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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that there's nothing funnier than people falling over?

299 replies

PiddlePoo · 26/02/2015 17:11

Inspired by Madonna's fall at last nights Brits. I can't remember the last time I've laughed so much at a live TV event, it was hilarious. Even the reporter on Sky News was trying not laugh whilst talking about it later on in the evening, and myself and my colleagues have been laughing about it all day today.

A few years ago during the bad snowfall we had there was a clip shown on ITV news of a group of people slipping over on the same patch of ice on a pavement. That made me howl as well.

What is it about people falling over that makes it so amusing?

OP posts:

limitedperiodonly · 28/02/2015 22:00

Those people at RTE News are bastards but I have to ask what kind of fool sets foot on there unless their names are Jane Torville or Christopher Dean.

fattymcfatfat · 28/02/2015 22:03

my mum took us ice skating as kids.
she was entirely bruised by the end of it, supoose that will teach her for being cocky and telling us she could do it! the man with one arm was better! and made us giggle shouting at people to move out of his way

alleypalley · 28/02/2015 22:03

This thread is crazy. Some falls are funny, some aren't.

Many years ago I fell off my rollerblades. I was skating round Hyde Park, was going down a small slope and lost control. it was a proper comedy prat fall where I stayed up, but obviously out of control, for a good 25/30 meters before I finally went down. I badly bruised the base of my spine and needed quite a lot of physio over the next few years. But the fall was fucking hysterical.

More recently on another get fit attempt I bought a bike after having not ridden one since childhood. I was coming up to the lights, slowed down and just didn't quite manage to put my feet down so fell off. Also very funny.

Last weekend out with dh and saw a one legged homeless man fall out of his wheelchair into the road. Not funny, so we helped him back into his chair and called him an ambulance.

My friends dad, when drunk, fell down the stairs broke his neck and died. Not remotely funny.

Not all falls are the same.

pineappleshortbread · 28/02/2015 22:08

Literally just had a funny thing happen. Went to put my laptop away but it was still plugged in so I got tangled in the cable and fell over I laughed a lot lol :)

EatShitDerek · 28/02/2015 22:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

giraffesNeedBigPoloNecks · 28/02/2015 22:12

I hate hate hate watching people fall. This is why I despise you've been framed!

fattymcfatfat · 28/02/2015 22:14

my friends mum slipped on a toy car aswell...on Christmas Day.
she has a fractured wrist now.
we all laugh about it.

fattymcfatfat · 28/02/2015 22:15

I imagine its a bit like the whole banana skin idea or roller skates...
I am so watching tom and jerry tomorrow

EatShitDerek · 28/02/2015 22:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

squoosh · 28/02/2015 22:19

Electrocuted dad throwing wife across room due to voltage in body straddles that wonderful line of hilarious and life threatening!

fattymcfatfat · 28/02/2015 22:20

me and my mum are forever falling down stairs... we avoid them whenever possible

EatShitDerek · 28/02/2015 22:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

squoosh · 28/02/2015 22:21

My friend's FIL fell down the stairs and landed on top of her. Whatever energetic way he bounced down made him do a massive fart whilst on top of her. She was found it equal parts mortifying and hilarious.

limitedperiodonly · 28/02/2015 22:28

My teacher's husband fell down the stairs and bounced through the (non-safety) glass front door and bled to death in about a minute.

This was obviously not funny.

It doesn't make pratfalls inherently unfunny.

squoosh · 28/02/2015 22:39

Poor man, that's one of those really shocking freak accidents that gives you the chills.

Koalafications · 28/02/2015 22:56

That's horrifying LPO.

limitedperiodonly · 28/02/2015 23:21

It was terrible. There are some similar things in the earlier Ellen De Generes link that reminded me of that.

As it happened, I'm not sure her routine was about her thinking laughing at accidents was funny. Though to some respect I do.

ChasedByBees · 28/02/2015 23:50

It's probably been posted but there's lots of research on this.

There's suggestions that it has to so with the unexpected during a day to day occurrence, the relief when you know (or view the event and surmise) they aren't really hurt. This article suggests we have neutrons that fire in sympathy with the flailing falling person and we perceive that as being amusing which is interesting, I'd not heard of that one before.

www.scientificamerican.com/article/ask-the-brains-why-do-we-laugh/

ScorpioMermaid · 01/03/2015 00:05

my eldest has ice skating lessons, she wanted to do a 3 day intensive course during half term so I took her for 3 hours worth of lessons over 3 days. She's pretty good so was at the opposite end of the rink to the spectators and I couldn't really see her so I was watching all the other kids and adults at our end which were beginners.. I was dying.. Felt so bad.. I text my husband asking what was wrong with me for laughing everytime someone, particularly the adults, fell over!

TickleMyTitsTillFriday · 01/03/2015 00:31

I fell over in the middle of town once. For my toe caught in my long linen trousers and THWACK! Down I went. DH and I both pissed ourselves laughing and it still makes me giggle when I think of it now.
(He did check I was ok before lighting btw)

limitedperiodonly · 01/03/2015 14:03

I was felled by fashion too. I had some outrageous flares, about 12 inches from crease to crease so a massive amount of fabric with the added trip-hazard of very high platform shoes.

Very expensive outfit.

One minute I was strutting along impressing everyone with my fashionista-ism the next they wrapped themselves around each ankle and I went over like I'd been poleaxed.

The person who helped me up had to unwind these ridiculous trouser-manacles first and I don't blame her for laughing as she did it.

I'm not Noddy Holder btw. I have some facial hair but not that much and it was only about six years ago.

NorbertDentressangle · 01/03/2015 14:52

Fashion is dangerous. I fell upstairs quite creatively years ago whilst wearing quite a long hippyish skirt with an elasticated waist.

As I went to step up onto the next stair my foot went on the hem of the skirt, pulling it (and me) down at the front and then somehow my knee went through the gaping waistband and I was sort of trapped, one knee up unable to save myself from falling forwards.

mildlyacquiescent · 03/03/2015 18:31

I can't help but feel that some of those expressed mirth at people falling over on here might appreciate this clip of the twat in Drogheda who threw a brick at the window of a Merc and it bounced back and hit him in the face.

Nice to see justice meted out in the world occasionally!

Prat survived, and when the police came he tried to tell them that the car owner, who came out and was trying to help him, had attacked him! :)

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 18/03/2015 10:26

I'm bumping this thread, it was unfinished business for me and I was thwarted by the gloom and doom-ers who continued to spread their misery like Dementors... enough already!

I'm going back to re-read and enjoy and will serenely glide past the grumpy posts so don't bother trying to appeal to my sense of H&S, it no longer exists...

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