Schadenfreude (harm-joy)

Schadenfreude (harm-joy) 10.25.14

I have a German friend who spoke this above-captioned word (but do not misinterpret that I may look like Ms. Jennifer Laude, R.I.P.), but I sympathized with ‘her’ family for the unfortunate event and I may not consider the case of epic fail or injustice since the litigation is still boiling within the due-process. 

Anyway, what I have wanted to point out is this German word which in English term means harm-joy, which further illustrates that this is a feeling of pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune.

Informatively, the classic example of this term is the comedy act of an actor or comedian slipping on the floor by stepping in banana peel while the audience is mobbing and hilariously laughing to death from this comical and awkward incident.   This comedy act emanated from Egypt on 2500 B.C.

In the Philippines, there’s a relative idiom for this German ancestor word, and we called it Crab Mentality in Filipino culture.  Seriously speaking this character and immaturity is one of the unpleasant values of the Pinoys, in that way shows somebody is feeling envious or not happy to someone’s fortune and they want their fellow human to grab down to their low status.  From this moment, I recall the song of Francis M.’s “Mga kababayan ko” wherein there was a part of lyrics there stating this ugly class:

 “Iwasan mo ang inggit,

Ang sa iba’y ibig mong makamit,

Dapat nga ika’y matuwa

Sa napala ng iyong kapatid,

Ibig kong ipabatid

Na lahat tayo ay kapit-bisig”.

 

We are one blood, flows in the same veins.  Hence, we as Filipino should lift up the spirit of each other, the success of our friend, officemate or relative is the success of our community, company or clan.

 

Further, bringing our colleagues down is a sign of immaturity and envy, thus, not advisable to entertain in our mind this kind of spirit.