Is it wrong to laugh????

[BFR]

Here is a point for debate.

 

This evening I went to an advance screening of the film Team America, which for those who don't know about it is Thunderbirds done by the South Park creators without political correctness. In one scene terrorists attack the Panama Canal with WMDs causing lots of people to drown as the water swept inland. In keeping with the rest of the film I found this funny, particularly when the wooden puppets of both people and animals were floating around in water. However, it soon became clear I was the only person in the packed cinema laughing.

 

Perhaps I was the least sensitive person in the place but surely something that would have been hilarious to everybody two weeks ago is still funny today, despite the terrible events in Asia. If it is funny to see a puppet of Michael Moore being a suicide bomber why is it seemingly wrong to the majority to laugh at floating bits of wood?

 

I've made donations, I've said prayers for the first time in years and observed the three minutes silence for four and a half minutes as it appeared the people in my office were running from a different clock. However when I laugh at something instinctively because it is funny it apparently makes me an insensitive [censored]. Am I the only person who can distinguish between fantasy and reality? Everybody in the cinema was pissing themselves at the song about everybody having AIDS even though 1 person dies of that every 10 seconds (World Health Organisation).

 

People should stop being so fecking uptight and worried about being politically correct all the time.

[American FLEET FAN No1]

Laughter is usually the tonic for disaster!

I have just watched ther Day after Tomorrow, i didn't laugh, but i didn't think i shouldn't watch it because of the Tsunami in Asia!

[Barry Scott]

have to go with BFR, as having watched the 'Making Of' docu about the film I know exactly what he's talking about and what's worse I probably would have laughed as well.

[MbrunoB]

It used to be refered to as black humour but I suppose someone now would complain about that term now. Dosen't stop it being funny though.

[Burnham Lad]

Interesting point BFR!

 

A few days ago, King of Cr@p put some sick Tsunami jokes on this forum. I read them and despite the obvious sorrow I have felt for the poor victims, I could not help but smile at them. This is my sense of humour. I suppose that insensitivity is really not about whether you find it funny or not, but if you don't realise that your laughing out loud will offend other people. particularly those directly affected.

 

I remember once in a job I had, it was me who had to break the news to one of our employees that his wife had been killed in a road accident. He burst into laughter, which totally threw me and a colleague, as it was not a reaction we expected. It soon became clear that this actually was a hysterical reaction to the news and things rapidly turned to tears.

 

On another occasion, a guy died of a heart attack in the village where my in-laws lived and it was cut off by snow at the time, so the undertakers took his body down the 1 in 4 hill on a sledge they had borrowed from a local kid. His wife was killing herself with genuine laughter and said "This situation would have really creased him up - he would love going out like this!" Some people were shocked by her attitude, but some understood perfectly.

 

I suppose that point of these stories is that one never even knows completely how any of us will react to a particular situation, you may be calm and matter of fact one minute and in tears the next, there are so many variables which affect it.

 

So as you say, if it was funny last week it is still funny today, but according to the person, their current circumstances at the time and the situation, we may or may not laugh - but others will make judgements on our sensitivity according to their own perception!

[Barry Scott]

I put some Tsunami jokes on here? I didn't!

[vienna1964]

It was Woody WEFC who put up the tsunami jokes

[The Invisible Man]

I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the proverbial head, Andrew. It all depends, so to speak. I always find sick disaster jokes very funny, but I would not call myself insensitive - quite the opposite, I think. We all react differently and many of us find humour in just about everything. Often humour is a natural human response to tragedy, disaster or intolerable conditions. Look at how much humour comes from the poorest or most disadvantaged peoples and places.

 

A few days after the Invisible Dad died, just before Christmas a few years ago, the Invisible Mum came round for dinner etc and we were watching One Foot in the Grave. Of course it was the one where Margaret Meldrew falls off a ladder and has a heart attack, and Victor thinks she's copped it when the bleepy thing goes flatline. We'd had all that drama a couple of days previously and you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife! Now we didn't find that fummy, but no doubt umpteen milllion other people did, and good luck to them.

 

The point is, someone somewhere is bound to have a painful memory of something, no doubt someone has a much loved dog with no nose, or whose wife ran off to the West Indies of her own accord, but it doesn't affect everyoe else.

[Dominic]

Quote:

It was Woody WEFC who put up the tsunami jokes

No surprise there then! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/icon13.gif" alt="" />

[Woody SUFC]

Why's that not a surprise Dom?

 

I've got plenty more if ya want them...

[Barry Scott]

Erm, how's about no douchebag

[Mark (Flag) Braintree]

King of Crap, that is two posts running I have seen you answer with "douchebag" and one yesterday, Roger Rebel has a competitor for Slough Catchphrase award. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[Burnham Lad]

Apologies to King of Cr@p and Woody! So where's the rest then, Woody, but put 'em in the Laughter Lounge!

[Barry Scott]

any excuse to call someone a douchebag

[Big J R]

Laugh And Th World Laughs With You !

 

Cry, And No-one Gives A F*ck !!

 

Q.E.D.