DEAR MISS MANNERS: I suffered a fall at a social gathering. I got hurt pretty badly and ended up with large scrapes and bruises for over a week. I’m lucky I did not break a bone, but I was pretty shaken up.
When I later shared this news with close friends, two of them started laughing hysterically. I said that I was ultimately okay, considering how serious the fall was (not that they asked).
I know that there are endless videos online of people falling down, and that these cause laughter, but this is something I shared with people close to me. When did it become acceptable to laugh out loud when someone is describing an event that could have caused serious injury? Am I missing something?
GENTLE READER: How funny is your telling of the story?
Miss Manners understands that any humor was unintentional, but perhaps your friends misconstrued your tone.
Setting them straight -- by looking at them quizzically and repeating that the experience was frightening and painful -- is about the most you can do. But no, it is not acceptable to laugh at others’ misfortunes. Even the online videos give disclaimers that no one was harmed in their making.
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(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)
