I mean- it’s still sad? The orangutang may well likely be euthanized or otherwise placed in unfamiliar settings and the man was still shot, if it wasn’t sad when bad things happened to idiots we couldn’t really ever be sad, even when bad things happen to us since- it can be argued everyone or near everyone is an idiot.
But we could also argue that both can still be funny- humor is subjective after all. Context can be very important in both wether something is funny but also wether it is appropriate to show you think it is funny. Some people are also just more mean spirited- they are more able or likely to laugh at the pain or short comings of others. Some people laugh when short men hit on attractive women and get rejected. Anecdotal evidence suggests that much of the internet might not find that so funny-
Interestingly enough though, many of the same people who see nothing funny in a short man’s rejection would laugh at something like an obese person falling down while trying to perform a physical task or a socially awkward aka “cringey” person being socially embarrassed. Often times, and this is telling of a specific person, some people find the context determine funny vs. sad as how likely they think something is to happen to them or someone they care about.
That is to say- someone who doesn’t think they would give the orangutan the gun after all that might laugh just as someone who doesn’t believe they are short or obese might laugh at those peoples circumstances because they feel safe from that situation. It’s a way of liking down or feeling superiority in such cases.
The reason most people would think being shot by itself isn’t funny is because anyone can be shot and it can be random- you can be doing every sensible and responsible thing and be shot. That means that THEY could be shot or their loved ones could be shot and the tragedy of being shot is unpleasant in that context when it relates to their own lives. When someone “does something dumb and gets what’s coming” we can justify ignoring the sadness because we can say they “deserved it” or “should have expected it.” This is largely because we feel like ourselves or loved ones wouldn’t behave in such a way and feel “safe” to laugh.
But we could also argue that both can still be funny- humor is subjective after all. Context can be very important in both wether something is funny but also wether it is appropriate to show you think it is funny. Some people are also just more mean spirited- they are more able or likely to laugh at the pain or short comings of others. Some people laugh when short men hit on attractive women and get rejected. Anecdotal evidence suggests that much of the internet might not find that so funny-
That is to say- someone who doesn’t think they would give the orangutan the gun after all that might laugh just as someone who doesn’t believe they are short or obese might laugh at those peoples circumstances because they feel safe from that situation. It’s a way of liking down or feeling superiority in such cases.