Human beings are inherently strange.
And most of us accept the fact that the inner working of the human brain remains a mystery.
Sometimes those things just misfire–we tell the supermarket clerk we love her, we stumble, and yeah, we laugh when situations are completely devoid of humor.
You can almost feel the secondhand awkward reading these confessions.
1. I think that happened on Seinfeld once.
The ending of a boy in the striped pajamas. They were showing it at the blood donation place I went to, and at the end of the movie The son of the German running the concentration camp wanders into the camp, and gets sent to the gas chamber.
The irony of it made me giggle, and the dirty looks from all of the old ladies who had also just given blood, and watched the movie made me loss it. I was crying from laughter, and that’s the story of why I am no longer allowed to give blood.
2. Teenagers, right?
I went to a pro-life rally once and they had someone on stage doing sign language while they had someone giving a speech.
Everything was fine until the man said “at the moment of conception” and the person signing held up one hand in front of her in a fist, then with the other hand started wiggling her index finger, moved it across her, and inserted it into her fist, like a sperm swimming to an egg, and my teenager mind absolutely lost it.
3. We all have our crosses to bear.
My wife and I walked around the grocery store one day and when we turned around an isle a 7′ girl all of the sudden was in front of us. We managed to not laugh or stare, barely.
Then a black guy that was approx 15 seconds behind us noticed and loudly yelled “damn you’re tall as hell girl” in a voice only a 40+ black man can make.
We burst and quickly got into another isle. Poor girl. She seemed shy and bothered by being in public. Just because of people like me and my wife.
4. It just comes out of nowhere.
When the Polish president died in a plane crash in 2012 (I think) there was a nationwide minute of silence.
For some reason I couldn’t stop laughing, it was like an attack of just laughter because of nothing.
Anyways my family got pissed and took me away to a room where I sat alone in the darkness and laughed for few minutes till my whole core started to hurt
5. Well that’s awkward.
I was brought into a full team meeting (six of us) at a previous job and was told one of my coworkers was fired and I chuckled a bit and smiled. Our team always played jokes/pranks on each other like that.
Turns out she was actually fired for signing her bosses name on time cards. I felt pretty terrible that they were serious. It was a dumb mistake for her to make, but she was a great coworker so I felt bad for even momentarily chuckling at the fact that she had been fired.
6. Try not to laugh.
My younger sister and I were altar serving on Ash Wednesday. We were probably about 13 and 11 years old.
The priest was making the cross on each parishioner’s forehead with ashes and saying “remember, man, that thou art but dust and to dust thou shalt return.”
My 13 year old brain decided to interpret that as “thou art butt dust” and I snorted.
That set my sister off and we were both sitting there laughing our asses off and trying to stifle it as much as possible.
7. So many yikes.
One time at a McDonald’s some kid had a hold of a milkshake and was enjoying the fuck out of it, arms a’flailing and screaming his little head off. Just enjoying life. I thought this was hilarious and tried -and fail- to stifle laughter as this little kid shared his joy over his frosted beverage to the world.
As me and my friends left the restaurant, they informed me the child was very obviously special needs. I laughed at a handicapped kid in public in front of everybody and had no idea how I looked or what I was doing. In hindsight I was surprised I didn’t get punched in the back of the head of it. I felt horrible over it.
8. Everyone loves to see that.
I was working at a McDonald’s cleaning in front next door I saw a guy walking and some guy comes on his bike behind and lays him out with one punch.
9. Sometimes it’s too much to take.
I work in a warehouse and we were in a meeting with all warehouse staff and our Director, Foreman and Supervisor.
The Director stood up and gave the usual flowery B.S. speech I assume most do. He then got to the phrase that I laughed out loud at:
“You are the backbone of this company, and your opinion matters!”
Note: We are the backbone, but they couldn’t give two craps about our opinions, I couldn’t believe he would lie to us so blatantly.
10. “It was fine.”
I was talking to my colleague and I causally asked him how his weekend went.
I was expecting him to say the usual boring stuff like walked the dog etc- instead out of nowhere he says “it was fine, went to my mates funeral” at that moment I burst out laughing in his face uncontrollably, I don’t understand why it made me laugh so much but it was the last thing I expected him to say. I’m a terrible person.
11. What does he expect!
About 2 and a half years ago I was walking down the Main Street in my city and let me tell you, it was about half past boiling degrees. Anyway, as I’m just walking along (and struggling might I add) this guy who would have to have been around 6.9ft lumbers past me in an old Victorian Top hat!
I couldn’t stop myself from letting out a light chuckle (I held back as I didn’t want to be rude). To my surprise, he must have heard me and he turns to me and gives me a big cheeky wink before tipping his hat and running away. I still think about that big fella from time to time.
12. I bet grandma would have loved that sound.
I was very close to my great-grandma growing up. I was at her house often as she babysat me when I was younger. I was 12 when she died. It was the first death of someone I knew and loved. I was devastated.
Fast forward to the funeral. It was only my second funeral and this one I didn’t know how to act because I was grieving. My younger sister and I were tagging around with our uncle, who was 14 and close enough to our age that we were very close growing up. He was trying to keep up distracted and cheered up. So we were a bit squirrelly and our moms kept telling us to calm down.
There was a family member at the funeral going around taking pictures of family. He asked my sister and I to get a picture in front of the casket. I was weirded out but ok. He tells us to look at her with our palms together like we’re praying. I was struck by the absurdity of this and thought, oh I should pretend I’m crying. So I quick duck my face into my head and pretend to sob. I then I realized I was pretending to cry in front of my dead great-grandmother for a picture and for some reason, I thought this was just hilarious and started giggling uncontrollably.
My sister quickly starts giggling. We both succumb to what I’m sure was grief and uncomfortableness combined and we are literally on the floor laughing in front of our great-grandmother’s casket. I have a bad habit of peeing if I laugh too hard and sure enough, I’m trying hard not to wet my tights and laughing and crying. I see my mom and grandma come marching up to us and everyone staring daggers at us.
We got a good talking to about respect and are told to stay in the side room for family until we can compose ourselves. I was so ashamed and it was one of my most embarrassing memories for decades. I’ve finally come to terms with it and can appreciate that my great-grandma would have probably loved that we were laughing at her funeral.
13. Some things never change.
My mother and grandmother met an old acquaintance of hers at the cemetery were my grandpa is buried. There was a new grave of a 14 year-old who had recently passed of Fibrosis (affects the lungs). Said acquaintance goes “How sad, I heard that he died of Phimosis” (not being able to pull back the foreskin).
My mother, aware of the difference and having a record of bursting out laughing in horrible situations, can’t hold herself back, tears in the eyes and almost maniacally laughing. My grandma is very ashamed and infuriated at her daughter for laughing at her acquaintance of many years at the grave of a recently deceased 14 year-old.
Later grandma basically shouted at her for this behavior like she would have 40 years ago.
14. It is a very expressive language.
During my graduation ceremony, I was in the front row. We all got up to sing the school’s anthem. The song was also gestured(?) in sign language.
For some reason I found the person’s gestures really silly and I was barely containing myself from erupting into laughter.
15. Delivery is everything.
I was out with a cousin that I had not seen in quite a while since she lives in another country. We were at a cafeteria/bar type thing. Since she was staying a few days only, she asked me if it was okay if some friends of hers that she hadn’t seen in years came along. Told her sure and 10 mins later they come sit with us.
One of them (they were 3) starts telling us whats up with his life and casually drops “oh my father also died this summer” (as if he had bought a new phone or sth) and I almost spit my drink… I really tried not laughing but he didn’t help.
I left out a tiny giggle and he continued telling how his father died casually. I had to look at my phone to not lose it..
16. That’s a memory that will last.
My dad’s funeral. My maternal grandfather got very emotional, and when he’s emotional, he loses his English and lapses into Welsh.
He’s also a trained singer, so halfway through one of the hymns he starts bellowing it out in Welsh, which no one else in the church could speak (we live in Scotland). It was funny and awful at the same time.
17. I guess it wasn’t a joke.
I was doing storefront fundraising at a WalMart for the non-profit I’m a part of. I pitched a guy on the way in and his reply was “I’ll donate to someone else as soon as someone donates me a kidney.” I expressed my sympathies and moved on.
The guy I was fundraising with pitched the man again as he walked out of the store. The man must’ve said something derogatory and my partner looked at me, shrugged, and made a funny face. I laughed and the guy wheeled around and started screaming and cursing at me for laughing at a man who needs a kidney transplant.
He ended up calling the store and saying I was mocking his plight and we were asked to leave for the day.
18. It’s probably exactly what he would have wanted.
I pissed myself laughing at my husbands funeral. He had a pretty morbid sense of humour and one of the songs he wanted played was “I just wanna live” by Good Charlotte.
In the moment the whole thing just seemed so absurd that I just cracked up laughing. However because most people could only see my back they all assumed I was just crying.
But honestly I think that my reaction was pretty normal given the emotional distress that day
19. You just can’t help it.
My neighbour (60F) was about to open her gate but then she saw us, and she quickly turned around to say hello.
Well, she perfectly face planked to the ground while doing so, got up and acted like nothing had happened and continued talking.
I tried to ask her if she was okay but couldn’t stop laughing. I must have looked like an asshole, it was the most perfect plank I’ve ever seen.
20. A very sweet story.
I am a silent laugher. I was laughing so hard at my dad’s military funeral that I was visibly shaking. My mom gave me the side eye and when we had a moment alone she asked what I thought was so funny about my dad’s death.
I told her that sitting in the sun, with tons of mosquitoes, and military guys who had trouble folding the flag (seriously these guys screwed it up like five times) while I pictured my dad shaking his head saying, “ what the hell are you all sitting here for? Go fishing! Get out of the mosquito hell and move on; I’m dead.” Just had me giggling to myself because my dad thought funerals were a waste of time.
My mom looked at me, sighed, and said something like, “yeah, he probably would say that.”
21. I would like to see the video, please.
A teenager was harassing a middle aged woman in a wheel chair.
The teenager tried to kick her in the face ….. she caught his foot so he fell on his face, she held his foot up and repeatedly kicked his nuts with her giant special boot.
22. Stick up for the kid.
I happened to witness the immediate aftermath of a car accident between this woman and a younger guy who seemed to be a new driver.
The young guy had a STOP sign and the woman was cussing at him, telling him he should be paying more attention and that he will kill someone if he drives like that. The poor dude was practically speechless and still reeling from the shock of the accident.
Just as I was about to go on with my day, here comes a delivery guy on a scooter. He stops for half a sec to take stock of the situation and goes “Hey, lady! Leave the poor kid alone, you were going the wrong way on a one-way street” while pointing at a sign that confirmed what he said.
Suffice it to say, I pissed myself laughing at her as she went back to her car realizing she was at fault after all
23. Oh that’s awful.
I joked about my friend and said he looked like he was having a seizure before my dumbass realized he actually was having a seizure.
24. Like baby deer.
One time in college a few friends and I took a couple giggle stamps and went for a walk down the main drag of town, taking it all in.
At about the time that things were really coming to a head, a car crashes into a stone wall on the other side of the street at like 25 miles an hour. Without missing a beat 5 girls who were dressed to go out and were all wearing tall heels hop out and all run in different directions away from this car. They all looked like baby deer learning to walk.
The driver stumbles out seemingly intoxicated and then proceeds to try and reverse himself off the wall and leave the scene but ends up ripping off the front end of his car and then getting stuck.
Anyway I almost collapsed from laughing at all of this and after roasting the driver from across the street instead of helping like the Seinfeld gang for about 5 minutes we decided to leave.
25. God doesn’t like ugly.
Was in a restaurant and there was this kid a few seats ahead of me just being loud and annoying.
So when he got out of his seat to do god knows what.
He tripped and fell on his untied show and face planted into the hardwood floor.
I laughed out loud so hard and i got a lot of nasty stares but it was worth it.
26. The best moments.
I used to be a wedding planner. One wedding was set on a coastal beach. Really great day, I had been working on this for months.
Now, the couple decided that the ring bearer would be their labrador and he would have the rings on a ribbon around his neck, fair enough. So a bridesmaid would let him off the lead at the beginning of the aisle and he would trot down to the happy couple.
We did test runs and he was really good so he was the least of my problems.
Or so I thought. I’m right at the back with my schedule, ceremony starts but the dog had different ideas, he stormed down the aisle (almost knocking the bride over) past the couple, down the beach and into the see with the RINGS.
Half of the groomsmen running after him ending up drenched in the sea. I literally had tears running down my face with laughter, there was fuck all I could do, had to balance against a wall with my heels embedded in the sand.
27. Some people just love an audience.
On jury duty for a drunk driving manslaughter case. He agreed to an interview on scene of the accident, drunk as hell. After the officer identified himself on the tape, drunk dude started hollering in a thick southern drawl “ya’ll know me! My daughters a street walker down in (nearby town)”. I started laughing at that. With the wife and family of the victim visibly upset, staring at me. Then guy admitted he spent the day drinking at a strip club, with a n open 12pack of beer in the passenger seat with empties on the floor.
Man, that trial was a joke. Why didn’t he plead guilty? No defense to speak of, they even had video of the accident, not to mention he consented to a BAC test.
And this was the guys 5th drunk driving offense!
28. One of those days.
Clearly tired dad and his, I’m assuming, 5 year old daughter in a supermarket, following behind him pointing out things that she thinks they need in an obnoxious voice.
Girl: Daddy, do you know what WE need?
Dad: silence
Girl: Daddy!! Do you know what WE need?
Girl: DADDY!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE NEED?!
Dad: A muzzle.Had to duck into the next aisle so fast and burst out laughing, the people in that aisle had no idea what I’d just heard and looked at me like I was laughing at voices in my head.
29. You work with what you’ve got.
At my grandma’s funeral, when it came time for interment, all of us who’d gone to the cemetery were asked to stay some 50 yards away as they were sodding the whole new area of the cemetery we were in.
However, my grandpa wanted to sprinkle some dirt on her casket, so they permitted him to do so, with my mom, aunt, and uncle alongside. A few moments later, we heard a really loud thud–evidently, because of the nature of the dirt there, instead of being able to find a small handful of loose dirt, he picked up a little clod or two and tossed that into the grave.
Hearing the thud in the distance, my wife and sisters and I couldn’t resist busting out laughing.
Luckily grandpa was too far away to hear it.
This happens to all of us, I know, but at least today it’s not me.
Tell us your story of inappropriate laughter in the comments!
