RCL Blog

Oral Content

• Topic: Schadenfreude, the act of taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune
• Purpose: To examine the presence of schadenfreude over centuries of history and to explain the detrimental role it plays in the way our society thinks and functions.
• Thesis Statement: Schadenfreude is not a recent phenomenon, yet its presence glamorizes sin and deters honorable virtues in an already defective world.

 

Introduction

Attention Strategy/Orienting Material: A provocative comparison of the ancient Roman Coliseum and other ancient forms of entertainment with professional wrestling, graphic video games, and internet trolling.

 

Body

1. Schadenfreude has undergone a tumultuous journey spanning thousands of years.
   • Schadenfreude dates back to ancient civilizations
     1. “Amusement” translates to “not think”
     2. People enjoyed gladiator fights or deadly one-on-one combat between men
     3. Torture was a popular means of interrogation and revenge
     4. Public shaming like the pillory was done to the delight of onlookers who differentiated themselves from the victims
     5. Themes and motifs in The Scarlet Letter
        1. “Scarlet Letter complex”
   • Schadenfreude is still present today
     1. Children enjoy violent video games that, while augmenting reality, depict graphic instances of death. The pain inflicted on these characters is generally done by the player
     2. Young adults enjoy watching horror movies that place victims in oftentimes inescapable situations. Others enjoy splatter flicks because the gory, agonizing pain of others is thrilling to viewers and stimulates their senses
2. Schadenfreude glamorizes sin: it offers a flashy, albeit cynical justification for one’s demise or peril
   • Rather than prompting bystanders to assist the victim or resolve the problem, Schadenfreude insists that onlookers not only be passive but to actually relish in the victim’s plea for help
   • Schadenfreude does not only concern violence. People enjoy making others upset and purposefully instigate sensitive situations and emotional responses. This phenomenon is seen in politics and in a wide variety of social issues, including same-sex marriage and abortion
   • Using the bandwagon mentality, schadenfreude is used as an excuse for socially accepted immorality: entertainment is perceived as good, while suffering is perceived as bad, yet entertainment from suffering is justified by society’s tastes and preferences
   • If there wasn’t a demand for scary movies, studios wouldn’t produce scary movies
   • In a way, we know that schadenfreude is wrong, but we continue to practice it because it’s just another vice in human nature
   • We will never be satisfied. Entertainment from violence will only continue to escalate: violent video games turn into horror movies, horror movies turn into bad thoughts, bad thoughts turn into bad actions
     • “…Your thoughts become your words,
       Your words become your actions,
       Your actions become your habits…” -Gandhi

 

Conclusion

Concluding Remark – A closing statement; last words: Joy from the suffering of others is immoral, but unless society reverses the trend of cynical entertainment, schadenfreude will continue to evolve over time.

 

Visual Content

Slide 1: Description and function. A gallery of different forms of entertainment to compare and contrast old and new amusement.

Slide 2: Illustrations from The Scarlet Letter to underscore the idea of alienating those who are different. Often, we don’t associate ourselves with the victims of schadenfreude.

Slide 3: A graphical progression from thoughts to actions to habits, emphasizing the long-term behavioral effects of taking pleasure in someone’s misfortune.