Pain = Funny (I must be an Alien)

[Jerrymac]

Jerry, it really sounds like you are serious when you say you don't understand how other people's misery can make others laugh.  I cannot answer this question for you.  But, I know that it makes me laugh, I am not mean-hearted or narry a nasty bone in my body, but these things make me laugh.  Do they seriously not make you?  Maybe those sleep issues have affected you in different ways.  I think that good belly laughing at things that happen to people are good.  Now and then there are times when things are so awful that they are not funny, and most people don't laugh, they just say something like "awe, oh no", only certain bad things that happen to people are funny and there is a fine line.  Have a wonderful and greatest of day.  Cindi

I find a lot of things funny. If, in a sit-com, the actor is (fake) injured, falls, or what ever as a gag, then I might find it funny. (if done right)

I hope my humor shows through in some of my post here. (someone once said they liked my humor  )

BUT.....

I have witnessed people falling and everyone bursting into laughter. My first concern is to get over there and make sure the person is OK or help if help is needed. The victim might even give a chuckle while they themselves don't find it at all funny. (Forgot what that sort of natural reaction is called.)

Back in High School we had a Peep Rally inside the auditorium (bad weather) we were all standing when a guy across the aisle and two rows in front of me jumped up and over the arm rest of his seat and landed in the aisle. Students laughed as he lay there twitching from an epileptic seizure. I found nothing funny about that.

My wife watches a lot of those shows like "Country fried home videos" and "America's funniest videos" and.... umm...  I think there might be another.... and her and my daughter will sit and laugh and laugh. Yes I know these were sent in because the people involved thought they were funny ...but.... at first on each incident I feel the person's pain. I then wonder what the person was thinking and worry about the course of the human race. AND THEN..... I have to wonder why someone would put that out there so the world can see what idiots they are for doing that stupid stunt, and yes I feel sorry for them.

I added "I must be an alien" to the title because I have been thinking about starting a series with that title. It is about how I feel different from people and how I do not understand people. Watch for more titles of "I must be an Alien" some will be interesting. Some will be funny. And I am sure that some of them are really gonna make people mad at me. And a few might make you want to report me to the looney bin .

[Cindi]

Jerry, oh, you know that old saying "different strokes for different folks".  Nothing wrong with the way you think.  When a bad thing befalls someone that I see, at the time I don't think it funny either.  Not one little bit.  But, if that was caught on a videotape, looking at it again would make me chuckle.  I don't think getting hurt is funny, not one little bit, I know what you are trying to portray.  But anyways, I am like you too, in that if someone is injured even in the slightest, the instinct to help rises to the top, I think that is common to most of us humans.  You have made some interesting comments in this post, good.  Have a great and wonderful day.  Cindi

[KONASDAD]

I agree w/ you. I think it has to do w/ the  inner relief its not you. Being embarrased is biologically scarry on an inner level. Its loking in the mirror and we laugh because to do nothing is worse. Just a thought.

[Scadsobees]

Sometimes it is about not understanding why a person is acting weird.  I had a similar situation at work at a stand-in-a-circle meeting, some guy started acting weird and staggering into the circle.  First response is that its funny, then the question of why he's doing that I don't think the boss will appreciate it, and then oh, somethings wrong because now he's on his face, all in about 2 seconds.  Then there's nervous laughter.

High school? Don't take that as an example.  We were all idiots back then (well, I'll admit I was, even if I would have been concerned).  Any weirdo could have been acting out that just for laughs, and most probably thought that that is what was happening.

As far as pain goes...if I know didn't turn out well, then I can't laugh.  But if the outcome was good, I'll take the lesson and then laugh about it.  I figure if it made it onto americas funniest videos that it turned out fine and we can laugh.  Sometimes I do just groan and think "that musta hurt"....

When I do a stupid, I find it easier to laugh about it than to sit there and whip myself over what I did.

Rick

[wayne]

   There is something in the human nature that the mis-fortune of others can bring about laughter. On the TV programs you mention many of the people are doing something stupid to start with and we laugh when they fail. And in real life we actually know the people and we react with concern.
   TV is aimed at a child level mind. One because that is the largest  audience, and two because human play, whatever the age of the player, is often at a childs level.
  The Roman's watched death in the arena and laughed and cheered, not because they lacked compassion, but because they were watching people they did not know or think of as equals. Ever watch a news broadcast about the death of a school aged kid? You see several friends in tears and the rest, who did not know them, just going about their lives. We often do much the same thing when we see someone fall, for the simple reason we don't know them or care about them personally.

[reinbeau]

I can't watch AFV without cringing.  Jerry, I know exactly what you mean.  My first thoughts if I see something going on that has bad potential is 'are they ok?  are they all right?'.  My first impulse is never to laugh.  I think I have too much empathy or something.

Now, if it's a setup, like some of the Youtube idiots out there, you know, "Hey, Bubba, hold my beer and watch this" garbage then yes, I'll laugh, but if it particularly violent or you know it had to hurt then I still cringe - after the initial chuckle. 

[Brian D. Bray]

A lot of people think practical jokes are funny--I don't.  I think they are cruel tricks played with the excuse of humor.  Humor can have many forms, and we even look back and laugh at some of the terrible antics we lived through because we lived through them.  But to laugh at cruelty is and never will be, IMO, funny,