Why do people have to laugh when I slip on the ice?

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Right, OK, snow is forecasted for my area now and the temperature is rapidly decreasing towards zero, so I suppose out come my big thick snowboots and I've got to start practising not to slip over on the ice what is going to be lying around all the pavements for about 10 weeks from now. I am NOT looking forward to this (roll on spring, please!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !)

I am not afraid of slipping because of hurting myself. I am afraid of slipping because of humiliating myself. People are nasty where I come from, and if you slip over on the ice, everybody laughs loud enough for you to hear, and as though they weren't expecting accidents on icy pavements. Instead of kindly asking, ''are you all right?'', I get the ''ha ha ha look at that stupid girl, she just slipped over on a bit of ice!''

Because of social rules being so complex, I would of thought that laughing at people falling on You've Been Framed or WipeOut is acceptable because that's what they put the TV shows on for, it's for entertainment. But laughing at somebody who has just slipped over right in front of you would be unacceptable because a) the person slipping over might hear and feel embarrassed or upset, b) there is ice all around so it could happen to the person laughing, and c) the person slipping might be badly hurt. I mean, if I wanted to laugh, I would do it quietly to myself, or laugh about it when I get home, so that the person wouldn't see or hear. I would not point and laugh loudly because that makes the matter even more humiliating than it should be for the person slipping. And it's a thousand times worse when you suffer with social phobia and Agoraphobia, because I have an intense fear of humiliation and being the centre of attention, and slipping over seems to cause attention, and I've got to get up with everyone looking and laughing and walk off with everyone still looking and laughing, and even if they're not, it feels like they are, because that's the social phobia. It just feels like people have to laugh when someone slips, as though they're think that slipping over on ice is equally intentional as dancing around with your trousers pulled down or something. But it's not - I don't choose to slip over on the ice.

I f*****g HATE the snow!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!

I have to say, I'm startled to hear that people laugh when you slip, because, klutz that I am, I slip all the time and have never had that happen once out of elementary school. Usually people do rush up to help. I suppose it has a lot to do with how people were raised.

Well that should be what happens, but where I live people seem to want to humiliate eachother all the time. If people don't laugh at me, they just stare when I get up, as though I just done something wrong. I will understand people laughing and staring if I pulled my trousers down and danced about spastically, but slipping over on ice is different, and if NTs had ANY empathy at all, they would too understand that, and so would choose not to stare in order to avoid the embarrassed person to feel humiliated. I mean, come on, the last thing anyone wants when they slip over is everyone to be staring at them. Yes, you look at first, but after they get up, why carry on staring? I feel like yelling out, ''yes, the show's over now!''

I think usually in person, yes, it's considered to be the right thing to do to ask if they are ok. Laughing can be considered ok if the person doesn't get hurt. I think they laugh because it reminds them of slapstick comedy. I think they also expect the person who falls to laugh too, unless they are hurt.

Oh Joe90 I know how you feel. I hate slipping up in public too, I once was walking past a bus stop queue when a plastic carrier bag blew around my feet and caused me to fall. Everyone at the bus stop laughed and not one of them thought of helping me to my feet.

I especially hate the winter weather and as I am in Scotland it can be a major issue with slipping so I bought things for my shoes which help.

Just search online for icegrips/ezyshoes and once you wear them they give you instant confidence in walking again.

One time at work I was mopping the floors and my boss came in and I had wet floors signs and he steps on the wet floor and slips nearly falling. A little laugh comes out of my mouth and then I go "sorry" and he goes "No it wasn't your fault, you had these signs out."

So if you have out wet floor signs, it's okay to laugh. So I guess that would mean if there is a batch of ice on the ground, it's okay to laugh because the person can see the ice and should be careful just like you need to be careful when you see a wet floor sign. And I do feel stupid if I slip or almost slip and there were warning signs. I also feel deserved to be laughed at if I do this because of my own stupidity. I bet they were thinking "That woman was so stupid, she didn't even see the wet floor sign. I wonder if she would be dumb enough to sue if she had actually slipped and broke her arm?" But I don't care if they are thinking that and I do admit I was dumb and I just need to be more careful. I automatically get defensive if someone makes a comment about it. Then I get over it quickly. Maybe that's why it's okay to laugh at people because if they are stupid, you laugh at them and make them feel ashamed for their own stupidity. Maybe people are less politically correct over there.

But I bet those who laugh about it and don't even try to hold it in or even try to hide it have maybe never slipped on ice before, especially on a wet floor. A gold star for them.

I bet the ones who be sympathetic about it or act like it didn't happen have probably been there themselves so they know how it feels to be made ashamed about it.

I dunno...I think sometimes people laugh to sort of make you feel better, as in you'll laugh along too. *Maybe* the staring thing is a sympathetic look, or making sure you're OK. Or just curiousity?

I've slipped while walking on snowy, icy sidewalks before. Yes, there were people watching. Yes, they laughed at me. Most onlookers laugh because they're a**holes. Nowadays if I slip I laugh along with them. Helps to lessen the initial embarassment.

How old's the crowd?

If it's kids then they're being jerks, but they'll forget about it
If it's adults then it depends if you ever had other problems with the kids

Well, I think people just laugh at me because I look ret*d. If I was a confident, cocky person, I bet nobody would laugh.

Nowadays mostly people in their 20s laugh at me. People in their 40s and 50s (women mostly) just stare, and old people are the only ones who wouldn't laugh. I don't mind little kids laughing at me because they would just laugh at anybody, but I feel that anyone else who laughs at me is because of how I look, and so I take it personally. Remember, walking out in the street ain't just a way of getting from A to B - NTs seemed to have turned it into a ''I'm better than you'' compitition.

I just feel that the way people look at me makes it seem like I've just broken a social rule or something, as though ''do not slip over otherwise you're stupid'' is a social rule in the snow. But sometimes you can't always avoid icy pavements. When I see an icy pavement, I try to gingerly walk over it, giving off body language that says ''I am aware of the ice, and I am doing fine at the moment'', so slipping shouldn't be that funny, since it was way beyond my control. If I was walking over the ice quickly as though it's just dry concrete on an ordinary warm day, then crashed over with feet flying in the air, then it might be a laughing matter.

Last year I was worrying more about me not slipping than spending all day laughing at other people slipping, and other people should do the same.

My stepdad has slipped twice and both times broke his arm. He bought some snow grips:

http://www.icegrips.co.uk/

Apparently these help. He is too scared to go out without them now because he doesn't want to spend a third Christmas in a cast.

I don't really know why people would laugh at that. I suppose if you laughed first (which I know in this case you didn't) then I would laugh with you but if you fell and didn't laugh then I'd probably ask if you were okay.

People still laugh at others falling over at college, would have thought they'd be more mature by now but no.

Schadenfreude is the best answer I can give as to why.

It is a little funny, to be fair, as long as nobody gets hurt or covered in mud or something like that.

'But ya, snow and ice suck. A lot.

When you look bothered by it/annoyed that you slipped - people will find it much funnier.

snow is forecast in essex??

walk slowly

I know but I don't know how to not look bothered. Slipping over makes me jump, how can I not look bothered?