Schadenfreude in Life

This is an article I pulled out of the iVillage.com, it's further elaboration about us committing Schadenfreude in our daily life. :-)

Well, the "elaboration" is just for a laugh!

When Bad Things Happen to Bad People

The "social graces" term of the month is Schadenfreude, a word brought to us by the Germans, meaning "taking pleasure in the misfortune of others." Have you ever said mockingly, "It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy" about someone you didn't care for very much? So have we. But not all mishaps lead to this kind of gratification. Beheadings don't qualify. Nor do car accidents. The serious stuff doesn't make anybody happy. Here are some examples, to help you discern for yourself.

Your boss gets jury duty: Is this a cause for celebration? Yes. Your boss, presumably, has made your life miserable in the past and therefore has it coming.

Your best friend gets indicted: No. You are supposed to love your best friend. If you're a good person, you won't be happy at this unfortunate turn of events.

The straight-A student in your class messes up on a pop quiz and gets a B+: Yes. The anguished expression and trembling lower lip of your anal-retentive classmate should be enough to keep you smiling through lunch. Even if you got a lower grade, you are entitled to some satisfaction here, because straight-A students need to learn they aren't perfect.

The presidential candidate you opposed wins the election, then leads the nation into unprecedented disaster and his approval ratings go way down: No. As tempting as it may be to say, "I told you so," any national disaster presumably affects us all, and there is no room for gloating.

A pregnant woman on crutches misses her train: No. We feel bad for even coming up with this example.

A Broadway show created by two talented young composers wins three Tony Awards. During one of their acceptance speeches, they go over the allotted time and are drowned out by the play-off music: Yes. This happened to us. Bobby was so unnerved by the happy, jazzy music that he omitted mentioning his wife's name. It's okay ?- you may feel free to feel good.

Perhaps Leona Helmsley, the so-called Queen of Mean, gets caught cheating on her taxes (again): Yes.
It is (hypothetically) discovered that the late Mr. Rogers was guilty of the same crime: No. In fact, if Fred Rogers cheated on his taxes, we'd be glad that he got away with it. We love Mr. Rogers.