“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!!
