To me there are two types of people in the world, those who laugh at the X Factor auditions and those that don’t. I’m not the former. Before they get on TV these people (who sometimes seem to need psychological help rather than a publicist) go through auditions and are told by producers how wonderful they are only to be paraded in front of the judges and a mass audience to be knocked off their pedestal. I stopped watching the show years ago because I personally find the whole process repulsive. It’s the same with home video clip shows. When i see a cat fall off the TV or a man skiing fall into a tree between his legs it makes me feel sad. I guess laughing at pain or laughing at other people experiencing pain is a human coping device to not have to deal with the emotional response to hurt and pain. Like a macho reflection? I’m not completely sure because I don’t have it. To me the response lacks compassion, sympathy and mercy, it’s inhuman.

There was an article in the Mirror today about a poster found in an MP’s shared kitchen (I won’t share the link because I refuse to taint my blog with the UK tabloid gutter press). Granted it was the Mirror, but every comment was that it was just a joke so find the funny and get over it (usually with racist overtones but then it was the Mirror). I guess i just have a different ‘funny’ to everyone else. To me Dave Gorman is funny, as are Vic and Bob, Little Britain is downright hilarious but laughing at someone’s downfall (or literal fall) just doesn’t do it for me. I feel grateful that the fall was not mine but each time someone suffers a misfortune I feel a little sad that they it happened to them, even if they brought it on themselves like the X Factor contestants that are paraded out like an old fashioned freak show for our proposed amusement.