A
female
age
30-35,
*londy
writes:My family is mad at my fiance and I for laughing at a really inappropriate time and I just want to know if people on here think that they are over-reacting or if we really were being that bad.This might be hard to understand but I'll explain it the best I can. We were at thanksgiving dinner and my uncles wife had a broken foot and a cut on her head and when they told the story of how she got hurt, I like exploded with laughter, and that made my fiance laugh really hard and we couldn't stop and had to leave the table because I was seriously dying from laughter. And we are both the types of people who if someone else starts to laugh I CAN'T stop no matter how hard I try. I was biting my finger really hard and trying my best but I could not for the life of me stop laughing. And hearing my fiance laugh was just feeding my laughter and we literally could not stop until like 10 minutes after we felt the table. Nobody else laughed, which I can't believe because it was hilarious, but anyways so there was like 15 people all there symaphizing about her foot and I was laughing harder than I ever had. I had tears go all the way down to my chin and my makeup got all messed up, but I couldn't stop! I tried! I felt bad for laughing but, come on can anyone really just stop laughing at something funny? Especially when there is someone right next to them laughing really really hard too? Because I think its impossible. Anyways, my family is still mad at me. My dad isn't, but like my mom and my sister wont even talk to me. My uncle apparently hates me because I laughed at his wife. I think they are taking this way too seriously and holding this weird grudge against me which I don't understand cause I've always been the type of person who can't stop laughing, expecially if there are more people laughing. So this in nothing new to them, but they are pissed off and I personally think its stupid of them. Am I wrong here? Should I feel bad and beg forgiveness or are they being weird? I think its obvious that most of the laughter came from my fiances laughter, laughter is contagious to me and I really can not stop no matter how bad I want to. So I don't think its a big deal and there was nothing I could do about it besides leave, which I did. Should I just let them be pissed and wait for them to calm down. I also think, I didn't do anything to anyone besides the wife and I already apologized to her, so should I have to apologize to my mom and my uncle and everyone else who was offended? By the way, heres what happened so you can realize that it really was a funny story. Just picture this in your head: She was in their yard and stepped on a rake which came up and hit her in the head giving her the gash, and then when she went backwards the rake caught her foot AGAIN and twisted it! That to me looks so funny in my head, plus it sounds like it came out of a cartoon. I mean, how the hell do you step on a rake in the first place? Anyways, it tickled me just right, and once the laughter started it wasn't going to stop.
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (5 December 2009): The question isnt if its funny or not. You're allowed to find it hilarious. But if it made the woman in question uncomfortable you should apologize to her. If she says it's okay, don't mind what the rest of the family thinks. If she's not okay with what you did, learn from the mistake. It's disrespectful. Some are able to laugh of themselves, I know if I did what she did I'd make a joke out of it haha. But she might not be that type of person, and well, she could feel hurt.
A
female
reader, Tisha-1 +, writes (5 December 2009):
 I can see the humor in this. The woman with the broken foot and the gash, can she see the humor? Not so much. If you want to keep some family harmony, you'll have to apologize. If you don't care much about what they think, then, by all means, ignore the hurt feelings.
There's a fine line here, laughing WITH someone vs. laughing AT someone. One is hilarious, the other could be taken as offensive.
I think you should apologize for hurting this woman's feelings and piling what is perceived as an insult and insensitive onto an actual physical injury. That would be the graceful and less selfish tack to take.
Let's take this paragraph you wrote and just do a subtle change to it....
"Anyways, my family is still mad at me. My dad isn't, but like my mom and my sister wont even talk to me. My uncle apparently hates me because I laughed at his wife. I think they are taking this way too seriously and holding this weird grudge against me which I don't understand cause I've always been the type of person who can't stop laughing, expecially if there are more people laughing. So this in nothing new to them, but they are pissed off and I personally think its stupid of them."
"Anyways, we are all angry with her. Well, her dad isn't, but the rest of us are so disgusted at the moment we can't even talk to her. The husband of the woman she insulted is infuriated because she humiliated his wife, and she doesn't seem to care that she has hurt too many feelings over the years. She thinks that because she has no self-control or empathy, that we're all okay with it. Over the years, we've watched her lose control a lot, she laughs at people's injuries, and frankly, we're fed up. We think it's just stupid of her."
I could probably go on to add "We're waiting for her to realize that she has done some damage to her family, but are aware that she values her sense of humor over other people's feelings."
You hurt people's feelings. Do you care about that or not? That's the bottom line.
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A
female
reader, pinktopaz +, writes (5 December 2009):
It's kind of funny, but not that funny. You probably should apologize. I don't think they should really be THAT mad over you laughing over it...it is kind of funny, but not as funny as you made it out to be, so they may be a little overlysensitive over it. But oh well, it's probably best to let them know you were't trying to insult her. Maybe send her a blank card in the mail with a sincere apology.
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A
female
reader, Dazed~Confused  +, writes (5 December 2009):
 Ok, having read the scenario that lead to your Aunt's injuries, the mental image does bring to mind a cartoon.
I don't know if that would have made me laugh, but whatever.
I for your Aunt the situation was maybe a little too fresh for her to be able to appreciate the humour behind it. She was probably in a lot of pain, and a bit embarrassed. So, imagine how it may have looked to her to have you and your fiancée laughing hysterically. She probably felt that you were laughing at her and not so much the situation.
Regardless what is done is done. So, now you need to make things right. I get that there was no malicious intention, but like I said she's probably hurt and embarrassed at essentially being laughed at in front of her family.
I suggest you go and see your Aunt with a small get well gift, flowers, chocolate, something that she will like, and sincerely apologize for any embarrassment that you may have caused her. Don't go into an explanation as to why you laughed, just say you're sorry.
Let your mom know that you have apologized and then let the matter go.
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A
female
reader, fishdish +, writes (5 December 2009):
 Eh..I never really was the slapstick type I guess, so I can't relate to the hysteria, but I mean..no matter how stupid the way she got injured, and I'm sure she already DID FEEL stupid, she just got her pain and ordeal shoved in her face in a really obnoxious and rude way, and it doesn't really look good on the boyfriend/fiance either, being in cahoots with your reaction. people expect sympathy when someone is in pain, and instead you responded in a way they found really disrespectful and immature. also, if she's the kind of lady that likes peoples' sympathy and attention, she may have also felt like you were stealing the show with your raucousness. Yeah, you could let time pass, they'll get over it with time, but that's what (some) relatives do- hold grudges; you could either have your relatives remember the time you laughed in the face of a poor woman's accident with little remorse, but I think your relatives would think better of you if you wrote a note, however sincere, just saying again, I'm sorry you've had a rough Autumn, and I really didn't mean to make it worse by laughing it all away. you could say it was a nervous reaction? sometimes people just accidentally laugh at inappropriate times because they're uncomfortable. if you tell your mom and sis about it, they may warm up to you too (although i think sis is just trying to stay in favor of mom, depending on her age).
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