# We're at Yellow Alert! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 13, 2002, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979 "2002-03-13T03:21:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/1 "2002-03-13T03:21:42Z")
Yes, Captain Tom Ridge has declared that the United States is at Yellow Alert. Therefore we are raising shields, remodulating the phase inducer and setting our phasers on stun. _Lights dim slightly, yellow warning lights flash, lots of people trot back and forth across the bridge._ All leaves are cancelled until further notice. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/2 "2002-03-13T04:22:05Z")
Yellow? A mere pithy . . . Fahshaw, I say. Just wait until we get ourselves into a tepia or a mauve! Heaven forbid a sienna!! ☹ Tripler Or worse yet, a _burnt_ sienna! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/3 "2002-03-13T05:37:56Z")
I don’t get it. Is this some kind of joke or reference to a movie I haven’t seen? If not, then why, praytell, are we at yellow alert? ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/4 "2002-03-13T05:47:06Z")
1. Yes, we really are at yellow alert. [Look here for details.](http://www.msnbc.com/news/722894.asp?cp1=1) 2. The OP is making a Star Trek reference. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/5 "2002-03-13T07:52:57Z")
And he got the colors out of spectral order–I hate when they do that! Green should go **between** blue and yellow. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/6 "2002-03-13T08:05:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dr. Rieux \* > \*\*And he got the colors out of spectral order–I hate when they do that! > Green should go **between** blue and yellow. \*\* That was really bugging me too! ---
**Author:** ![GopherGod72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f0a364/32.png) [@GopherGod72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GopherGod72)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/7 "2002-03-13T08:08:56Z")
Yes, but how does this corrolate to the DOOMSDAY clock!!! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!! Run away! Run away! Were all gonna die! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/8 "2002-03-13T14:05:02Z")
I hope we don’t go to red alert. Who’s going to change all those bulbs? ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/9 "2002-03-13T14:50:55Z")
Considering the administration that’s running the country, our current alert stage should be a shitty shade of brown. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/10 "2002-03-13T15:54:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Osiris \* > That was really bugging me too! I’m glad I wasn’t the only one! ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/11 "2002-03-13T20:53:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RTFirefly \* > I’m glad I wasn’t the only one! Wanna bet George W. Bush picked the colors? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/12 "2002-03-14T03:41:32Z")
I see that I’m in good comapany. The first thing I said after reading about the alert system is "shouldn’t blue be the lowest alert, not green ? Given that Dubya is running the show, I should be glad that he got the yellow, orange, red part right. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/13 "2002-03-14T03:53:50Z")
This system was an awful idea. As soon as we go to green or blue alert, it will be a signal to all terrorists that we have let down our guard. Bad, bad, bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![miatachris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@miatachris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miatachris)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/14 "2002-03-14T03:55:34Z")
“Bridge, how can you have a yellow alert in Spacedock?” ---
**Author:** ![ShadowWarrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7993a0/32.png) [@ShadowWarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowWarrior)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/15 "2002-03-14T11:56:02Z")
I saw a story about this alert system this morning… being a brit, I didn’t pay much attention, but a few thoughts sprung to mind: 1. It took 6 months to come up with that? 2. The UK has had a similar system in place for as long as anyone can remember… the lowest level is black, the highest red. 3. The colours were in the wrong order (already been pointed out, I know but it annoys me) 4. The article I read described Ridge as a ‘Terror Expert’… sounds scary! In response to the trek theme in the OP, I’d like to raise the following question: Why is it that as soon as an emergency comes up, they turn off all the nice bright lights, and switch on dim red ones so no-one can see what they’re doing… ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/16 "2002-03-14T14:47:24Z")
Okay, I’m glad to see I’m not the only geek bothered by the colors being taken out of spectrum order. Whew. ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/17 "2002-03-14T14:52:34Z")
Shadow Warrior: In the military it’s done for two reasons that I’m aware of. 1) The red light makes you less visible to the enemy. 2) If you get hit and your power goes out, the red light will leave your night vision intact, making it easier to see in the dark. Having your bright-white lights go out at night will leave you sightless for a while–not a good thing in combat. Also speaking from military perspective, we always seem to use green to indicate a good status, so the colors make sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowWarrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7993a0/32.png) [@ShadowWarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowWarrior)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/18 "2002-03-14T16:15:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by flyboy88 \* > **Shadow Warrior: In the military it’s done for two reasons that I’m aware of. 1) The red light makes you less visible to the enemy. 2) If you get hit and your power goes out, the red light will leave your night vision intact…[snip]** Ok, I understand that for present-day military, but why does Star Trek use the same principle? 1) They’re in a space-ship, without windows - the enemy can’t see them regardless of lighting conditions inside. 2) if the power goes out, then so do their terminal screens (even if only the lights go, the screens are illuminated). And with the power out, life support will be failing, along with shields, weapons etc, etc… Sorry for slightly hijacking the thread, BTW… ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/19 "2002-03-14T16:38:22Z")
Ah yes, the colors. My first thought was, “Doesn’t **anyone** remember ROY G BIV?” I think whoever did this needs to go back to kindergarten fingerpainting… ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979/20 "2002-03-14T17:09:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ShadowWarrior \* > \*\* > > Ok, I understand that for present-day military, but why does Star Trek use the same principle? 1) They’re in a space-ship, without windows - the enemy can’t see them regardless of lighting conditions inside. 2) if the power goes out, then so do their terminal screens (even if only the lights go, the screens are illuminated). And with the power out, life support will be failing, along with shields, weapons etc, etc… > > Sorry for slightly hijacking the thread, BTW… \*\* Well, aside from it looking kinda cool, I’d say the only logical reason is that it lets everyone know what’s going on, just in case they can’t hear that stupid claxon going off. I’d be able to deal with the lights, but that damn sound would drive me crazy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-at-yellow-alert/97979.md?page=2)