People usually don't know what to do in such situations, making you part of the majority!Usually, you can get through such events by saying variations on "How awful!" If bad and "wow, that's neat!"if good.
Excuse yourself with an explanation about aggressive toe fungus, and you're interacting suitably with society!
My gripe for today has to do with my local library: the only events it does for adults are nights when people fill in coloring books or teach the remaining Neanderthals about this new fangled technology known as a computer.