Many, many years ago, when I was in college, I was riding a bus and as I looked out the window I saw a guy walking along the sidewalk who slipped on what could have been a banana peel. His legs flew up and he flopped down on his behind. I must confess that my reflexive response was to burst out laughing. It's not that I was unaware or even insensitive to the fact that this was a real and quite unpleasant fall. What caused me to laugh was how ridiculous he looked. It was like seeing a cartoon come to life. I don't think I would have reacted that way if I had been walking behind him. In that case, simple proximity wouldn't have permitted the perspective that distance provided.
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