Schadenfreude

“Schadenfreude” - From the day Alan Shore introduced me to this word a few months ago, I was fascinated by it, by the sheer way in which it describes one of our most base instincts of reveling in the others’ misfortune. I always felt strongly about such behavior, but did not know of an apt word for it.

I must admit that I had not heard this term before a certain day this January when Alan Shore from Boston Legal presented it with such élan!!

And wow… this word has been ringing in my head since then.

English language has borrowed this word from German and it literally means “Pleasure derived from the misfortune of others”.

Now for where this was used……the context was that of a woman accused of murdering her husband… she was one with a very colorful, dubious character; indulging in extra marital dalliances and standing to benefit immensely with the death of her old husband. And with a cool, unapologetic demeanor not helping her cause for a not-guilty plea one bit, her counselor Alan Shore was defending her case in front of the jury impressing upon them that there wasn’t enough evidence, it was all circumstantial and if at all she gets a guilty verdict, it would be based on ‘Schadenfreude’.

And the point came across…. so so clearly!! In fact we see Schadenfreude all around.

Especially, when we see important people fall!

I started writing this post in January and some of what I penned down may have a point of reference to that time….

E.g. If AAP gets into a messy situation, we find it interesting; if Hrithik and Susanne split, we find it juicy; if Rahul Gandhi errs, we love it;  if Tiger Woods is caught in controversy, it makes the headlines; .. and the list goes on and on.

There is an innate primitive instinct that makes the fall of important people interesting for the common man.

Little did I know that I would be seeing a lot of Schadenfreude at display very, very soon……

The annual Cricket festival or circus may I say that is loathed by my elite and thinking friends… the IPL. I have been an ardent supporter of Dhoni and by virtue of it CSK since the onset. I don’t understand whether it is cool to beat him down or just an in thing to be against the tide…. but, I have known of people who have been staunch Dhoni haters…. and again by virtue of which CSK haters. And as if the medicine was ordered by the patient, there was this fixing fiasco, lot of mud slinging, Meiyyappan found guilty and quite a bit of image tarnish for Captain Cool also. But, deter I did not.

Come IPL 2014…. And there I was, amongst all the cynicism, silently supporting my favorite team and wishing for their success….. They almost did it too. And then, they didn’t. The social media and the folks I move around with were abuzz with some kind of an innate joy at the ‘big’ team falling…..

One of those things I felt and move ahead…..

Cut to a few weeks earlier …. And we saw the mighty Congress… ruling party since a decade brought down to a paltry below 50 figure. I somehow always knew it was coming…… but, the way everyone around reacted… what I sensed again was less of an excitement for change, but, more of an urge to put down someone strong who fell.

Maybe I am biased…. Maybe I am not looking through the shortcomings that have brought about this fall, maybe I am too loyal to a fault to accept…. But, I cannot fathom the levels to which people stoop to put someone down when he has already had a fall.

I thought this was ending and then the FIFA 2014. This sport and this particular Championship can evoke the strongest emotions they say… and you cannot escape it’s pull, you must take one side and you will. Oh, how I waited since the last one 4 years back to see Messi do it, but, at last it was not to be. As if it was not sad enough… there you had all the hawks and eagles at it again.

I understand one congratulating victors and celebrating success….. but, what is that intrinsic urge to put down someone who is already down.

And this just has put me in a spin. 2 things are really clear…..

a) it’s me !!! I seem to be the jinx!! And b) weren’t we all as kids taught not to make fun of someone who, say, takes a fall, or has some weakness. And if by any chance we win, we dare not blow our trumpets, and worse still make the loser feel bad.

Are those virtues forgotten? Are we bringing our vices hidden behind facades of humility and etiquette out into the open?

Or is this me a loser feeling bad and venting out my angst!!