[ClearCase_guy]

I once worked with a Chinese woman who was a little "off" and tended to laugh at inappropriate times. Anyway, at one point, she mentioned that she liked Halloween because all of the pumpkins made her think of home. I was surprised and said, "I didn't know they grew pumpkins in China." She laughed and said, "Oh, yes! My grandfather -- in his village, he grew more pumpkins than anybody!" Then she paused a little bit and said, "I think that is why they killed him."

And then she laughed and laughed. A very strange woman, but I think she came from a very damaging background.

[tanuki]

Orientals tend to laugh when confronting fear or trauma or stress. It’s their form of an emotional release. Being of that background myself, I have not only seen it firsthand, I, too, sometimes catch myself suppressing laughter at inappropriate times. Hearing someone laugh when they are, in fact, in great emotional distress always has a haunting aspect to it.