# Am I a bad person if I find this funny? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 21, 2006, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601 "2006-04-21T12:57:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pazu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pazu/32/15522_2.png) [@Pazu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pazu)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/21 "2006-04-21T19:11:54Z")
Soon we’ll see this email circulating: > [@](#): > > WARNING TO LADIES > > Ladies be very careful … > > WARNING !!! > > If a man comes to your front door and says he is conducting a survey and asks you to show him your tits DO NOT SHOW HIM YOUR TITS. This is a scam and he is only trying to SEE YOUR TITS. > > I wish I’d got this yesterday. I feel so stupid and cheap now. (Shamelessly cribbed from another board.) ---
**Author:** ![Pazu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pazu/32/15522_2.png) [@Pazu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pazu)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/22 "2006-04-21T19:25:13Z")
> [@Doctor Who](#): > > Anyways - this jerk targeted women who didn’t speak English very well and who weren’t apprised of their rights OR the customs of this country. > > He’s an asshole. And you’re an asshole if you think the situation is funny after reading those illuminative facts. Dammit. Missed this post on preview. :smack: Apologies for the preceding post, and I’ll try to sneak in a s’mores kit to share while we’re all roasting… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/23 "2006-04-21T19:26:34Z")
I should let this go, but I never do. > [@Doctor Who](#): > > He’s an asshole. And you’re an asshole if you think the situation is funny after reading those illuminative facts. No, you’re an asshole if you think that it’s okay, or that these women deserved what they got. Getting a chuckle out of the situation doesn’t make you an asshole. I don’t feel bad for laughing a little. > [@](#): > > Substitute “children” or “the mentally retarded” for “women who don’t speak English very well” and see if you’re still chuckling. I won’t say I do, but do you think people don’t laugh at jokes like that? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/24 "2006-04-21T19:41:49Z")
> [@Doctor Who](#): > > Anyways - this jerk targeted women who didn’t speak English very well and who weren’t apprised of their rights OR the customs of this country. > > Substitute “children” or “the mentally retarded” for “women who don’t speak English very well” and see if you’re still chuckling. I think we can all agree that the fake doctor is one sick puppy. But the women weren’t retarded or children, so it’s not a fair comparison. If anyone that I know went to a foreign country where they didn’t speak the language, I would hope that they wouldn’t strip down for a random doctor making house calls. And if they did, I certainly wouldn’t accept the language barrior as an excuse. That would just make the story even funnier. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/25 "2006-04-21T19:48:22Z")
> [@Doctor Who](#): > > Sure, I know, these women were stupid. But targeting people who don’t know any better doesn’t make a crime “right” or “funny.” Substitute “children” or “the mentally retarded” for “women who don’t speak English very well” and see if you’re still chuckling. > The Doctor OK, you’re right. Targeting women who don’t speak English very well is definitely not funny. But conducting breast exams on mentally retarded children? Still funny. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/26 "2006-04-21T19:55:44Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Can I just say that I’m totally unsurprised this happened in Florida? Since it was Florida, maybe he could have, as a grand finale, shown the ladies his “hanging chad.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/27 "2006-04-21T19:59:25Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I should let this go, but I never do. That’s exactly how I always feel. _sigh_ I always read these threads with 20 or so posts with everybody agreeing and wonder if I should wade in. And most of the time I don’t make the effort. Just got up on a different side of the bed today I suppose. Actually, I agree with you Marley23 - “you’re an asshole if you think that it’s okay, or that these women deserved what they got.” I think that’s a good observation and I wish I’d typed it. In this case, I don’t think the situation is funny (after knowing all the facts) because I think that would be implying that these women deserved what they got. Or that the situation is “okay.” > [@](#): > > I won’t say I do, but do you think people don’t laugh at jokes like that? Sure. I know quite a few sick fucking jokes myself. Hell, I’ve invented some. But when they happen in real life, it’s not that they can’t be funny, it’s that you are a bad person for laughing at them. > [@Jackknifed Juggernaut](#): > > But the women weren’t retarded or children, so it’s not a fair comparison. If anyone that I know went to a foreign country where they didn’t speak the language, I would hope that they wouldn’t strip down for a random doctor making house calls. And if they did, I certainly wouldn’t accept the language barrior as an excuse. That would just make the story even funnier. I think my comparison is apt in the sense that these women didn’t know any better. You seem to take it for granted that anyone you know who went to a foreign country should know better. But I am arguing that it’s clear that these women didn’t know better. That makes this jerk a predator, and it makes the situation sad not funny. Finally, for **Pazu** and anybody who might be feeling guilty - don’t sweat it. I’m disagreeing, but I certainly don’t condemn you people for laughing or finding humor in this situation. The SDMB is basically composed of either (a) trivia or (b) wisecracks. I certainly am not offended by your laughter or your jokes. I’m not shrieking, or hystericalling, or dashing off to Church to pray for the heathen Dopers. I’m disagreeing. And yes, I know that hystericalling is not a real word. The OP simply asked: Am I a bad person for finding this funny? And the answer IMHO is yes. > [@Enderw24](#): > > But conducting breast exams on mentally retarded children? Still funny. No that’s not funny. Now if the breast exams were conducted on mentally retarded children who didn’t speak English… Badabumpbumpcha - you’ve got yourself a SDMB meme! The Doctor ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/28 "2006-04-21T20:05:51Z")
> [@Doctor Who](#): > > But when they happen in real life, it’s not that they can’t be funny, it’s that you are a bad person for laughing at them. Now we’re getting somewhere. This is what polite society says. But I think the truth is that if it’s funny, it can’t be wrong to laugh at it. You wouldn’t laugh in your friend’s face if her husband walked into an open manhole and died, but you wouldn’t be wrong to laugh about it later. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/29 "2006-04-21T20:15:07Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > This is what polite society says. But I think the truth is that if it’s funny, it can’t be wrong to laugh at it. You wouldn’t laugh in your friend’s face if her husband walked into an open manhole and died, but you wouldn’t be wrong to laugh about it later. Ah. I think we’re about to take the one-way train into semanticsville. But if that’s where we’re headed, so be it! Wrong? Is it wrong to laugh at something you find funny? I think that’s a whole different question than are you a “bad person” for laughing at this situation. Is it wrong to laugh at something you find funny? I dunno. Can it be “wrong?” If you find something funny and you can’t stop your laughter is it wrong? I don’t think so. It just is. It’s neither right or wrong. But can it be bad? You mention that if a friend’s husband walked into an open manhole and died you wouldn’t laugh in her face. I think we can agree that would be bad. It would probably make her feel horrible and think horribly of you. It may be only a result of societal norms, but it would be bad. But if you did laugh in her face, is it wrong? I think you’ve introduced an entirely new concept into our discussion. I apologize for all the rhetorical questions. Personally, I hate those things, but I think we’ve wandered into another world here. As I am wont to do. The Doctor ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/30 "2006-04-21T20:48:15Z")
He was an old guy, old school. Here’s the [New Way](http://www.jokesunlimited.com/jokepics/1090.jpg)! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/31 "2006-04-21T20:59:23Z")
> [@Salem](#): > > Do you have a penis? I’ll need to check that. Why of course, Dr. Weenie-cough. Dr. Titisqueeze has already seen my wife. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/32 "2006-04-21T21:12:13Z")
> [@Doctor Who](#): > > The OP simply asked: Am I a bad person for finding this funny? And the answer IMHO is yes. Would you think better of me if I let you examine my man-boobs? ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/33 "2006-04-21T22:15:32Z")
> [@Duke of Rat](#): > > He was an old guy, old school. Here’s the [New Way](http://www.jokesunlimited.com/jokepics/1090.jpg)! 'Scuse me while I wipe the spray off my computer screen… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/34 "2006-04-22T01:17:43Z")
I hadn’t considered the differences between wrong and bad here, since we were talking about “bad people.” In that sense, laughing at this sort of thing can be bad under some circumstances, but I wouldn’t call it wrong or the person doing it a bad person for a single instance. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601/35 "2006-04-22T02:36:20Z")
This makes me giggle to no end: (Fluorescent road sign on way to work) “Roat Const Ahead” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-bad-person-if-i-find-this-funny/353601.md?page=1)