| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this home-video clip show makes light of what could be serious accidents. The show features scenes of people falling, stumbling, and even getting into potentially serious traffic accidents -- with no information about the outcomes. The narrator implies that it's funnier if someone is hurt, sending a message to young viewers that discourages empathy. Remind kids not to try anything similar on their own.
IT ONLY HURTS WHEN I LAUGH is a collection of viewer-contributed video clips featuring accidents, tumbles, and
stunts gone wrong, all edited to highlight the pain and humiliation of the subjects/victims involved. The narrator eggs on the laughs with comments like, "There's
nothing funnier than pain, humiliation, and looking stupid, just as
long as it's happening to someone else." Clips range from the mildly gross -- like a baby spitting up into an adult's mouth -- to the dangerous, like a motorcyclist thrown from a fast-moving bike.
Sure, sometimes it's fun to laugh at others' mishaps, especially when they're laughing along, too. But there's a mean-spiritedness to the narration in this show that isn't amusing. Some of the clips are funny -- a roller blader skates into a pond with two dogs diving in after him, for example. But others are downright disturbing, like when an elderly person trips in a hole and falls flat, with no movement shown afterward.
Families can talk about whether shows like this contribute to a lack of empathy for others. Kids: Why do we sometimes laugh when people fall?
All of the video clips are contributed by viewers. Why do you think people would submit videos of themselves or others getting hurt?
| TV rating: | TV-14 |
| Network: | truTV |
| Genre: | Reality TV |