Misfortune

I don't consider myself a cruel person but sometimes inappropriate things make me laugh. Things like this that arrived in the mail the other day:



It's from an organization called Earthjustice and it's tag line is "Because the Earth needs a good lawyer". I'm suggesting the Earth needs a better campaign manager. According to CharityNavigator.com they are a decent, well meaning organization but that solicitation has got to go. I understand it was supposed to make me feel sad yet generous. Instead it just made me burst out laughing. I'm not proud of that reaction, it just happened.

I'm also not in the habit of laughing at other's misfortune but today I did. I had been in the produce section of the grocery store with some poor bedraggled mom being swarmed by her kids. The little boy, around four years old, was really a handful. He seemed to be making a break for it or underfoot no matter where she moved. I'd been sort of ignoring them until I turned and saw the boy standing in front of his mother's shopping cart, stiffly facing outward, with a plastic produce bag over his head. Before I could react (and I would have made a stab at yanking it off his head) his mother saw him, gasped and said "NO!". She had more trouble than I might have guessed taking it off his head. I don't know if he was chewing on it or what but it was really stuck on his noggin. I'm sorry, but the whole scene made me laugh. It made me laugh, shake my head and think 'Ya know, Darwin had a point.'

Then, rather suddenly, karma bit me in the ass. I turned the corner and saw marketing genius in action. Some sadistic store schemer had set up a big basket of Oreo cookies in front of the milk section. I mean honestly who can resist that kind of set up? Well, I did, but still that was cruel! I'm incredibly lactose intolerant and haven't had a glass of milk in years but even I might risk a wrecked stomach for a glass of milk and handful of Oreo cookies.

Look, I'll still laugh at the small misfortunes of others and I'll even laugh at poor little Limpy. I'll just be sure to look over my shoulder when I do.