Ah, that’s a shame,” I sarcastically think to myself as an exasperated young man throws his hands up in the air in pure disappointment as the T he was chasing rolls away. He slouches over with his hands on his knees, panting for breath.

I cannot help but laugh as we cruise down the street without him. This poor guy just reminded so many people why they hate driving in this area as he sprinted through the lanes like a character in an old arcade game, only to watch his final hope for a prompt arrival to class literally leave him in the dust.

Although it may seem a little bit cruel of me to laugh, there is something so entertaining about watching this guy’s reaction to the unsympathetic T. I think it is one of those things that if you have been in his position before, which I – as well as most students have – then you have the right to find pleasure in his defeat.

Watching people fall down is funny. I don’t mean heads smashing open, broken limbs or permanent damage. If you do happen to take a liking to this stuff, I would suggest making the best of it and investing in medical school. Or a good therapist.

Enjoying the sight of people taking quick spills on the sidewalk while texting their friends, and thus disregarding the large sheet of ice on the ground, is innocent fun.

Now, if the people get right up and laugh it off embarrassingly, it is funny but forgettable.

If they sit for a moment, take in the scenery, then get up to look around to see if anyone saw the fall and realizes that you did, it is hilarious. If they are in your next class, outstanding.

Now, there is also the rare but extraordinary groups of ka-boomers that fall in public right in front of the person they like or just started dating. It is pretty rare to witness this one, but is an excellent source of funny if you are lucky enough to catch it. The girl is wearing six-inch heels to class and walking with the man of her dreams until — BAM — nature prevails and proves that ice is stronger than Gucci.

And let us not ignore the oldie but goodie: treadmill falls. Ah yes, it brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. So you head to the gym after a long week to work out your stress. A very tall, very thin girl grabs the last available treadmill, so you hop on the elliptical machine in the back instead.

She has all the right signs of a treadmill faller: Shiny sneakers, clumsy walk and a cell phone in hand while hiking up the speed. Just when her phone lights up, adios lady. She rolls down the back of the treadmill like a bag of carrots on a check-out counter gone awry. She’s not hurt, so you begin to laugh to yourself. Others do, too. If she was remotely hurt, one of those church and funeral laughs develop. You know, those times where the fact that it is inappropriate to giggle makes it that much harder not to laugh out loud.

So why do some people think it’s wrong to find comfort in others’ minor life embarrassments?

“America’s Funniest Home Videos” was a successful television show and rewarded thousands of people for exposing their humiliating experiences to the world. Even with Bob Saget as its host, the show was successful. He told endless horrendous jokes on a corny set that was supposed to resemble his living room, and did the same absurd voice to add dialogue to people, cats, dogs and even objects. If Bob Saget didn’t kill this show, people in embarrassing situations must be pretty funny.

We all do stupid things sometimes, so we might as well find humor in them. Laughter is a lot more fun than shameful hiding in the corner.

But there are unspoken do’s and don’ts that come along with laughing at others’ misfortunes. For instance, it is okay to laugh at the guy who just missed the T. It is not okay to lock him out of the car and laugh while he is being chased by the crazy one-eyed man from the CharlieCard picture.

It is okay to laugh at young children who fall over when they are still learning to walk. Those little cherubs must learn how to fall and get right back up.

It is not okay, however, to laugh at the many mishaps of old people. Unless, of course, you are sitting on the T next to an old man who smells like booze, is telling jokes and claims that he is just as invincible as the indestructible cheerleader from “Heroes” and will prove it if he must. In that case, you should laugh at all his jokes. A lot.

So the next time you are on the T and it drives by someone who is banging on the doors to get in, take a minute to laugh. Because let’s face it: You’ll give that person a good laugh, too, when you’re the one on the outside.

Megan Murphy, a sophomore in the School of Education, is a columnist for the Daily Free Press. She can be reached at [email protected]