Schadenfreude. You know what that is, even if you don’t know!. You know because you carry it out. You do so because you are human.
Schadenfreude: enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others. That’s the quick Meriam-Webster definition on the internet.
You can make an in-depth study of schadenfreude, but with just a little self-awareness you can observe it in yourself. For my purposes, it appears in full view when I watch the news. My righteous indignation is one thing; I don’t like the lies. Fine. Okay. But…, and a big but, is when I enjoy those I don’t agree with getting into trouble with the law and being shamed in public. As my delight moves beyond the satisfaction that a right has been made wrong to a delight in the suffering of the ‘perpetrator’, I know my schadenfreude is with me.
I don’t like that glee, and it is mighty difficult to turn off. Right now, one solution is to turn off the news. And so, once again, I am trying that.
Schadenfreude: enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others. That’s the quick Meriam-Webster definition on the internet.
You can make an in-depth study of schadenfreude, but with just a little self-awareness you can observe it in yourself. For my purposes, it appears in full view when I watch the news. My righteous indignation is one thing; I don’t like the lies. Fine. Okay. But…, and a big but, is when I enjoy those I don’t agree with getting into trouble with the law and being shamed in public. As my delight moves beyond the satisfaction that a right has been made wrong to a delight in the suffering of the ‘perpetrator’, I know my schadenfreude is with me.
I don’t like that glee, and it is mighty difficult to turn off. Right now, one solution is to turn off the news. And so, once again, I am trying that.