Cry, Laugh, or None of the Above

[Miss Lisa]

This is so random, but I was just recently at a funeral and some of us were talking about how different people react at funerals.

I myself am a laugher. It's more of a nervous laugh, but I laugh. I'll cry sometimes though.

There's also a group in my family, myself included, that kind of step off to the side and make our own morbid jokes.

How do you guys act at funerals?

[tiredmike59]

There's nothing like a captive audience to a jokester. I learned that in church when I went to catholic school. If I am at a funeral or wake, I would do my cartoon voices and find humor when nobody else is looking for it. I just can't stand being depressed,I fight it off by making everyone laugh, (at least those with a sense of humor), The ones without one might as well climb into a coffin themselves as far as I'm concerned.

[robyrob]

i usually just try to be supportive and comforting to friends and family that need it most

[Janice]

I'm also supportive to those who have lost loved ones. As someone who has buried every person in my immediate family, except my husband and my brother, I would not take it lightly if anyone laughed or told jokes at my parents or my sisters' funerals. If they couldn't act decent, I would ask them to leave until they got their act together. They should really leave on their own. Laughing or telling morbid jokes at a funeral is disrespectful and disgusting.

[tiredmike59]

Originally Posted by Janice

I'm also supportive to those who have lost loved ones. As someone who has buried every person in my immediate family, except my husband and my brother, I would not take it lightly if anyone laughed or told jokes at my parents or my sisters' funerals. If they couldn't act decent, I would ask them to leave until they got their act together. They should really leave on their own. Laughing or telling morbid jokes at a funeral is disrespectful and disgusting.

Almost as morbid as taking pictures of the deceased.

[Janice]

Originally Posted by tiredmike59

Almost as morbid as taking pictures of the deceased.

I never said it was morbid to laugh and make jokes at a funeral. I said it was disrespectful and disgusting. If anyone had behaved that way at my mother's funeral, I would have asked them to leave. If someone broke out a camera, I would haved tossed them out on their ear.

[Mr. Television]

Originally Posted by Janice

I never said it was morbid to laugh and make jokes at a funeral. I said it was disrespectful and disgusting. If anyone had behaved that way at my mother's funeral, I would have asked them to leave. If someone broke out a camera, I would haved tossed them out on their ear.

I would have punched them.

[Family Ties Forever!]

I would cry at a funeral. I can't imagine laughing at a funeral. That would seem rude, imo. I don't think I could handle being at a funeral. It would break my heart. When my great-grandpa and great-grandma passed away in 1990 and 1994 I couldn't go. I was too heart sick over it. Now, if a family member were to pass away, I would feel obligated to go. I don't know how I would get through it. This coming week my brother is having surgery and if something were to happen to him it would be awful.

Originally Posted by Janice

I'm also supportive to those who have lost loved ones. As someone who has buried every person in my immediate family, except my husband and my brother, I would not take it lightly if anyone laughed or told jokes at my parents or my sisters' funerals. If they couldn't act decent, I would ask them to leave until they got their act together. They should really leave on their own. Laughing or telling morbid jokes at a funeral is disrespectful and disgusting.

I can't imagine having to lose four family members in 12 years; three of them in a span of 18 months.

[Miss Lisa]

Originally Posted by Janice

I'm also supportive to those who have lost loved ones. As someone who has buried every person in my immediate family, except my husband and my brother, I would not take it lightly if anyone laughed or told jokes at my parents or my sisters' funerals. If they couldn't act decent, I would ask them to leave until they got their act together. They should really leave on their own. Laughing or telling morbid jokes at a funeral is disrespectful and disgusting.

What about nervous laughter? Like I stated earlier, sometimes I just laugh at funerals because of nerves. Ikd why, it has something to do with being in the same room with a dead body. I also laughed when I got up to read euology at my grandma's funeral, not because it was funny, but because I was in front of a huge crowd and there was a dead body near me.

[Miss Lisa]

Originally Posted by Family Ties Forever!

I don't think I could handle being at a funeral. It would break my heart.
I can't imagine having to lose four family members in 12 years; three of them in a span of 18 months.

You could never handle my family then, I just had two people die within the same week, my cousin and my great aunt. Within the entire time I've been in high school, I'm a senior now, I've had five relatives die and went to four of them. The only one I didn't go to was one that was down in Texas.

Honestly, yes funerals can be depressing, but it also depends on who died. I don't mean to sound morbid or cruel, but if it is an older person, then usually they aren't as depressing. Like my grandma, a week before she died she told everyone that she was ready to go, that it would be a relief to her since she was in so much pain. She also told us that there had better be an after party. My cousin on the other hand, yes that was sad, he was in his early thirties. That one was a difficult one to be at.

[Janice]

Originally Posted by Miss Lisa

What about nervous laughter? Like I stated earlier, sometimes I just laugh at funerals because of nerves. Ikd why, it has something to do with being in the same room with a dead body. I also laughed when I got up to read euology at my grandma's funeral, not because it was funny, but because I was in front of a huge crowd and there was a dead body near me.

If I had that reaction around the deceased, I would just do a quick in and out at funerals. I certainly wouldn't offer to read the eulogy. If I couldn't show the proper respect, I wouldn't draw attention to myself.

[Miss Lisa]

Originally Posted by Janice

If I had that reaction around the deceased, I would just do a quick in and out at funerals. I certainly wouldn't offer to read the eulogy. If I couldn't show the proper respect, I wouldn't draw attention to myself.

I didn't offer, I was appointed. My family works a bit differently than most, when there's a funeral or wedding or whatever, you have specific things you have to do according to your age or something like that. In this case I was just my grandmas favorite granddaughter. My other grandma though, I was the last one to turn 16 so I had to do the toast, in Hungarian and Slovak (mix them) at her funeral.

[treky]

this thread reminds me of that episode of "THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, "Chuckles bites the dust".

[Coffeecup]

Most funerals I have gone to in the last 10 years have been very sedate. I don't cry at all. Sometimes a person will say a few words about the deceased, maybe a funny story and sure I will laugh. On the other hand a sad story may be told and I will cry.

[Marvo301]

I usually cry at funerals. However I don`t see nervous laughter as being disrespectful in any way. We all react to death differently and therefore we express ourselves in different ways.