# Is it wrong to be entertained by the misfortune of others? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 17, 2008, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-to-be-entertained-by-the-misfortune-of-others/433834 "2008-01-17T05:24:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-to-be-entertained-by-the-misfortune-of-others/433834/21 "2008-01-18T16:51:34Z")
Again, an exchange from _Avenue Q_ seems appropriate here: > [@](#): > > Nikki: > Oh. Schadenfreude, huh? What’s that? Some kind of Nazi word? > > Gary: > Yup. It’s German for ‘happiness at the misfortune of others’. > > Nikki: > ‘Happiness at the misfortune of others’ > That is German! ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-to-be-entertained-by-the-misfortune-of-others/433834/22 "2008-01-18T16:51:40Z")
[QUOTE=jackdavinci] I think it’s fine to find humor in anything at all. What’s wrong is […] to allow your enjoyment of the misfortune to become known to others who wouldn’t appreciate it. [/QUOTE] And this is only wrong if they don’t take it well. Or have you never seen somebody join in the laughter at their own misfortune? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-to-be-entertained-by-the-misfortune-of-others/433834/23 "2008-01-18T17:48:47Z")
If it’s wrong, explain the phenomenal success of America’s Funniest Videos. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-to-be-entertained-by-the-misfortune-of-others/433834/24 "2008-01-18T23:35:07Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] Will everyone think less of me when I confess that I laughed at this sentence? [/QUOTE] Yeah I did 🙂 but that and Eddie Murphy’s thing isn’t real. You’d have to be one sick fuck to laugh at the genuine scenes in **Faces of Death**. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-to-be-entertained-by-the-misfortune-of-others/433834/25 "2008-01-18T23:59:31Z")
I meant to quote **jayjay.** ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-to-be-entertained-by-the-misfortune-of-others/433834/26 "2008-01-19T00:07:32Z")
[QUOTE=Sitnam] I meant to quote **jayjay.** [/QUOTE] I found that entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-to-be-entertained-by-the-misfortune-of-others/433834/27 "2008-01-19T09:21:41Z")
[QUOTE=begbert2] And this is only wrong if they don’t take it well. Or have you never seen somebody join in the laughter at their own misfortune? [/QUOTE] Hence the “wouldn’t appreciate it” part. When my Uncle’s son was young and not yet totally stable with the whole walking process, occasionally he would fall over. The first few times, the son would looked shocked and look up at his parents, getting ready to cry, but then they would smile and laugh like falling down was a funny thing. From then on whenever my cousin got a boo boo he laughed instead of crying. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-to-be-entertained-by-the-misfortune-of-others/433834/28 "2008-01-19T16:38:46Z")
[QUOTE=jackdavinci] Hence the “wouldn’t appreciate it” part. When my Uncle’s son was young and not yet totally stable with the whole walking process, occasionally he would fall over. The first few times, the son would looked shocked and look up at his parents, getting ready to cry, but then they would smile and laugh like falling down was a funny thing. From then on whenever my cousin got a boo boo he laughed instead of crying. [/QUOTE] We’ve always done kinda the same thing with thunderstorms. We act like they’re really exciting, like fireworks, and our young boys have never been scared of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-wrong-to-be-entertained-by-the-misfortune-of-others/433834.md?page=1)