Do People Delight in the Failures of Others?

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Originally, I was going to call this thread the "Downfall of the Rich and Famous". Since this is the Philospohy and Debate Forum, I changed the focus somewhat.

What I have observed over many years, is that many people seem to enjoy, even revel, at stories of people failing, of falling flat on their faces.
This pleasure is apparently more acute when the person involved is either rich and/or famous. An entire industry, the rag newspapers like The National Enquirer, have bloomed to pander to the insatiable appetites of people for bad news about a celebrity in all fields of endeavors.

What is it about many people, that they seem to get a kick out of seeing other people fail? Why do people seem to want to see the great and the mighty groveling on the floor?

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My Mamma always told me that "I am just as good as anyone else", so when I see celebrities caught with no make-up on, I smile and think "nice to know you too can look like sh*t first thing in the morning".

As for more serious issues, drugs, car accidents, cheating, etc., I'm not enamoured enough with them to care. It's not like they're my friends or anything! I'll read the juicy news about them but even that I take with a pinch of salt since I don't believe all the gossip I hear!

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Heeven- But why do we WANT to read the juicy news, That's my point!

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I don't mind seeing a guy fail when he's so phony, plastic, and full of self-illusion it just makes you want to vomit. I see those sales types of guys every now and then.

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I think it is the same reason that people in ancient Rome went to see gladiator fights and people being thrown to lions....a perverse animal instinct in all of us to see people suffer. Seeing as public hangings and gladiator fights are no longer legal here, celeberity bashing is the flavour of the day.

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That and the survival instinct...we are naturally wired to think that it totally sucks if someone else is doing better than us, and if there is dirt on them, we want to know, even if it is only a vicarious thrill.

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They gots a word for this; "schadenfreude"

Quote:

Word of the Day for Wednesday May 10, 2000
schadenfreude \SHAHD-n-froy-duh\, noun:
A malicious satisfaction in the misfortunes of others.

The historian Peter Gay -- who felt Schadenfreude as a Jewish child in Nazi-era Berlin, watching the Germans lose coveted gold medals in the 1936 Olympics -- has said that it "can be one of the great joys of life."
--Edward Rothstein, "Missing the Fun of a Minor Sin." New York Times, February 5, 2000

Often the people Pi met in Mendocino wanted to hear these terrible stories, the personal disasters, or they quoted them back to her from what they'd read, with a certain glitter in their eyes -- giving Pi the chance to wonder again as she once had in a Wittgenstein seminar why there wasn't a word in English for Schadenfreude, that very human pleasure taken in other people's misery.
--Sylvia Brownrigg, The Metaphysical Touch

If self-replicating e-commerce baby tycoons get on your nerves, it's schadenfreude time. It's true that the Nasdaq rebounded after its staggering loss Tuesday. Nonetheless, what AP described as "the most volatile day ever for U.S. stocks" left a distinctly bearish aftertaste.
--"Market Motion Sickness." The Industry Standard's Media Grok, April 5, 2000

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I don't need it to be celebrities or even famous people, I can laugh at anyone falling on their ass! C'mon, it may be a mean trait we all have but in order to feel good about ourselves it is sometimes okay to get some perverse enjoyment out of others misfortunes - especially those we perceive as having more than us.

Here's an example - the English guy, Hugh Grant. He picked up a hooker and got caught. I don't particularly care for him as an actor or find him attractive but I did kind of tip my hat to him on how he handled the situation. He didn't try to deny, or explain the incident. He just shrugged and apologised to his then-girlfriend Liz Hurley. So, boy did he turn the tables on the rabid media, and people LOVED him for it!!!!

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Do People Delight in the Failures of Others?
I think it depends on the amount of antipathy one feels toward the person who fails. The "he got what he deserves (or she)" might be because of the perception or misconception of myths re: ignorance, arrogance, wealth, power etc. This could equally apply to corporations, countries, governmental bodies (i.e. Texas). The person next to you might gloat or not gloat depending on whether he or she nurtures the same views. Not everyone will be as vocal as to their pleasure or displeasure so we could be inaccurate as to our assessment of the effect of such news.

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Why do people read the obituaries and then glow in the knowledge that those younger than they, are passing away?

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New Haven- Never thought of that aspect, but it IS part of the same phenomenon!

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As NH alludes to, I think it's also a comparison thing -- their relationship failed, but mine is fine! Whew. He died, but I'm alive! Whew.

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New Haven wrote:

Why do people read the obituaries and then glow in the knowledge that those younger than they, are passing away?

Damn, I didn't know they did.

But it's not that surprising, and -- in answer to Phoenix's question: indubitably.

I think we've a competitive instinct as a species, and when other people are brought lower we are raised up in relation to them. Best is when they appear to be way ahead in the game to begin with; it's like running a race, falling behind, and then seeing the leader fall. Maybe you can close the gap.

Or somethin'. Maybe we're just, on the whole, bastards.

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patiodog wrote:

New Haven wrote:
Why do people read the obituaries and then glow in the knowledge that those younger than they, are passing away?

Damn, I didn't know they did.

But it's not that surprising, and -- in answer to Phoenix's question: indubitably.

I think we've a competitive instinct as a species, and when other people are brought lower we are raised up in relation to them. Best is when they appear to be way ahead in the game to begin with; it's like running a race, falling behind, and then seeing the leader fall. Maybe you can close the gap.

Or somethin'. Maybe we're just, on the whole, bastards.

It might possibly being a way of saying, "I'm better than you are".

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I think along the same line as Husker. It may not be our prettiest trait but it certainly tickles my funnybone to witness the downfall of some arrogant knucklehead who believed their own hype and had it coming. Restores ones' sense of justice in the world. If it's a public figure and their story is on the news, it's the perfect time to talk to a kid and see where their head is at about things like character and morals, good vs. evil, drugs, whatever the scandal features.

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eoe- I can certainly understand the delight in the downfall of a scoundrel. But what about a person who is NOT a terrible person. My thesis is that people delight in seeing people fall flat on their faces, whomever they are. I say that it is the downfall that many people enjoy, not simply retribution for misdeeds!

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I should interject here....does Matt Perry not have one of the easiest jobs in the world for the money? I had a larf when he crashed his car into someone's house while 'under the influence'. If it makes us feel better, is it wrong to indulge in this?

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Pride plays a part in it, too, as separate from misdeeds -- the last half of Survivor was all about that. Hubris, pride goeth before the fall, whatever. 3 or 4 in a row proclaimed a variation of "I'm in the driver's seat!", and were then voted off. Hah!

It wasn't so much that they did something wrong and deserved to be voted off, as that their pride was their downfall.

Hubris is an old, old thing (gosh I'm eloquent this morning Rolling Eyes

) and I think it probably serves a function in terms of keeping society from being too too stratified. Pride goeth before the fall, so be humble. If you're humble, you don't put on airs, don't have a house too much fancier than you need, share your wealth if you have it. Those are all things that benefit society.

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I don't think that you would "larf" if you were the guy in the house! Would you have felt the same way if it were a friend of yours in the car?

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So a primal human impulse -- selfishness -- pardoxically helps to keep other people's selfishness in check. Most everyone wants to be liked and respected.

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Do People Delight in the Failures of Others?

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