# Have we stopped making tragedy jokes? I haven't heard any about the Surfside collapse tragedy **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 16, 2021, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-stopped-making-tragedy-jokes-i-havent-heard-any-about-the-surfside-collapse-tragedy/946658 "2021-07-16T18:02:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-stopped-making-tragedy-jokes-i-havent-heard-any-about-the-surfside-collapse-tragedy/946658/21 "2021-07-18T10:58:21Z")
I remember being astounded how quickly after the Challenger tragedy I heard a joke about it; I think it was the very next morning, and this was pre-internet. It was a pretty funny line, too. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-stopped-making-tragedy-jokes-i-havent-heard-any-about-the-surfside-collapse-tragedy/946658/22 "2021-07-18T14:21:08Z")
If you heard such a joke cold, is it wrong to laugh? Now repeating it, that’s probably right out. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-stopped-making-tragedy-jokes-i-havent-heard-any-about-the-surfside-collapse-tragedy/946658/23 "2021-07-18T19:30:59Z")
It is not easy, maybe not possible, to control what you spontaneously laugh at. If you laugh inappropriately (and who hasn’t?), someone saying, “that’s not funny” is being judgmental and unfair. mmm ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-stopped-making-tragedy-jokes-i-havent-heard-any-about-the-surfside-collapse-tragedy/946658/24 "2021-07-18T20:25:58Z")
What does NASA stand for? Need Another Seven Astronauts. I also heard that in 2003, after the Columbia disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-stopped-making-tragedy-jokes-i-havent-heard-any-about-the-surfside-collapse-tragedy/946658/25 "2021-07-18T21:41:31Z")
Yeah, that’s the one. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-stopped-making-tragedy-jokes-i-havent-heard-any-about-the-surfside-collapse-tragedy/946658/26 "2021-07-22T07:28:33Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I remember being astounded how quickly after the Challenger tragedy I heard a joke about it; I think it was the very next morning, and this was pre-internet. It wasn’t really pre-internet. It was just pre-widely-accessible-internet. Usenet was the predominant message board in those days, for those who had access. This was long before Usenet was largely ruined by [Eternal September](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September). There was definitely an entire thread of Challenger jokes beginning promptly after the event. I expect there’s still an archive of it on-line somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-stopped-making-tragedy-jokes-i-havent-heard-any-about-the-surfside-collapse-tragedy/946658/27 "2021-07-22T09:39:50Z")
By “pre-internet”, I meant… (sigh)…never mind. mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-stopped-making-tragedy-jokes-i-havent-heard-any-about-the-surfside-collapse-tragedy/946658.md?page=1)