Do People Laugh At the Things That They Fear Most?

Thank you

People handle things differently....

Often, maybe even majority of the time, how we go through life and how we react to them are more likely due to us dealing with it, instead of enjoying it, if you look at the overall perspective of the news and what we realize how reality is deep down and how tragic it could be for any of us. Any of us could be dead tomorrow, and every one of us deep down knows it will happen. Their are other things in life we don't want to think about, but it is put upon us, either by the news, what someone tells us, what happens in our own families, etc, etc. No escaping it. It doesn't have to be death, their are other things, like disease, violence, etc, etc, that we deal with.

People deal or react to things by crying, others violently, others get depressed, others do drugs, cut their wrists, masturbate, lift weights, drink......or laugh.

The girl who made the "Do the Schiavo" site used to be a heroine addict and suffers from depression, so she most likely have gone through some trauma in her life, and maybe laughing has replaced that outlet to deal or react to things. I'd rather be laughing than doing heroine. Theirs others ways to deal or react, but that's just her way and some other people's way, not everyone's way.

I am sure all the people who laughed, would not laugh if they knew Schiavo personally or was in the same room as her family. But like the girl who did the "Do the Schiavo" site, said, "We can't take on the pain of everyone in this world." If each of us tried to do that, we'd never laugh cause we know tragedy happens somewhere everyday. So instead of shooting up heroine, getting depressed, binge eating, cutting, or getting violent, she laughs.

It being at the expense of others is what makes it wrong!

Well, I've read the original thread from whence this discussion started, and all of the posts within this thread. All I can give is MY reaction and opinion to both threads.

Firstly, I did look at the original site that was posted by Chris. To not have done so, I would not be able to give an objective opinion on it. Personally, I was not amused in the slightest. Quite frankly, I feel sadness for those who can find humour in this sort of thing. One could not possibly have any empathy for the deceased.

What can one say? We live in a "free" society where one is able to produce sites like this. So, we must be tolerant, I guess. But, is there a "line" that should not be crossed? Perhaps during WW2, there were great laughs to be had, by some, making fun of the Jews while they were being gassed to death in the concentration camps. I'm sure most would be outraged at such a thought.

It is strange what some find funny. There's absolutely no accounting for some tastes. I find it repugnant. Someone else snickers.

Secondly, this thread. I somewhat agree that some will laugh at things /situations that they fear. I suppose it's a way of coping.

For me, like Montana, I would not react that way. Why? Because I would have empathy for the person(s) going through the particular situation. I'm just not wired that way. Are others? Sure, but, and I'm getting back to the point I made earlier, where do you draw the "line"?

I would fear being gassed to death. Would you have laughed at pictures of people imitating Jews dying in gas chambers? I wouldn't. Would you?

Where do YOU draw the "line" about what is in good taste to laugh about?

Excellent post Reyn!

I see I am lolling about in the middle.

I think anything at all is subject for laughter.
<Me who is gathering renown as a whiner about threads making people uncomfortable>

I think some of it is a relief from horror, or a gasp or clasp against the broadsides of daily inundation.
And some of it is plain mean for various plain mean reasons.
And some is of mixed composition, maybe just word or image play from someone thinking lightly at the time, and some of it is plain light hearted.

Some of it hurts the sensitive person, which may not happen to be the one who is dead or handicapped, but is still a person carrying emotions of sorrow, et al.

Separate from this is the question of rudeness. My business partner is one who fairly recently surprised me with quibbles about people being rude. Huh? I forget the context, but remember feeling surprised that that was her particular gripe.
On rude I am mixed. I am being rude and insensitive, I would guess, by my comments on the papal election, if read by people who find joy in it.
I am not very sorry.

What I think this minute is that people who find something rude or tacky have play on the same space as those who have needs to express themselves with gross or otherwise insensitive humor. It's a continuum, until one gets into TOS matters, which tend to have to do with ad hominem slurs.

On the matter of opening windows to let ill emanations flow out, let the windows be open all the time.




And what is a TAB?

Temporarily Able Bodied. It's what some handicapped people call "normal" people. It alludes to the fact that age ends up making even the strongest of us handicapped...eventually.

As for the discussion. I laugh at almost anything. I quite often am the only person in a situation laughing. I didn't laugh at that Schiavo thing, not because I found it offensive, just because it's not a very good joke.

Thanks, I had actually seen that before and forgotten when I saw the initials.

I'm not saying you're saying this, but i'm curious if you think your way is better than our way, or just merely different? Massive amounts of people around the world are dying each day. Again, if we thought about that stuff everyday, because everyday many people die tragically, then everyday would be "Oh maan, not again, why did this happen again?" That is a hard burden on the mind to take every single day. The mind wants to be in a place, if given a choice, to be happy, and laughing, and if one can reach that, despite it's obstacles, it will go in that direction.

A kid being molested had less control of it happening than Terri did by starving herself, but late night talk show hosts makes jokes about Michael molesting boys to the entire country, most giggling I bet, and with the audience laughing, but when it comes to Terri, oooohhh, it's supposed to be absolutely shocking and horrible. You don't see the hipocrisy?

We are being influence to feel something much more than the thought of boys being molested because Terri was being shoved in our faces by the media and our politicians. It's like a freak circus. And we didn't turn it like that, they made it like that. We are merely responding to what they were shoving into our faces.

If Terri wasn't pushed into our faces so much, their would be no websites about it and the family could personally deal with it on their own.

So where do we draw the line on ethics or morals? We can't. Why? Because their is no complete or concrete definition how every person views it in life.

Chris
What on earth makes you think that those of us who are not laughing at this are laughing at Michael molesting boys jokes or jokes of that nature?

I know it's good to laugh in life. In fact, I make a point of laughing as much as possible, but never at the cost of other peoples feelings. There are so very many things to laugh about that laughing at other peoples expense is just plain mean!

I just read your other thread where you caught your son's friend saying something sexual about you, and you told your son and you both had a laugh about it and you said you think his friend is in "panic."

Now being in panic, which I've been in those situations before, when I was a younger, could be a very horrible feeling to be in, but at HIS expense, you got laughter from it.

I'm not saying what you did was wrong, I would have laughed with you, but what you said in that thread and what you say in this one comes across hipocritical.

That's bullshit! It is so far from the same thing! I'm talking about making jokes about people in tragic situations and you're comparing that to giving a guy who insulted my most private area a taste of his own medicine! Oh please!

Ofcourse it's not exactly the same situation, so what you're saying is that it's okay to laugh at another person's expense as long as you are getting back at them for doing something to you.

Well, for a lot of us, we are getting back at the media, the politicians, and everyone who falls for their propaganda bs by laughing at it for throwing it in our faces.

You've gotta be kidding!

I need to remove myself from these threads right now because this is just plain unhealthy for me to continue with.

But before I go, I want to add that I was teaching a young man a lesson on being careful about who he makes fun of because it just might come right back and hit him in the face!
I am not the type of person who seeks revenge!

Nah, no need to remove yourself, we are just trading opinions, this is not fight club. I might be able to learn something from you and vice versa by open discussion. Part of evolution :wink:

I guess we have different definition of what we do. And I was wrong to say we are getting back at the media and politicians, because now that I think about it, I doubt they care, what we do are mere responses, whatever the situation is, and we each handle it different ways.

Oh man, now I'm sounding politically correct, puke.

Chris does have a point...A very slight and almost none existent correlation but somewhat similar in the fact that what you found to be funny, someone else might find to be mean. So it goes back to Reyn's point...where DO you draw the line?

However.....
I thought it was frickin' hilarious. A taste of his own medicine that won't scar him for life (the statement I made on that thread about it was a joke).

But someone might think that you should have just let it go because you know his intent was not to be mean to you. But you responded and it was funny. Don't think I am saying you are being hypocritical because I am not. I am just saying that no matter what you do or say, someone will be pissed.

The point should be where do you draw the line when it goes from the person being an ignorant fool to being a heartless monster?

Yep -- only thing to add is that it emphasizes that something could happen before you reach old age, too. Car accident, disease, victim of assault... Nobody's immune.

btw, I have no desire to antagonize Montana further and certainly hope she sticks around, but did want to say that Chris, I've enjoyed reading your contributions here. I don't remember seeing you explain your thinking at such length before -- more of a tendency to post one-liners or news items -- and you're good at it. Would love to see more of it.