You Just Can't Help It Sometimes...

What is it about watching another person, another human being--an imperfect human, such as yourself, that has the same flaws, problems, and vices as you do--fall? Why is it so DAMNED funny??? I mean hey...sometimes it can't be avoided. Sometimes it happens in extremely dangerous, unfunny situations...but the vast majority of people falling is too insanely hilarious not to gratuitously watch over and over on YouTube (GooTube for you geeks)...

I mean...there are those falls where when it happens you're kind of shocked, shouting some nuance of "DAMN!", or "oh snap!", or "Their legs don't work apparently!"; and for a wistfully poetic moment in your life, you actually feel slightly sorry for the victim. The fall itself comes out of seemingly nowhere ("But she was wearing flats!") However it all soon passes and you shake your head, recounting that it was more amusing than sad. Kind of like this:



Than there are those downright gut-wrenching, laugh-until-you-cant-breathe type of fall that is pure comedy gold. Just a true classic that you can always appreciate. A great pick-me-up type of funny that no matter what mood you're in--if you see the fall, you will be instantly happy. Instantly--no questions asked--Despite the fact that the victim may have twisted their ankle in 5 places in the process. But hey, I'm no doctor:



To throw a wrench in the laugh-works, there's the type of unfortunate violent stumble, that actually makes you cringe in a bad way, and compels you to help that poor, poor uncoordinated soul. Case in point[and oddly enough...]:




Finally, you have your multi-tude of falls that, when they occur, the faller displays a self-effacing attitude; either acknowledging the fact that they looked like a complete jackass, but that they believe they are too cool for all that (Cause it's them, ya know?), or because they ignore that the fall even occurred:



[For my own reasons, I will NOT post the Beyonce fall. I've seen it played on every squarish box that displays picture and video, ad nauseum. I don't care that it falls into the "i just fell and ate dirt, but im too fly for this sh!t" category. If you don't like it--go find someone on blackplanet who cares.]

So from there I leave you to come up with your own assessments. Are people wrong for laughing when people fall? Should we all learn to be better, outstanding citizens and refuse to laugh? Let's take a pledge...and oath...say no to laughing on other people's follies. Say no to partaking in the joyous laughter that occurs out of the expense of someone else's short ride through Bad Luck Town....because hey...we are all human...


To hell with that--I'm gonna laugh.


PS - Do NOT allow your TV to be on the Bravo network past 10pm...DO NOT...