Little bits of schadenfreude
 

(This kinda goes along with the Peeves? thread.)

For those of you clicking the thread to find out what schadenfreude means, it is "pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others". Not a particularly healthy emotion, but what the heck, we all get it at times.

For me, I get a perverse kick when my football team wins a game. I love to go to the website of the opposing team's newspaper and read their local sports columnists complaining or whining about how bad the loss was.

So, what does it for you?

I'm hoping for a giant bowl full of steamy schadenfreude to come with the Cubs in the playoffs.

Whats better is that I can see it all first hand being in Chicago, I hope to drink Cub fan tears, they were sweet in 2003.

On a philosophical level, for unimportant things like sports, or for the troubles of attention whores like Paris Hilton, I see no issue with this kind of thinking, but otherwise its pretty sad when someone gets off on others failing. I think the biggest change for me growing up was actually learning to be happy for peoples successes, and instead of being jealous of them and wishing they failed, thinking how I could do the same.

I enjoy the reactions of people that work at compUSA or Best Buy after they explain everything wrong, and are completely ignorant about that they have just discussed. And I quote: "PCI Express? It's just a faster AGP, they go in the same slot, it's just a different name"

Lucky I was standing close, or this poor girl would have spent about $350 on a high end video card for her 7 year old compaq...

I like to see the Oregon Ducks throw away victories. Of course, that emotion is all the sweeter when the Beavers win...sadly, this last weekend, that was not to be the case. Bummer.

I always experience Schadenfreude when I read the Darwin Awards, as well.

It figures the Germans would have a word for shameful joy. Nothing that hasn't already been said, category wise, comes to my mind.

The person who so rudely passed me and cut me off... and they are pulled over with the flashy lights.

The SUVs flipped over in the median as I went on steadily with my geo metro... in the snow.

Anytime something annoying etc happens to someone driving a Hummer.

/seems I have a lot of road-based schadenfreude... /whistles...

JustJess: Yes, yes and yes!

I have a very specific one that I remember from when I was in High School. My friends and I were just driving along, stopped at a red light when we saw some lady in the adjacent parking lot loading her groceries into her car. Apparently a gallon sized glass bottle of apple juice broke while she was putting it in the back seat of her car, and it made a huge mess in her car, she was just standing there holding the leaking bag with a look of shock and sadness on her face. My initial reaction was empathy, but one of my friends immediately stuck his head out the window, pointed and laughed hysterically at her. After seeing him do that I burst into laughter as well, not necessarily at the poor lady, but at my friend's reaction.

Your thread reminded me of Avenue Q; such a great broadway musical.

Anyway, I love it when A students or the workaholics that always seem to do well screw up. Makes me feel better.

I love schadenfreude in all its delicious forms.

I enjoy it when I'm right about the way Quality Control is to be run in our lab at the office, even after people INSIST this is how it's been done for years and they've NEVER known it to be done THAT way, only for them to be told by the person in charge of QC that yes, she IS right, and it says so right here in the insert if you'd just read it. Then in my head I'm all like, HAH!!

:D

I experience this when I am a witness to someone being cruel or insensitive to a less fortunate individual and then have the pleasure of the cruel person experiencing an unfortunate event. This doesn't happen often, but when it does................

Mmm sweet but not as sweet as 2003 where they thought they were going to the WS.

Cubbies got eliminated last night. Sad day but I've found that no matter what happens, Cubs fans bust back with even more devotion and zeal the next year... Chicagoans have come to expect failure but will hope against hope with unfailing conviction that NEXT YEAR, WE WILL WIN THE WORLD SERIES.

It is a really weird phenomenon.

LOL... I also read the online version of the local papers that report on the team my favorite team beat. It's great to know I'm not the only one to do that!

I love seeing the NASCAR drivers I can't stand crash out.
I love seeing a business that tried to screw me go out of business(sometimes with my help*insert evil laugh*).