President Obama previously claimed that the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime in Syria would signify a “red line”, which would result in a response. But apparently there has been some use of chemical weapons, and we’re not doing anything about it. All the news shows are abuzz with this story today. But this is not necessarily inconsistent with President Obama’s statement. You see, this all has to do with one’s eye for color.
Look, for most people, a red line is a red line. But for a color expert, a purported “red line” may not really be red after all. It might simply be a scarlet line, or maybe a crimson line. It may even be just a carmillion line. Or, perhaps it’s only like a magenta line, a fuchsia line, or even a maroon line. And in that case, we’re not obliged to do anything about it.
And that’s why these color consultants earn the big bucks at the Pentagon. Because after all, their color perception of the line could mean the difference between war and peace for American soldiers, so they’ve got to get it right. So they pull out their fan decks and try to match the line’s color absolutely accurately, which can take some doing, and a color system from every paint and print system imaginable. And how they judge the color’s hue can mean life or death for many people! (Now that’s some serious responsibility!)
