Agreed that time “distorts.” Yorikke is being hostile here, and I don’t think he knows what he’s talking about.
I’ve never been in a gunfight, but I have been on the edge of a high precipice and started to lose my balance. Time very definitely “slowed down” for me, as I went into a foolish desperate windmilling of my arms to try to get my balance back.
(There was also a very nasty pang as the muscles in my belly snapped taut. That feeling in the “pit of your stomach” when you’re about to fall is incredibly unpleasant.)
I’ve been in other rock-climbing emergency situations, with pretty much the same time-distortion sensation. I once rescued someone else who was about to fall, and we both spoke of the same feeling.
I’ve never been in a gunfight, but I’ve watched one.
I lived on the sixth floor of an apartment building in Toronto. My apartment overlooked the parking lot. One night, I was awoken by a loud bang outside. With the lights out, I went to the window, and saw a few guys dodging around the cars in the parking lot. More bangs–and flashes–ensued, and it was obvious that they were shooting at each other. I called 911 (as did many others, apparently), and police were on the scene in minutes.
The TV news the next day informed me that Russian gangsters had decided to have a shootout in our parking lot.
When I was 15 my dad asked me to act as a guide for his coworker and the guy’s 13 year old son. It was small game season and my dad had prior obligations that day. We were spread out walking across the face of a hillside when a pheasant flushed, flying straight toward me.
The kid raised his shotgun and tracked the bird. I dove for the ground, going face first into a berry bush. The kid didn’t pull the trigger, but it was a scare. The kid’s dad beat the crap outa him, which was even scarier. That was the end of the hunt.
Maybe because we have never been in that situation?
In my time as a police officer there have been 2 officer involved shootings. I was involved in neither.
I have been in a few situations that could have gone either way but did not end up in gunfire.
As a soldier I guess you could say I’ve been lucky. Through just dumb luck my deployments have been relatively quiet due to my assignments (despite being combat arms). I have had gunfire and indirect fire sent in my general direction but I didn’t take it personally.
“They’re trying to kill me," Yossarian told him calmly.
“No one’s trying to kill you,” Clevinger cried.
“Then why are they shooting at me?” Yossarian asked.
“They’re shooting at everyone,” Clevinger answered. “They’re trying to kill everyone.”
"And what difference does that make?”
A few years ago, I observed a Marine training exercise in an Immersive Infantry Trainer. Here is a video of the types of exercises they do. Basically, there’s a warehouse made up to look like a Iraqi or Afghan village with actors playing locals, either friendly or not. The Marines and bad guys are armed with weapons that fire things that are kind of like paintballs. There are simulated RPGs, IEDs, and everything you can imagine.
So, I got all suited up in the helmet, vest, and other protective equipment, and a Marine basically pushed me around and told me where to stand as the squad did a patrol around this village. At one point, all the shopkeepers started to close up and go inside, and then suspicious people started to walk around. Like, 20 yards away is a guy with an AK-47 walking around. Is is a bad guy with an AK-47 or not? He’s not doing anything hostile, so the Marines couldn’t shoot him…
Anyways, after a few more minutes all hell breaks loose. AK-47s start firing, Marines are shooting back, it’s fairly dark, there’s smoke obscuring your vision, explosions are going off all over the place – absolute goddamn chaos. The Marines were kicking in doors and trying to flank the positions where the bad guys were thought to be, and I have this Marine yelling in my ear, “Move forward! Go in here! Stay here! Get up!” and so on.
I can’t even begin to tell you if the simulated firefight lasted 2 minutes or 10. Time most assuredly did not slow down in my experience, it was total sensory overload. How the Marines could make tactical decisions – go in this building, not that one – let alone even SEE the simulated enemy was completely beyond my capability at that point. The experience was more like being on a completely intense rollercoaster ride or in a disorienting disco with flashing lights and extreme noise, but “bullet time?” Not for me, but maybe for the well-trained Marines.
I have been gunless in one gunfight (fucked up my knee-- but not with a bullet) and in between a person and their intended shotee (who was gunless) on two different occasions.
