What is Schadenfreude?
Transcript
00:00What is Schadenfreude?
00:03There are some German words and phrases used in the English language to help define the undefinable.
00:09We may refer to the zeitgeist of a popular film, or the Sturm und Drang surrounding a raucous argument.
00:16Schadenfreude is another evocative German compound word that translates into
00:21damaged joy, or the secret pleasure one may derive from another person's suffering.
00:26There is rarely any positive connotation of schadenfreude,
00:30although it is often the basis of humor in physical comedies and politically incorrect jokes.
00:35Some sources say the word schadenfreude only entered the English language around 1895.
00:42Even the Germans who coined the word originally had to combine two separate ideas,
00:46schaden, damage, and freud, joy,
00:50to express the idea of guilty pleasure derived from observing others in distress.
00:56Native Germans often separate the idea of a secret feeling of schadenfreude
01:00from a more public display of an inappropriate emotion.
01:05Essentially, one could derive secret pleasure, or schadenfreude,
01:09from seeing a rival embarrass himself in front of his boss.
01:13Although the connotations of schadenfreude are almost universally negative,
01:18it does form the basis of much of our humor.
01:22Without some sense of schadenfreude,
01:24slapstick comedies featuring the Keystone Cops or Charlie Chaplin
01:28would not be nearly as humorous to audiences.
01:32Many of us instinctively laugh at the misfortunes of others,
01:35especially if those characters have been presented as treacherous, arrogant, condescending, or evil.
01:42There is a certain level of satisfaction watching a sympathetic character,
01:46such as Chaplin's tramp, exact revenge on his tormentors.
01:51That internal feeling of satisfaction as we watch others get their comeuppance
01:55is a form of schadenfreude.
01:58Schadenfreude often has an undercurrent of perverse justice,
02:02especially when we perceive the punishment or suffering as deserved by the offense.
02:08Basically, if we believe the victim had it coming,
02:11it is more acceptable to take a secret joy in his suffering,
02:14or to see it as a form of karmic payback.
02:18Schadenfreude can take on a much sinister meaning when applied to larger social problems, however.
02:24Many racial, social, or religious prejudices are reinforced by feelings of schadenfreude.
02:31For more clear, concise answers to common and not-so-common questions,
02:35visit the Conjecture Corporation website.