Dear E, and by extension dear other members of the thread, just logged on and started the foreseeably lengthy task of reading through what appears to be a heated debate on whether or not one "should" make morbid, insensitive jokes about the death of JFK Jr., his wife and her sister.
Out of curiousity, I ran a search, and see that no one has mentioned schadenfreude here since May, remember, taking joy in other's misfortunes. It's such an innate part of human nature that there's a word for it, albeit a German word, but one that English speakers have adopted because it serves a need. In this case, I have called it "whistling past the graveyard." It's also the "there but for the grace of God go I" phenomenon.
And I wonder, dear Coug, Mel, JP, and all others offended by Steven's jokes, did you ever make fun of Ronald Reagan's forgetfulness? Ever laugh at Jerry Ford when he fell down the stairs of Air Force One? Ever laugh at George H. Bush when he vomited on the Japanese dignitary? Just curious . . . . |
