Why do people like to make fun of real-life scary things?

They don't think it will happen to them would be my guess. I had the pleasure of traveling with a 12-year old girl when we on a plane having an emergency landing. She was making all kinds of jokes and laughing, everyone else on the plane was so serious, many were silently praying. It was everything I could do to make her shut her mouth. She is grown now and never thinks anything bad will happen to her until it does, if she had a tiny bit of fear she would avoided some of the fine messes she has gotten herself into.