Is it normal to smile in these situations?

Everytime someone tells me about for example a man who shot 10 people, I feel the urge to smile. And sometimes I'm not able to hide my smile and people give me these strange looks. I don't know why I smile: because of the fact how people respond to the crime or because of the crime itself? I never really cared about people dying and I never felt hate towards killers at all. When my friends talk about a killer, in a negative way, I feel like a total different person. It makes me feel weird, like I lack a feeling. Is this normal?

Voting Results
54% Normal
Based on 71 votes (38 yes)
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Comments ( 24 )
  • squeallikeasacofpigs

    I like to make jokes of these things, just because EVERYONE is like oh no you shouldn't joke about that, it's not funny blah blah blah. Life is too short to be boring and the same as everyone else. When someone tells me "There has been another mass shooting in america, a guy went on a rampage and shot 20 kids at a school", I reply with someone like "LOL, only 20, should have taken more bullets and really laid into those fuckers".

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    • et12356

      I do this same thing but only with hitler. Hitler, hahahaha!

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  • auburnsin

    Well my friend has his mothers ashes in vase. And as i was moving things in his house i accidentally knocked it off the mantel and it spilled on the floor. He heard it and ran into the room and yelled " my mothers Ashes! I responded dude, it cool get your vacuum well suck her up in no time. " soob as the words left my mouth i busted up laughing. He kicked me out of his house.I apologized but was laugjing hysterically as i walked to my car. ha ha that was today. ha ha

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    • Oh God hahaha that's terrible. I actually also really have to laugh with this :P So, welcome to the evil laugh club!

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      • auburnsin

        Thanks! =) I also laugh at funerals.

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        • I also had that once! I was there to support a friend whose grandfather died. I was like 'why are you all so sad?'. I was already sitting there with a smile on my face, but then the priest said 'he was someone always on the run' (he said this in English, which is not my native language + it was the titel of a popular song back then), I bursted out laughing. I had to hide my face, it was embarrassing :P. I don't think I helped my friend. But I think I reacted like that because I didn't really know that person. I absolutely didn't feel like laughing at my grandfathers funeral.

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          • auburnsin

            Ha ha so you laughed during tge eulogy? Priceless! Ha ha i laugh at all funerals including my family menbers that passed away. My parents reason it that im such a happy person that im disconnected from the world. Then they laugh. ha ha i even laugh and joke at hospitals when someone is going through a serious surgery. I cant help it. I just laugh and am happy.

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            • If it is because you're that happy, that's actually pretty amazing! :P It must be great to live like that!

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  • RougeTheBat

    Oh dear God i do this too..and the moment someone catches you doing it....Anyway the way i stop myself from doing it is by telling myself there is no reason to be smiling right now,do you know how serious this is?!That usually wipes the smile off.

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    • Haha yes, it's very weird! It kind of reassures me that there are other people with this smiling thing. I'll use your advice, thanks!

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      • RougeTheBat

        welcome!

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  • auburnsin

    Ha ha yep

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  • alv1592

    If it's nervous laughter, yes. But joking about shit like that is just cold. I don't even literally want Kate Nash to die, but I'd rather it be her than 20 innocent kids.

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    • I don't link nervousness with it. I'm not really sure what kind of laugh it is, but I think it's more because of the shocked reactions of people. And joking about it, I think that's ok. But yes, that's maybe a kind of humour you like or do not like. I can joke about those things. It's great, you don't have to be sad and you can have a laugh instead! It even rhymes.

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      • auburnsin

        Ha ha a friend father past away a few days ago. I knew he never wanted to be in church. They're having the service soon. I told my friend today " well atleast he will be in church now." I started laughing ha ha ha. They chuckled a little and called me sick. Ha ha ha

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        • Hahaha that's great! Especially because they even chuckled :P You make them happy by being a 'sick' person, yay!

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  • shadowqueen

    i did this all the time when i was a child, i used to do it when my dad was yelling at me and my stepmother would slap me, i've gotten over it as an adult now (thank god)
    it's normal:)

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  • jabrogallo

    It's probably nervous laughter. It's a common defense mechanism.
    If it's deliberate, maybe you are trying to subconsciously cheer up the bad vibe.

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  • whatdoyoumeannormal

    I think its a defence mechanism, and thats totally normal!

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  • thr

    I think it's normal, if you hear about something happening far away and don't react much to it, emotionally. I have been that way myself, and probably still am, and I don't

    I would think it doesn't help, that you are aware of it and that you may be aware, that you don't react that much, emotionally. Perhaps, if you accept that your emotional reaction isn't that great, you'll focus less on how to react, and later on you may have an easier time reacting more emotionally.

    Do you lack empathy in other matters?

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    • You may be right about the accepting part, but the only problem with that is that people will think there's something wrong with me. So I'd rather prefer to put on a mask in those situations and change my reaction.

      I don't really think I lack empathy in other matters. Although I must say, last week, me and some friends were watching a movie. In one scene, a man got beaten up and there was a lot of blood, no one could stand it. I kept looking, while my friends looked away. One of my friends said then: 'It really all leaves you cold, doesn't it?'. That felt really weird, like I got discovered or something. So in those situations I'd also have to put on a mask to seem normal.

      But I can feel sorry for people, but only people who are close to me. So, I guess that doesn't make me a heartless person ?

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      • thr

        Your example is hard for me to judge anything by, but I don't think that is so important. What I take notice of is that it seems your friend has perceived things already. Maybe you could talk to your friend about it.

        I don't think, you're necessarily a heartless person, from what you have said, and if you can feel sorry for people and empathize with their losses and struggles, you're probably not a heartless person.
        You do sound like a conscientious person, however, and you shouldn't be too afraid to talk about it.

        Try noticing, how much you do feel for people, e.g., also when watching a movie.

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        • I know I'd better talk about it, but like you said, I'm afraid. Afraid of the reactions and afraid that people their view of me will change. I'll definitely try noticing, thank you for your help!

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