Schadenfreude (/ˈʃɑːdənfrɔɪdə/; German: [ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁɔʏ̯də] ; lit. 'harm-joy') is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another.
More specifically, seeing someone "get what he deserves." Some sort of cosmic revenge.
- A realtor recently reposted a meme on social media with a cartoon of a car hitting protesters (as in Charlottesville), with the caption "All Lives Splatter." The repost received a lot of attention because she is also a state legislator. The brokerage with which she was affiliated terminated their relationship. (Realtors are usually independent contractors, not employees, so headlines saying she was fired are inaccurate.)
- A young man who makes very public statements of politically conservative views once tweeted that he shouldn't be required to have health insurance since he is young and healthy. He is now conducting a fundraising campaign to pay for medical bills after a serious car accident.
- There are countless cases of politicians or religious figures who espouse a highly conservative agenda (which almost always includes reversing or limiting the rights of LGBT people), who are revealed to have secretly indulged in extramarital affairs, sometimes with members of the same sex, and usually with a great deal of humiliation to their families and themselves.
No one "gets what he deserves." Yes, actions have consequences, some of them negative, but who are we to rejoice in anyone's misfortune?
I hope there are people who agree with me that celebrating negative outcomes is wrong. Just plain wrong. I think if someone is publicly disgraced, one's energy is better invested in sympathy than in trying to humiliate that person further. If a corporation is forced to end a relationship with an individual, I think a more appropriate feeling is concern for the individual and sorrow for the investment in time and energy on both sides.
Perhaps the problem with my way of thinking is that it recognizes the humanity of the person suffering. Few of us are apathetic toward the misfortunes of people stricken with illness, of victims of natural disasters or poverty, toward the families of victims of violence. What I'm saying is that everyone deserves the same concern.
I know it has been human nature to kick a man when he's down, as they say, for as long as humans have been able to kick. We are not as far removed from the savage, barbarian existence of our ancestors as we'd like to believe. But we are removed from it. Why can't we act like it?
(This article discusses Schadenfreude in slightly more scientific terms, although it's not an academic article. Note it states that people do not experience Schadenfreude equally, and makes suggestions about people who do experience it more frequently or strongly.)
