I don't want to assume about livius's post, but that post may be hinting that this thread isn't the "context" for "crude jokes about horrifying things." Anything posted in this thread, crude or not, is likely to be an initial reaction (maybe an immediate jest instead of humor as a coping mechanism, maybe an immediate jest in place of shock) from people who are probably far away and aren't terribly stunned (as if they'd heard that a shooting had happened at their children's school).
since Im arguing for a stress-relief interpretation.
I wonder how many people posting in this thread have enough actual stress about this incident for this stress to manifest as a post.
Another consideration, which has appeared in a different but related way in recent news stories, is that even what may be genuine "gallows humor" may be misinterpreted in the wider world. (Those news stories involved text messages among police officers or prison guards that implied certain things; in each case, a defense emerged that the messages were humor and weren't serious, but not everyone has to believe these defenses.)
Around here, I'm thinking of misinterprations among other members of this site and lurkers out in the world. If anyone here does have genuine gallows humor, maybe this thread isn't the context for it.
Well between all your “maybes,” your denial of genuine empathic shock by any FReeper is clear enough.