The Dry Run

It's old news (one of the hazards of the press--do you write about it immediately, with maybe 1/7th of the facts, or do you wait and let the story--and, presumably, the truth--to evolve?), but do you remember the suspicious packages on the cargo planes in Europe a couple of weeks ago?  The early speculation was that these packages/printer cartridges were a dry run [1] by a terrorist group.   Soon enough, we found out they weren't really a dry run at all.  The packages (printers and toner cartridges) were fully armed with high-powered explosives.  One was allegedly defused 17 minutes before it was set to explode.

All this talk made me think of the concept of dry runs.  In the final episode of The Sopranos, Tony Soprano discussed this with a fed--Agent Dwight Harris.  The FBI Agent explained that they frequently received anonymous tips or bad Intel on terror activity, and even found dry run packages in the cargo or luggage where the terrorists were "just testing our response."

We see dry runs every day.  Whenever The White House or other politicians send up trial balloons (the most recent one I remember is the old Hillary-Joe Biden switcheroo trial balloon), they too are testing our response. 

It hit me that the dry run and the trial balloon is an ingrained and central social mechanic [Ed's note: and this mechanic is often flagged in the 21st century as "passive-aggressive" and various other related labels.]  You use these mechanics in human transactions. I see it in my work all the time--where what we do has a lot of latitude and room to be creative, loose and indefinite.  Wherever you look, you see instances of dry runs and trial balloons. You may try them on your spouse/partner, your boss, your parents, your co-workers, your kids. And at the same time, those same people may well be performing their own dry runs and floating their own balloons over and upon you. In my work, and really, in my life everything is a dry run for what comes next.  Sometimes you float a trial balloon, and sometimes you leap, frightened and overjoyed, into the promising murk.
[1] dry run. Noun. 1. (Military) Military practice in weapon firing, a drill, or a manoeuvre without using live ammunition.  2. Informal a trial or practice, esp in simulated conditions; rehearsal.  (Collins English Dictionary  © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003)

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