Schadenfreude

I first came across this term in one of my favourite TV shows - Boston Legal. Alan Shore argues brilliantly to save one of his clients from a murder charge by claiming that everyone wants to see her behind the bars just because she is a high profile celebrity and it is in the primal nature of a human being to enjoy the downfall of a Great.

When one person sees another person with something they want, or that person is someone they want to be, the immediate reaction is to get what they want. This someone can be a child with a lollypop or a celebrity with immense fame. If they can't do that or it is not possible to do that, they will slowly develop a feeling that the other person shouldn't have it either. It then transforms into a feeling of hope that the other person will eventually lose it. Some even go as far as taking an action to make sure the person loses it. In the case when it does happen and the person wails over it, they exult! This feeling is called Schadenfreude.

I witnessed the same human nature bare naked on Social Networks and TV reports today. Manchester United, one of the greatest teams of England and Europe lost the title to their neighbours Manchester City on the last day of the season. The match was decided with two injury time goals by Dzeko and Aguero to give City a win based on pure goal difference. United, being one of the most loved and one of the hated team all across the world are the perfect contenders that provoke Schadenfreude.

It was a sad moment for every Manc to see the title taken away when they almost had their hands on it. As it goes, the fans of other clubs - Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, enjoyed the downfall of United with glee. The rivalry between fans of United and those of the other 'Big 4' in England has been astounding over the years given that United have dominated English Premier League. Rather than being distraught over a team made of money winning the title, they rejoice the loss of United.

This feeling is not just seen in Football but across other sports, too. There are plenty of fans that support Nadal basically because they don't want to see Roger Federer win. You can find many Indians who hate the guts of Sachin Tendulkar; some going as far as hating him for his religion/caste. The reason behind all this is not because these Greats have committed any atrocities worth such hate. It is only because of their fame and success that people want to see them lose their grace.

Being a United fan, the above sure is biased. But the point of this article is not about Manchester United, or Football, or the rivalry between the clubs. It is about the human psyche; the basic nature that loves to see something taken away from another human being.

Schadenfreude is a German word that is sometimes used in other languages and it is used quite rarely in the English literature. But the feeling it describes can be seen since the earlier days of mankind. Humans have always been greedy. But what causes greed? One of the reasons is jealousy. When you as a kid saw another kid enjoying an ice-cream cone, you would be jealous of him. You would want an ice-cream for yourself. That is greed. It doesn't start when you become an adult, but cultivates in human mind since birth.

Schadenfreude is a “by-product” of jealousy. When a human being is jealous, he takes two possible courses of action. One, he tries to get something better that satisfies his greed. Two, it is not possible for him to get the same or something better, so he wishes that the other person shouldn’t have it either. Humans can’t react in any other way.

Here, I would like to quote one of my favourite exchanges between Voldemort and Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the Order of Pheonix:

"Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies. You must know this, Dumbledore." - Lord Voldemort

It did not make much sense to me back then because when I read the book, I was pretty young and could not comprehend it. But as I went back and read the book later, it made a lot of sense, suddenly and I could relate a lot to it myself!

What I am trying to convey through this post is, doesn’t matter who or what the person is, you can’t kill the primal nature.

PS: I am not trying to start a debate over Football, Cricket or Tennis. This is more about human behaviour.

PPS: This is my first post on this blog and I thank everyone who encouraged and supported me to write :)