Laughing at people's misfortune

I think laughter often breaks the tension in situations like this. As long as people are laughing WITH rather than AT you - I think that's the important distinction here. I mean I know that if I had some sort of stupid fall in public, and as long as I wasn't lying on the ground seriously injured or something, I would much rather people smiled or laughed along with me as I composed myself (because I would always laugh at myself) rather than just stare or act akward.

However, I don't agree with laughing in a mocking or insulting manner at someone else's misfortune. Karma's gonna come right back round and kick you in the ass if you do!

Well I think that even if you do or you don't know the person, there is still a difference between laughing or smiling along with them sympathetically to overcome an akward situation or laughing in a mocking tone (as in pointing and laughing and making rude comments). I can usually tell the difference anyway.

For example, when I had a pretty embarrassing fall down some steps in the middle of a lecture hall, everyone went dead quiet, apart from a few scoffs from some people down the back (they were laughing at me). Then I got up, laughing to ease my embarrassment, and it helped to see my friends and others smiling or laughing while asking if I was ok (so they were laughing with me). It just made what could have been a really embarrassing situation far far less embarrassing, than if the only laughs I has gotten were those who were mocking me.

The-Rigger wrote:

I very very very rarely finding it amusing when someone falls over/hurts themself, I just don't get it? They even dedicate sh1t tv programs to people falling over padding pools and run a crap laughter track over it.

Guess it's not my thing.

QFT !

I'm a sucker for those programmes - You've Been Framed, outtakes, whatever it is. I am guaranteed to cry with laughter at every one of them.

By the same token, if I fall or something embarrassing happens to me - I have no problem laughing at myself or what happened.

I think it depends on the situation though. With Youve Been Framed or whatever, the owner of the tape has obviously sent it in as a source of amusement. Fine. People that appear in blooper reels have to give the go-ahead for it to be shown. Fine. Bullying. Not fine. Laughing at a serious injury or a situation that has a serious outcome. Not fine.

While, as i said, it does depend on the situation, I think some people take things too seriously when you could do with a bit of laughter. If you fell on a bus or in the street or whatever, and you're in a position to get up and walk away and you don't get a laugh out of it, you need to lighten up!

I was running back from lunch one day down Nassau Street and it had just been raining. I clipped a slippy kerb having bounded across the road, and had the mother of all falls. Interestingly enough, 2 people stepped over me as I gathered my thoughts on the path outside Trinity. As for me? I cried with laughter imagining what it must have looked like. Laughing helped to ease the pain of a busted knee AND ego!

Just recently, a Spanish student fell from the top step of a double decker bus and did a free fall flat on her back in the aisle downstairs. She and her friends were in hysterics, when it appeared she was okay, so were a lot of other people (including me!) - until we realised that she had broken the handle off a childs buggy in the aisle and was too ignorant to apologise for doing it. In fact the girl and her mates just laughed at the lady trying to figure out if it could be fixed or not....No longer funny.

I think my most embarrassing moment HAS to be in the cinema. I was sitting towards the back. I went down to go to the toilet and was concentrating so much on not falling on the steps, that I never took note of where I should be going, and ended up at the curtain. Thinking it was the exit, I fumbled about looking for a way out through the curtain in front of a packed cinema for what seemed like several minutes. Then I turned around to see rows of people dissolving with laughter, and my sister with her hands over her face.
The only thing I could do was go back up the steps past everyone and back up to my seat. I nearly DIED with embarrassment, but could instantly see the funny side, and so did everyone else! I couldnt care if they were laughing with me or at me. It was funny!!!!!

Hagar wrote:

A good friend of mine fell down the stairs on the 19A as it went around a corner.
He broke his back. Thankfully he recovered after 6 months. No one laughed.

That's terrible! Understandable that no one laughed, it isn't funny in the least.

Good for you!

Laugh away, as others will laugh at you. I'd call you a fncking idiot except that it would get me a ban.