I want to share a few thoughts on why the fight-scene is unspooling the way it is.
I am not proud of the fact but I have been in some "scuffles", even as an adult. Things happen. Grown-ups do what they have to do.
The more intense the scuffle, the less I remembered.
In one of them, it was a draw. We were separated. My shirt was in tatters. I had a bite-mark on my boob. I remember nothing between the decision-to-launch and being separated. Nothing.
If you get concealed weapon training, the instructors are likely to talk about "auditory exclusion" and "tunnel of vision narrowing". It is a biological/survival thing where your brain shuts down all functions that are not immediately concerned with main task-at-hand.
When in a situation where your immediate demise is a very, real possibility, you are your own worst witness. Another great reason to shut-up and ask for your lawyer. Let me repeat, you are not a mediocre witness, you are a very-bad, terrible, horrible, ignorant witness.
Yeah, I know....the stories about life passing before your eyes, things happen in slow motion...
But what else can you do when you are strapped into a car? Are able to explain how the steering wheel got bent or the Wendy's frosty managed to paint the back window of the minivan?
So the usual process of "watching" the principal actor (Brett) and giving partial glimpses into his thinking was not believable to me. There is no thinking. Brett cannot tell you what happened so sharing the story by having him tell Bunny was not believable to me.
That is why you get Brett calling for Bunny. Brett has a project to manage and he hands it off to Bunny. That is why we are getting the story in bits-and-pieces as Bunny cleans up the mess. Bunny is getting the story in a non-linear fashion and is reconstructing the sequence in a herky-jerky fashion.
A short series of posts about Stress by this guy:
"Thank you for visiting Situational Awareness Matters! I’m Rich Gasaway and I am a speaker, author, blogger, podcaster, researcher and consultant. I have been a fire and EMS provider for my entire adult life.
Because my research topic revolved around the neuroscience of decision
making I had to study a lot of “B.S.” (Brain Science). It was an
epiphany for me to learn that decision making in high stress
environments was more a neuroscience topic than a leadership topic."
Stress: The Nemesis of Situational Awareness
I hope that the "fire provider" does not provide the fire at the same time he is providing EMS ! Unless it is a hypothermia case.
ReplyDeleteMy only complaint is having to wait 24 hours for the next turn. Would sending you a box of nine .. dominos make you work faster?
ReplyDeleteERJ- you do not need to explain anything. Your stories are fine and much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteDittos re I much appreciate your stories, too! Also appreciate the discussion in the comments such as "brain science" in fights and stressful situations.
ReplyDeleteMakes me think and I don't think most of us get enough of that.
Very well done.
ReplyDeleteThere are reasons that cops have been involved in a duty-related shooting lawyer up before talking to Standards and Practices, or whatever they call IA these days. It's way to easy to talk yourself into a jail term in these circumstances.
Always have the number of several attorneys you can trust in your contact list. Be sure you have talked to them before hand, even briefly, and have exchanged currency for the privilege.
I hate that you can't edit comments.
Delete"cops that have" and "way too easy", if you please.