Dear Queenie,
One of my friends just laughs when someone else bumps into something or trips and falls down. I think this is terribly rude. He says it’s to spare them embarrassment.
Queenie, who is right?—Good manners
Dear Good manners,
You are! There is nothing amusing about someone else’s mishap, even if they are not seriously injured. And it is only appropriate to be concerned about whether they are hurt. Your friend is either terribly immature or totally lacking in empathy.
You might ask him how he would feel if he fell and sprained an ankle or even broke a leg and you just stood there and laughed about it. And would he not be insulted to be laughed at?
