Schadenfreude and You
 

Those of you that have watched Avenue Q, (Or know German), know that this is the German term for "happiness at the misfortune of your peers".

As for the rest of you... Well, now you know.

Has anyone ever had this happened to them? Laughing when something really horrible happens to someone else?

My Story:

My uncle once decided to go pick off a few fruit in a cactus grove. He reach out to grab one and accidently brought the whole thing on his head. Then he proceeded to flail around, eventually falling into the patch. As horrible as it was for him, I couldn't stop grinning.

For the record, he wasn't seriously injured, so I can feel a bit better about laughing.

Anyone else have stories to share?

My wife makes sad faces at me a lot and it's gotten to the point that I cannot distinguish between the joke-sad face, and the actual sad face, so now when she pouts or appears sensitive at all I instantly crack up uncontrollably. She cried the other day cause she had an eyelash actually like, stabbing her eyeball, and it was all I could do to not laugh. Something is wrong with me. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!

I have to apologize a lot. :(

I normally slide down the banister at school (because its fast and its fun) anyway this one kid who used to pick on me and beat up my friends saw me do it and decides that he wants to try it to...needless to say he managed to have the balance of a scale that a 4 year old maid out of clay...wet clay...and he fell down the stairs and sprained his ankle. (did i mention he was on the (American)football team and that he had a game that day...nope)
i had to used all my willpower not to laugh.

also there was a chemistry experiment in our lab and one kid made a snide comment about me being too careful...(we were trying to tell if the "mysterious" white powder was salt or sugar with fire aka the first one of the year) anyway i say to him that he can do it if he wants to complain so he grabs the tongs puts the test tube in the fire way to close to the blue bit and the melted sugar shot out of the tube and landed on his shoe (which according to him still burned (although he had no damage to his foot only his shoe)) And i laughed and said irony after the class (when he was out of ear shot)

I laugh at everyones misfortune. I'm an asshole. It's just how I roll.

I laugh at my own misfortune. From when I was a kid into my early teens, I was this super sensitive kid who would cry at the least thing. Someone once told me to try laughing instead and it wouldn't be as big a deal. They were right and now I can't help but laugh at all but the worst situations.

I'll admit I laugh at others' misfortune, but only if it's comical. Like if someone trips over a shoe they left in their own doorway and they seem fine, yeah I'll laugh. I'll laugh my ass off. :D If they look hurt, though, I'm more likely to rush over and help.

As for myself, I take a lot of crap before anything shows. But if so much happens, and there's nothing else to do about it, I do laugh. It freaked out my co-workers once, because we were dealing with the dishes of a 100+ person party, and I was wet from washing in the sink, and I'd gotten soap squirted on my hat, and then I accidentally splashed water in my face, and I knocked my hat into the sink trying to wipe it off on my sleeve. I just slapped my wet hat back on my head and laughed. They thought I'd snapped because there I was with wet glasses and a wet hat, totally soaked, washing dishes, and laughing. One of them carefully asked if I was okay, but I just wiped my face a little and told him sometimes there was nothing to do but laugh. XD

I laugh at misfortune in general. I'm a cynical pessimist, so misfortune is expected and the joke's on those who expect something different.

I have a notable lack of schadenfreude, mostly because everyone else around me does have it and it pisses me off!

Fall down the stairs, and when all your friends have a chorus of laughter, you hate them and hope they have stair related accidents, but when they fall down the stairs, you're the first to try and help them.

I feel it must be related to how some people can take it to the next step and do mean, cruel, and painful things to other people just for a cheap laugh.

Now, I know that if the victim can take it and will also find it funny, it's not actually being mean, but there are still people who do things like hurl stuff from cars at pedestrians, or whatever.

I'll admit I'm a 'bit' of a jerk and an ass when it comes to others misfortunes.
However, I'll still go over and help those that need it (holding open doors, helping up those who have fallen, etc.) unless they deserve the shit they're going through.
For instance,if I saw Michael Vick being eaten by a pack of pit bulls, I'd pull up a chair and enjoy the show.

The only time I find someone elses misfortune funny is when it's in a video online. Otherwise, I help, or do nothing (usually because I figure they don't need the help).