Schadenfreude

[Aschenbach]

    Ever experienced a particular delight at another's misfortune? I mean genuine hard luck stories rather than people who get their comeuppance. Did this create feelings of guilt later?

[sunflower68]

oerrrr, I was secretly glad when Vanessa Feltz put on a bit of weight after her 'recent weight loss'.  Equally when her claims to be a size 12 were openly ridiculed.

Aschenbach will I be damned into eternity? Is that what schadenfreude means?  Love the question anyway....goodbye, cruel world........

[Philtaz]

Yes.  Brendan Burns and Brendan Moley were leaving a farm in a lorry not far from Crossmaglen Army/RUC Base.  I was in that base.

The lorry the two gents were in contained a 1,000lb bomb that the two intended to drive to the base and detonate.  Just as they left the farm they hit a bump in the road and the bomb exploded prematurely. When we arrived at the scene, the biggest piece left of either was an ear stuck in a chain link fence.

Burns had been involved in the Warrenpoint bombings several years earlier so he certainly got his come uppance!

There certainly weren't any feelings of guilt from those present.

[ll_billym]

I laughed so hard at this bloke once, he had paid �5 on 5 lottery lines and didn't win anything.

[BondGirl]

Philtaz - couldn't have said it better myself.  Been to Belfast but Bandit Country - no thanks.  You're a braver person than myself - hope you've managed to put those days behind you. ; )

[Philtaz]

Thanks BondGirl.  Have to say I loved my postings to Northern Ireland, especially Belfast, a fantastic city.

[Aschenbach]

Philtaz - Wow! that's an amazing experience and I'm proud you shared it on my question.

However, I wasn't looking for examples of people getting their come uppance rather a more indirect satisfaction.

An example would be when at the 1936 Berlin Olympics Jewish people cheered everytime the Germans were beaten to gold or after 9/11 some Palestinians danced on the streets because they suffered hardship at the hands of Americans.

There isn't an English language equivalent of Schadenfreude so it's hard to fathom.

Sunflower -  you'd no doubt love the episode of Little Britain where Marjorie spits at Vanessa!

[sunflower68]

Aschen I've never laughed so much as when I saw that clip!

[Morrisonker]

Umm...i secretly have a little evil giggle when i hear my friend has fallen out with the man in her life.  She refuses to take any of my advice yet always ends up in tears about him.  I feel a bit smug because not only is it a classic 'i told you so' situation, I'm also happily content with my boyfriend and he has never treated me the way this guy treats my friend.

 

Then I feel horrible about myself and make myself take a deep breath and continue to be a shoulder to cry on.

Ooo, I saw a group of muslims praying en masse on the pavement beside ground zero in New York.  I admired their guts, because the way emotions were around that time and place it could have turned very nasty, also it was a rather bizarre photo opertuinity.  Then of course I realised how insensitive and arrogant they were, they were obviously trying to provoke a reaction. 

Best question I've seen on here for a long time Aschenbach, well done to you! ^_^  Anything you'd like to admit to seeing as it's your question?

[goldheart]

I secretly harbour these delightful thoughts. A friend of mine desperately wanted the house, boyfriend/husband, kids, job etc and all before me. She used to get jealous if I had a boyfriend and got the right hump if I went out with him (as planned) and not her on a Saturday... i was so glad when she met someone, then I didnt see her as much and she used to put me off seeing her if he was coming round... so it was relief to me. Then she got pregnant and they bought a house and she would always go on at me and my partner that we should get property.... then they split up and she started to ask what I was up to at weekends... I work full time all week, then do my housework, washing etc on Saturdays or catch up with friends - depending whats more urgent! and Sunday sometimes I like to just kick back and relax - you know Sunday dinner, reading the paper, going to the pub... anyway they got back together and I was relieved again and then they split up after her having another baby... he has since moved away. Anyway, after all that she got just what she wanted, as always, and is spoilt by her parents and grandparents - they always pay her petrol and buy her lunch when they go out, she's been given a lovely 3 bedroom house on the council... gets quite a bit in benefits and earns cash on the side doing nail extensions... she has it all now, but one thing she cant get is another man and I have to laugh!! Sound selfish?  maybe to you, but I know her and also have to be a shoulder to cry on, but thats what friends are for - im much happier - so next time she gets down in the dumps and "nothing every goes right for me" attitude then I just say, "oh well, one day your knight in shining armour will turn up and whisk you away"... but its v. doubtful with the way she acts!!  I think its in everybody to be like that, whether they admit it or not!

Great question!

[Aschenbach]

Well I remember being on a long train journey and having to listen to a group of three boys and a very vocal girl who would not stop talking drivel about her life - kind of like a human vacuum cleaner in reverse.

 So when a suitcase fell from the above storage compartment right onto her head I couldn't help smirking along with the other passengers. Although I wished her no serious harm I enjoyed the rest of my journey in what felt like blissful silence pondering the possibilities of telekinesis.

[Hgrove]

Once I fell head over heels in love with someone but he dumped me after 4 months.  I was very upset for a long time.  About a year later, the woman he left me for left him and his best friend died of cancer, both within days of each other.  I was surprised at the joy and relief that I felt at the time.  I literally started jumping up and down and dancing with joy.  Although I was already seeing someone else, it was not until then that I experienced closure.  P.S. I was not happy the other guy had died but there was nothing I could do about it.

[Hgrove]

Sorry, to answer your question, although I surprised myself at the amount of joy and relief I felt, not, I did not feel guilty about it.

[spammylou]

basically then, we all secretly feel great when the **** hits the fan for someone else who deserved it. I'm glad about that because then it confirms I'm not as evil as i thought.!!!

[undercovers]

have a look at the dawin awards - always makes me chuckle even though it really shouldn't.

But i think some of the things you lot have come out this are pushing the boundaries - you get dumped and the the guys best friend dies and his relationship fails, and your happy - wow your heart is ice cold.

And as for someone getting angry with muslims for praying at ground zero - when will you learn we are not meant to be at war with muslim - its a religion like any other and these poor people were probably praying for the souls lost in the attack (of which over a hundred were muslims). no one group owns the grief over a terrorist attack of that scale