Schadenfreude and the lemmings

Another stampede reported today – this time in China.  Scenario: Over 100 students running down a narrow stairwell, and an 8 year old girl at the front stops to tie her shoe lace.  Result: 41 students hospitalised.  Whoops. Not funny.. but.. well.. a little funny.  Think its called schadenfreude.  And let’s face it – we’ve all taken turns being the 8 year old.  Just not normally with such severe results.  An interesting side note is that over 120 students went to hospital.  More kids went to hospital than were involved in the accident.  Apparently they saw the ambulances, and just piled in.  Now if the first incident didn’t make the word ‘lemming’ spring into your head, surely the second does.

Have you ever been running up stairs with your hands in your pockets and then tripped?  No..? Well me neither then..

Schadenfreude – glee at another’s misfortune.  Why do we feel that?  (And be honest – everyone does.)  Funniest home videos is based on it.  Half of YouTube.. the non-pornographic half mostly (though not always.. “You’ve got what stuck where???”).  It’s also referred to as ‘morose delectation’ – and was actually a sin.. so it has that going for it too! 

The antonym is freudenschade – a word invented to mean sorrow at another person’s success. Although, according to Wikipedia, the word doesn’t existing in German (and neither does sorrow…  Wacky Germans).

 
I had a boss once who, whilst riding a bike, ran into the back of a car, and put his head through the back windshield.  That was very funny.  And then we found out that he’d done it before.  And I admit.. I laughed till I cried.  Don’t worry.. he lived.  I have a grin on my face just typing this.  Ah… good times!

p.s  Lemmings don't actually mass suicide.  They just mass exodus, and this sometimes means jumping off cliffs.  Same result, but it's all about intent.  Besides...  suicide is also a sin.