Golden brown, texture like sun

[venta]

A fairly long stretch of the M1 is closed today, following a pile-up in the fog.

A crash involving a coach, a tanker and eight other vehicles, which is clearly serious.
One person is dead, one person is seriously injured, which is clearly a tragedy.
Numerous others are minorly injured.

Yet, reading on, it becomes apparent that the tanker was full of syrup. Which has gone all over the road. And suddenly... the story is funny.

Which I feel guilty about admitting. A crashed syrup tanker is clearly funny, but should not be enough to find a story about a motorway death funny. I feel sorry for the guy's family, and for the other people who are injured.

I guess syrup tankers are just one of those things that make anything funny. Like penguins. If ever planning to be killed or seriously injured, avoid both as spluttering will always outweigh sympathy.

Mind you, I can think of worse ways to be remembered than with a guilty snigger.

Comments

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

It's fortunate it was nowhere near the crashed lorry full of chickens (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7038953.stm ) - imagine the mess!

[sea-of-flame.livejournal.com]

t'would make a change to tarred and feathered....

[al-fruitbat.livejournal.com]

How about chickens?

[venta.livejournal.com]

Amusing, but nowhere near as funny as syrup.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

penguins

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

should not be enough to find a story about a motorway death funny

I guess in that case it would be wrong to suggest that he met a sticky end?

[smiorgan.livejournal.com]

Clearly the BBC think it's funny as well - if they'd wanted to keep it straight they'd have put

Driving Too Fast For Conditions

Instead of

Syrup

in the article.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yes, we thought that was an unlikely subheading, too :)

Anyway, I'm not disputing it's funny. What I'm worried about it's whether it's morally acceptable to admit you find it funny.

I think when I get round to writing a will I'll leave instructions that if I die in some form of humorous incident people are welcome to guffaw at my funeral.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

We were discussing the judge-explosion-in-shed case the other day - the guy told his wife he wanted a divorce, went to his shed and was blown up. The reports said that when the first people arrived, the wife was 'acting funny'. Now I'm sorry, but if my husband told me something like that then blew up, I'd be laughing hysterically. Somewhat upset, too, but at the same time "OMG, what timing!".

I think it's morally acceptable to acknowledge that human nature works this way and people will snigger, and perfectly ok to laugh if you know the person concerned would have appreciated it. But don't take treacle tart to the wake.

[cardinalsin.livejournal.com]

There was a lorry accident near Dartford not long ago. An entire lorry-load of golf-balls was spilled onto the roadside. I thought that was pretty funny at the time.

[shrydar.livejournal.com]

Are you familiar with the Boston Molasses Disaster?

And yes, I have no issue with sniggering at such events. Whether or not you feel for the deceased is an entirely separate matter.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

That's simultaneously absolutely tragic and so funny I nearly peed myself!

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yes. I went on a tour un a DUKW in Boston, where I was given a commentary which was about equal parts truth and complete rubbish (deliberately so). I was surprised to find that the Molasses Disaster belonged in the former category.

[qatsi.livejournal.com]

I once had a coworker who was exceedingly embarrassed to have had a collision with a milk float.

[(Anonymous)]

Although I wonder what would have happened if the tanker had been full of the ORIGINAL 'golden brown, texture like sun' stuff. Not quite so slippery I suppose ...

Cathy

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

I'm reminded of A Shocking Accident by Graham Greene.

[shrydar.livejournal.com]

That's quite charming. I'd heard of the tale, but never read it.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I've not read that before, it's very nicely done.