedic therapist wrote an interesting post about why people watch the FBI drama, Without A Trace. He says that people struggle with identity in this age of technology, via that little habit we have of striving to be individuals.
At some point, we have to make sure we make ourselves known by making our presence “clearer to the world around” us. Enter the list.
The items on Dr. Will’s list are referred to as discovery strategies, but they could also be safety tips. After reading them, I thought about all the things that end up on the white boards from various episodes in the bull pen of the NY Missing Persons Squad, and realized they all tend to personal, such as “went on a date”, “doctor’s appointment”, etc. They are all things that indicate a person has been living, for lack of a better description.
In any case, here’s a snippet of the list, and you can decide if you think this is a list of discovery strategies, safety tips, or just how to be somewhat obnoxious:
“To prevent yourself from being deep six-ed, try these discovery strategies:”
Evaluate your wardrobe and try wearing brighter clothing
Cultivate a personal relationship with a member of your local police force
Wear a strong, uncommon cologne
Keep a global positioning system device with you at all times
Wherever you go keep a high strung, barking dog with you
Puncture your car’s muffler
Post the names & photos of your enemies on the web with descriptions of your conflict
Whenever you break off a relationship immediately secure a restraining order against them
You can read the full article at the Pop Culture Journal. As an aside, I’d suspect Dr. Will is an extremely funny man.
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[...] 6. If you have a life, you’ll be found – One of the great things about the show is that in each case, the missing person has some sort of life, and the more flamboyant it is, the faster these agents are able to make headway. Case in point? Read my thoughts on Dr. Will’s List. [...]