Schadenfreude

[Nicodemus]

Schadenfreude is pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. This word is a loanword from German, and is also borrowed in some other languages.

What do you think of it? Is it okay, dirty, childish, serene?

 

[tinker683]

It's done to degrees I think.

Someone walking into a door, accidentally hitting themselves in the groin, electrocuting themselves,etc.. can all be considered humorous in spite of the potentially serious injury that may occur to said person. Just watch America's Funniest Videos or something, a lot of the humor centers around people doing stupid stuff and breaking something or hurting themselves and we consider it good and fun.

I suppose it depends on the context of why it happens and whats going on that makes it amusing or distressing.

 

[Bad Horse]

If I think/feel that someone has wronged me in some way and they then proceed to fall from grace in some fashion I derive orgasmic amounts of pleasure from their misfortune.

 

[Totenkindly]

If I think/feel that someone has wronged me in some way and they then proceed to fall from grace in some fashion I derive orgasmic amounts of pleasure from their misfortune.

I would expect nothing less from the Thoroughbred of Sin.

 

[Glycerine]

I think almost everyone experiences it to a certain degree especially if there is an element of "karma", people see others as "undeserving" of something (ex. like the rich), and/or pure jealousy. Or, they plain like it. From a more detached stance, I am starting to think that's why a lot of people watch "reality shows" besides the perceived amount of entertainment.

On the other hand, it can be funny if there is surprising/shocking element to it. I even laugh if I am in physical pain because it diffuses the situation and sometimes how one became hurt can be funny, Others might be doing the same thing. Spinning things in a different way can make almost anything funny.

 

[Typh0n]

HA. HA.

 

[Kayness]

When it is felt it is neither bad nor good; the person's decision to act or not upon that feelings makes it so.

 

[Nicodemus]

When it is felt it is neither bad nor good; the person's decision to act or not upon that feelings makes it so.

You mean hiding it is good and showing it (through laughter) bad?

 

[RDF]

A quote on the subject of schadenfreude:

The sweetest fantasies so often have a nugget of nastiness at their core. When the German poet Heinrich Heine dreamed of the good life, he imagined this: "A humble cottage with a thatched roof, but a good bed, good food, the freshest milk and butter, flowers before my window, and a few fine trees before my door; and if God wants to make my happiness complete, he will grant me the joy of seeing some six or seven of my enemies hanging from those trees."

 

[Giggly]

If it's someone I really don't like, I might get a little pleasure from it for a little while but not for very long. If it's someone I like, then never. If it's someone I am apathetic about, then never as well.

 

[Stanton Moore]

It's childish, and has no value for me.

 

[Rasofy]

I think people are supposed to expect good things to happen to people whom they like; (proportionally) bad things to people whom they dislike; and neutral things to people whom they are neutral towards.

That's the bare minimum. Below that, I wouldn't want to associate myself with said person, and above that seems somewhat illogical.

On a side note, having a word for that seems pretty desensitizing.

 

[RDF]

"Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him." (Proverbs 24:17–18, King James Version).

 

[Kayness]

You mean hiding it is good and showing it (through laughter) bad?

oh gosh I only realized the dodgy grammar in that post now that you quoted it. Well yeah, I mean, say if you see somebody suffer a misfortune maybe it's not the best time to laugh even if you want to..it's a bit of an oversimplification but i'm just making a point. The most important thing to consider is whether your action will hurt the person's feelings unnecessarily and if the answer is yes then it's best to not do it.

 

[Idealistforthefuture]

As an INFJ personally I think its rather scary actually only because even if someone has wronged you, enjoying when they are wronged back isn't recompense.

 

[zelo1954]

Aren't there really two types of Schaedenfreude - personal and impersonal.

In the case of impersonal we aren't so much laughing at the person so much as laughing at the situation. After all we don't even know the person. If we subsequently discover that the situation has caused some real harm to the recipient then our impersonal schaedenfreude usually turns to sympathy and we very quickly stop laughing and feel bad about ourselves. Don't we? Well I do anyway.

Personal schaedenfreude is directed at someone you know and is usually the result of some sort of envy or revenge. It is quite different from the above. We aren't all saints. It's a perfectly natural human reaction but, as [MENTION=4398]Giggly[/MENTION] says, you usually have second thoughts quite quickly because you know it isn't adult behaviour.

We are indeed hardwired in certain ways. Sometimes our hardwiring leads to a conflict of interest.
I'd say the need to distinguish between each type of Schaedenfreude is strong enough to justify using different words for each.

 

[Salomé]

What do you think of it? Is it okay, dirty, childish, serene?

As a word, I quite like it. I'm rather partial to German precision. I just bought a Miele vacuum cleaner and it sucks dirt like a mofo. I'm not so enamoured with the Nazi salute though.

 

[Typh0n]

As an INFJ personally I think its rather scary actually only because even if someone has wronged you, enjoying when they are wronged back isn't recompense.

As an INFJ too, I think it is pretty healthy.

 

[Mole]

What do you think of it? Is it okay, dirty, childish, serene?

I think that in part it is relief that something bad is happening to someone else and not me.

 

[entropie]

I think that in part it is relief that something bad is happening to someone else and not me.

I can see why that would be a relief