That shouldn't be funny...

by Rose Kaloki

It was 8pm on a Friday night when I got the text message.

Josh had just broken up with Emily.

Now I’m aware that you have no idea who this pairing are and may have less than a grain's worth of interest, but let me put this into context for you.

Emily represents that girl, the one you wouldn’t consider a friend yet somehow always manages to find her way onto your girls' nights out, ruining your evening by cluttering up the conversation with tales of what her perfect boyfriend has done this time in their utopian life together.

The kind of girl that likes to make your mere existence seem like God had an accidental "Whoops" moment and Bam!! You were created.

Now hearing that your 'friend' (no matter how loose the term 'friend' may be) is so broken-hearted that there are six empty Haagen Daz tubs lying on the floor beside a half-drained bottle of Jack Daniels, well it should make you feel for the poor girl but instead of feeling sorry, you now have a higher spring in your step.

And you rather guiltily revel in the fact that it all went pear-shaped for her.

So why it is that seeing someone so miserable could make someone else just so darn happy?

The answer may lie in Schadenfreude.

Morose delectation 

Schadenfreude is a German word quite literally translated as Harm (Schaden) and Joy (Freude), which together means deriving a sense of satisfaction and pleasure at the misfortune of others.

But should you feel guilty for reveling in someone else’s pain?

The medieval church would have had you believe so.

Also known as Morose delectation (derived from the Latin delectatio morosa) it means the habit of dwelling with enjoyment of evil thoughts; considered a sinful act, it was punishable by damnation and you faced the prospect of eternity as Satan’s whipping boy.

Today some might say schadenfreude can be a very healthy response to another's awful situation and here are a few examples of it that shouldn’t but do make us happy.

Joy

Girls, we’ve all felt the joy of opening that weekly magazine only to find that your favourite ridiculously slim celebrity has gone from size zero to a size bigger than you.

Devouring these celebrity misfortunes that have fast become our sixth food group helps to ease those niggling feelings of insecurity and makes those extra pounds, that are more stubborn to shift than a CEO at a failing bank, that little bit more bearable.

In short, it can give a boost to your self-esteem and if you’re not hurting anyone what’s the harm?

A track from the musical Avenue Q sings “D'ja ever clap when a waitress falls and drops a tray of glasses” and the answer is yes, yes we all have and when that guy in front of you trips on the pavement, it’s funny right?

Humour

Using humour like this can be an incredible way of shirking embarrassing and awkward moments.

Such mishaps have given rise to what I can only describe as one of the greatest inventions of all time (second only to the likes of the wheel), the slow clap.

The slow clap or the ascending round of applause seeks not only to act as a tool of jest in times of mortification but also unifies us, in a way only the slow clap can.

Now if you think the first two arguments should be filed away in the ‘Hush’ box, this last one should be buried deep in the chasm of the said box's secret compartment.

Shame

That warm and grateful feeling we get right after the one of pity every time we pass a homeless person laying in shop a doorway on a cold winters night certainly is shameful.

Now it is important to stress it isn’t that we are in anyway happy about this poor soul's misfortune but his misfortune helps us to appreciate everything that we have.

No matter how bad things get for us, they are still not as grim for us as it is for the children of the street.