I have no soul

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Ok, I am in a bit of a quandry about exactly what sense of humanity I have. I was watching TV tonight when an ad for the news came on. It talked about a husband slaying his wife and child with a sword. It was supposed to be a tragedy, but I instantly focused on the sword. A sword? Why a sword? And then I started into a silent giggle. I was picturing a man with a sword just cutting someone down. And all of a sudden I realized that this shouldnt' be funny. Even now I'm laughing. Is something wrong with me?

I don't think you have no soul, maybe just a weird sense of humor.
Onc time, when i was a teenager, i was reading in the newspaper about a guy in jail who ripped out his own eye with his bare hands and then throw at the police officer. My first reaction was horrified, but then i started thinking why would someone do that? That expression cut your own nose off to spite your face came to mind. And it just struck me as funny and i started giggling and my Mom asked me what's so funny? So i tell her, and she goes boy, you really have a strange sense of humor. I wasn't really laughing at the man's plight, just my own reaction

No, you’re normal in a sense that others will fail to admit. Normal human would not admit that tragedy thrills them but you are one of the few who are straight about it and are not in denial about it. So in a way you’re more that normal. (I think I have been listening to much Tool.) but here’s so lyrics to make you feel better about this (some times I think I don't have a soul because I have trouble crying and I find death rather amusing but this is just me facing the truth the easy way.) you just have a healthy dose of 'Black Humour' in you like my sister does. She finds simple things like murdered fetus’s funny and reads books on serial killers and finds it rather interesting.
http://www.last.fm/music/Tool/_/Vicarious (song)

Vicarious by Tool
Eye on the TV
'Cause tragedy thrills me
Whatever flavour it happens to be, like...
"Killed by the husband"
"Drowned by the ocean"
"Shot by his own son"
"She used a poison
in his tea...kissed him goodbye"
That's my kind of story
It's no fun 'til someone dies
Don't look at me like
I am a monster
Frown out your one face
But with the other
Stare like a junkie
Into the TV
Stare like a zombie
While the mother holds her child
Watches them die
Hands to the sky crying,
"Why, oh why?"
Cause I need to watch things die... from a distance
Vicariously I live while the whole world dies
You all need it too, don't lie
Why can't we just admit it?
Why can't we just admit it?
We won't give pause until the blood is flowing
Neither the brave nor bold
Will write as the story's told
We won't give pause until the blood is flowing
I need to watch things die... from a good safe distance
Vicariously I live while the whole world dies
You all feel the same, so...
Why can't we just admit it?
Blood like rain come down
Drum on grave and ground
Part vampire
Part warrior
Carnivore and voyeur
Stare at the transmittal
Sing to the death rattle
La, la, la, la, la, la-la-lie (x4)
Credulous at best
Your desire to believe in
Angels in the hearts of men
Pull your head on out, your head please and give a listen
Shouldn't have to say it all again
The universe is hostile, so impersonal
Devour to survive... so it is, so it's always been
We all feed on tragedy
Like blood to a vampire
Vicariously I live while the whole world dies
Much better you than I

When we did the battle of Midway in history, I found it amusing how we completely decimated the Japanese fleet. I usually enjoy war stuffs.
The only other thing I can think of that almost falls under this 'black humor' is the discovery show 'Air Jaws' This show was about great whites and seals in South Africa. The guy said you can't help rooting for the seals. I'm thinking "what? No! come on shark, eat that little no-good little piece of fur!"
Laura, that song looks great.

Okay then, let's keep this normalcy train a'rolling. I also count among my idols Charles Whitman. He fascinates me as an example of the human mind cracking perfectly. I can't be the only one not horrified by his shootings.

I can't claim to be as "soulless" as some that I have read, but I have been very unaffected by other's pain in the past. (as a child and teen) I simply accepted the fact that there is pain and suffering and stuff happens. However, I did not identify with the criminal, nor the victim.

Now that I am older and have been through enough pain to know that it hurts, I do know how to be horrified when a child is chased around the house and drowned by his own mother. The weird thing is, sometimes I am oblivious and other times I "over-feel" the situation. I seem to be unable to modulate my feelings appropriately, at times.

I over-feel or appeal callous too . i laugh nervously in stressful situations or when I realise things and distance myself or admire stuff when people are killed on TV but I could not take too much gore and feelings especially at the cinema. Twice I could have crawled under a stone-a boy i liked was sunburned and I giggled he said its not funny and another girl stroked his arm soothingly and I would have given anything to do that. And a friend of mine had anorexia in hospital and I cheerfully gave it as an answer in a test and she said its not funny too. And I said "Of course I don't need glasses all the time" and someone who'd helped me strip down an engine together said "I do" and ran off. I am always do ing things like this it is easy to make social gaffes and hard to put them right.

I have a certain dark humour, but only for some situations, sometimes I know that I should be horrified and in fact I am, but I can't help a certain feeling of amusement if the tragic situation happened to have some comical aspect. It also helps if you don't know the person.

It may partially be a cultural thing as well, in Germany the word Schadenfreude means taking pleasure or amusement in the misfortune of others, it's common enough in their culture that they have a specific word for it!
I have trouble keeping a straight face in inappropriate situations, the more formal and inappropriate it is to laugh the more I can't help laughing, partly I think it's nervous tension, and partly I just cannot help thinking how absurd the whole thing is and burst out laughing, it's got me into a lot of trouble over the years and is something I have a hard time controlling, I even walk down the street and suddenly start laughing, people think I'm nuts or that I'm laughing at them, which just makes it funnier to me and harder to stop. If I see something stupid I can't help laughing, The other day I was walking hom and a girl walking the other way trying to look good by strutting accidently stumbled a couple of steps in front of me, I couldn't help a chuckle and she even told me off for laughing! but that made it worse.

I also have trouble with people like beggars on the street, I have to use all my selfcontrol to try and stop laughing at them, I don't know why, I think it's just my way of relieving tension or something, it really doesn't take much to set me off laughing uncontrollably though.

I think almost all human beings have some morbid fascination though, otherwise why would movies that depict such violent, disturbing and immoral things be so popular? It's escapism, most people are just better at supressing their emotions I guess or hiding them behind false faces.

The humour part I believe comes from a coping mechanism for humans, we need to be able to laugh at ourselves to relieve some pressure otherwise we would all just commit suicide from depression. You could eve say not being able to laugh is a problem, they have laughter clinics now to help people to learn to laugh, so rather than being a soulless freak I think you could in fact one of the few who retains enough sanity to see the absurdity in all situations.

In a sense, yes. But almost everyone else, including me, is affected by this.

We watch television, which gradually allows us to separate reality from fantasy in our minds. You may act absolutely shocked and terrified if someone were to be beheaded right in front of you, but may also enjoy and laugh at a grotesque dead baby joke. <rant>Some conservative folk do not believe this separation actually occurs, and thus create annoying media watchdog groups to divert attention and money from causes that actually need them, and help parents be more lazy with their parenting at the expense of people like us who enjoy their fictional violence and wouldn't hurt a fly.</rant>

quote: <rant>Some conservative folk do not believe this separation actually occurs, and thus create annoying media watchdog groups to divert attention and money from causes that actually need them, and help parents be more lazy with their parenting at the expense of people like us who enjoy their fictional violence and wouldn't hurt a fly.</rant>


I agree with the conservative folk because the constant diet of violence and other deviant behaviors negatively affects many people (thankfully, not you or I) and cannot always be kept from younger viewers.

When I was younger I had this problem more than I do now,

Although I wouldn't find what you found funny, I will completley focus on something else (and find it funny) when it's not the important bit..

eg:

I was at the movies last night (da vinci code) and was laughing all through it because they cast Forrest Gump as Langdon.

I am like that, I don't laugh, but I start focusing on little aspects very oof-topic... I thought it was just a colombian thing, like "ok we are used to war so nothing surprises us now" ---> because everybody in Colombia is like that, but now I see it's not just here... interesting... not exclusive to aspies, everybody at some point can have that kind of reactions.

I often laugh to myself and find things funny that other people don't. Plus i love diaster movies with high death counts, though of course this is tv and not real but still. All the screaming and panic and things blowing up or what ever is great.
I laugh when i'm nervous sometimes, or when i've said something wrong which can be an unfortunate reaction of obvious reasons.

Several years ago, I found an article in the newspaper that I found hilarious. It seems this naked man went into a church and started slashing people with a sword. I was going through a real anti-christian phase back then, which was why I enjoyed it so much. Even though I'm more mature, it's still a funny image.

i'm not antri christian and even then it's still funny. Although I feel very guilty finding it funny.

i'm not anti christian and even then it's still funny. Although I feel very guilty finding it funny.