Schadenfreude means to derive pleasure from the misfortune of others. The word is German and is there is not an English word that directly translates from it. Does this mean that the Germans are crueler than people from other countries? Probably not, but the fact that they “have a word for it” should be some indication of its history. Interestingly, English speakers are using it more and more as well.
The first time I ever saw the word used by an American was on an album cover by the artist Ovis. I’m not positive that he intended the album to show the exact meaning of the word or if he just thought it was a good album title. It may have been that he used it to show how the media (and the rest of the world) love to see others fail. In fact, we see this more in entertainment media than anywhere else. Magazines like the National Enquirer and sites like TMZ make obscene profits from Schadenfreude, and we are all-too happy to indulge in the secrets and failings of those more famous than we.
Now, thanks to Youtube, we are also entertaining ourselves in the failings of strangers. Some of the videos with the most views on the internet are those where someone embarrasses him or herself for everyone to see, laugh at, and now, make comments. In what can almost be described as an instance of uber-schadenfreude, “Epic Fail” videos on Youtube amass millions of views. Some are even broken down into “Redneck Fails” or “News Anchor Fails.” These videos put the worst of “America’s Funniest Videos” at our fingertips for instant viewings of people falling off bikes or through coffee tables. If you’ve ever seen Tosh.0, you know exactly where to find this kind of Schadenfreude.
Why are we so attracted to failure in others? Is it to feel better about ourselves, or could it be than we can learn from it? Certainly Schadenfreude is as much of a sin as envy or pride. Surely being sadistic is just one step up (or down) from being “Schadenfreudistic.” And why is it that we can be more comfortable with Schadenfreude than, say, Mudita (the Buddhist concept of sympathetic joy – or being happy for another’s good fortune)? Studies have shown that subjects are more likely to feel Shadenfreude for someone who they see as arrogant. Perhaps the moral lesson in all of this is that we long to see justice or karma at work.
Of course, watching a video of a stranger falling through a coffee table has nothing to do with karma. How could we ever know or feel if any of those people deserve ridicule? And who are we to ever decide such things in the first place? When we laugh at strangers, we embarrass ourselves more than the poor victim of circumstance. And just as it is better to be envied than envious, it is ultimately better to be the butt of a joke than to be the one laughing.
