Word of the Day: Schadenfreude
Schadenfreude (noun)
Pronounced: SHAH-den-froy-duh
Definition: Pleasure derived from another person’s misfortune or humiliation.
Etymology
• German: Schaden = “damage, harm” + Freude = “joy, delight.”
• Adopted into English in the 19th century because we had no perfect word for “gloating.”
In Use Today
At Charlie Kirk’s memorial, Trump said:
“He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them.”
That is schadenfreude distilled—reveling not in your own success, but in the suffering of others.
1. Trump’s UN tirade brimmed with schadenfreude, more jeering than statesmanship.
2. MAGA world’s joy at Jimmy Kimmel’s troubles was pure schadenfreude.
3. Pushing false autism–Tylenol claims exploits fear for the sake of schadenfreude.
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— Joyce
When those who don't support your regime are ¾ of the population of your country, then not wanting the best for them is the same as not wanting the best for your country. And trump definitely does not want the best for America. Just himself.
Schadenfreude is the elite form of sadism. We should call it what it is - sadism - and discourage the practice, whether it’s ‘us’ or ‘them’.