OK - It's very sad, but it's kind of funny in a sick slapstick sort of way

Kind of like watching Pulp Fiction, when they accidentally shoot that guy in car. It was bad but it was kind of funny and then you feel kind of sick for laughing.


Boy 'crushed by giant snowball'

28 February 2005

A 10-year-old boy died after being crushed by a giant snowball, it was reported today.

Police refused to name the youngster or release any further details of the incident, but the boy was named locally as Peter Strang, according to the Daily Record newspaper.

The accident happened at about 5.45pm on Saturday in Torphins, Aberdeenshire, Grampian Police said.

The death was "the result of a tragic accident", a police spokesman said.

The primary school pupil apparently died playing with a friend after a "giant snowball" rolled down a hill and engulfed him.

Local minister Norman Nicoll told the paper: "It seems there was a giant snowball the boys had made themselves.

"Apparently it rolled and unfortunately Peter was caught under it.

"The boys had just gone out there to play and then something like this happens. It's very difficult to find words to explain it all."

There were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident and a report is to be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

The boy's parents, Hamish and Carol, were too upset to comment.

I hear what you are saying Rose but respectfully disagree. Pulp Fiction was a movie. A little boy tragically died here and a family will have to deal with the horrible pain and agony associated with that for the rest of their lives.

The mentality behind this being funny is honestly disturbing. I find this sickening and tragic, not funny. Just think how you would feel if that was your little boy and possibly reassess your reaction.

Yeah - I know. He's 10 years old and it's very sad.

I just had a hard time shaking the picture in my mind of this giant cartoonish snow ball rolling down the hill after him.

We discussed this at work, and I see your point rose, it IS something that would happen in a cartoon, but like Billy says it is a real lil boy

Its horribly tragic, but like my friend said at work, when you read it you snigger, then realise its not some cartoon or a joke :/

But well, c'est la vie

It may be a little disturbing, but it is kind of a natural response to things like that, especially if they border on the strange or ridiculous, to find some humour in them... especially those that don't directly affect us or those we know. I mean... who hasn't laughed at the Darwin Awards, or something like that?

I suppose it's a kind of mental defense mechanism... after all, if we grieved for every injury or death that occurred in the world, regardless of our relationship to that unfortunate soul, I think we'd all go pretty much completely insane.

I'll be the dissenter and say I think it's funny, for the same reason I find the Darwin awards funny. One of my all time favorites was the story of two guys who snuck onto a ski slope in the middle of the night. They stole a foam protective pad off one of the lift supports to use as a sled. On the way down the hill they ran into the very same pole and were killed. Sorry, but that's funny! (Unless you're a relative of course).

What news orginizaton or publication ran this story? I'm not sure this is even a true story. Smells like a new urban myth.

Search news.google.com for giant snowball. The snowball weighed a half-ton.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4303215.stm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1504615,00.html
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=qw110958102115B216
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1427439,00.html

my siblings and dad share the same sick evil sense of humor... my bro died under circumstances i will not relate, but had some truly funny aspects. we survived the funeral by making wisecracks (when others wouldn't hear). except for the fact he wouldn't have liked being the butt of the jokes, paul would have approved.

humor also helped after my dad tried to kill himself. he couldn't feel any lower, but at least we could still laugh.

as for myself... i can only pray ppl will laugh more than cry when i'm taken outta here... hopefully not cheer tho lol

find humor wherever you can... just be careful you won't hurt anyone when you laugh.

Ok, I googled for giant snowball. Apparently, it seems to be a news item. Maybe it did happen, but my Urban Myth Radar keeps going off. It just seems so cartoonishly strange. I can't help but think this is a hoax.

Very true.
If I were, say, squashed by a falling toilet tomorrow, those close to me would be upset. The rest of the world be amused. Can't say I'd blame them.

Some of you probably remember the famous Mary Tyler Moore episode where when coworker "Chuckles the Clown" dies (offscreen) in an absurd accident ("He came to the parade dressed up as Peter Peanut and a rogue elephant tried to shell him". Other workers start cracking jokes, and Mary scolds them repeatedly. This occurs until the funeral, when she's horrified to be the only one who can't contain her laughter as the eulogy covers the zany details in the deceased life and career.

prolly some truth there too, we all bubble up with all kinds of emotions... try to deny them and they'll pop out at the worst times hehehhe

l.

My favourite on the same Darwin Award level is a woman who was touring in France, doing Bungee Jumping from cranes.

She wanted to 'liven it up', as it became old news and it wouldn't support her, so she introduced 'reverse bungee jumping'. Her friend would just hold her, or tie her harness down on the ground, and the crane would lift the bungee cord, tensing it... she did just that , building the suspense for the first "performance"...

Obviously, not enough thought went into it, for, as the harness was released from the ground, she was catapulted high up, straight into the crane because the cord was too tense, and she died instantly.

I had to read the very short news item in french 3 times over before believing my eyes. How dumb can you get?

I am laughing my head off here in my little cube----

this is now how i want to die.

I can really relate to this as I took care of my Mom when she was dying and she used to crack jokes all the time about her condition and some of the extreme things that would happen because of her treatment. Thinking back, it's probably a lot of what kept us sane.