General Question

beautifulbobby193's avatar

Is there a term for a person who gets pleasure out of the misfortune of others?

Asked by beautifulbobby193 (1699points) December 2nd, 2009
8 responses
“Great Question” (0points)

Is this a mental illness? Why do some people seem to get a form of satisfaction out of deliberately upsetting others? Are they purely sadists? Why does this occur? Does it make the person evil?

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Answers

MagsRags's avatar

Schadenfreude, also the title of a song the Broadway musical, Avenue Q.

skfinkel's avatar

Misanthrope?

loser's avatar

Jerk?

global_nomad's avatar

Yep, Schadenfreude. I don’t think it makes people evil. I mean, look at shows like “America’s Funniest Home Videos”, how many of us laugh (even if it’s just a little) when someone trips, falls, or gets accidentally kicked by their kid in the you-know-whats? It’s not a mental illness, it’s just part of being human. It’s easier for people to feel good about themselves if they can see someone make a mistake and laugh about it. Now, I’m talking about when you laugh at, like, J-Lo when she fell during her recent performance or something. When people deliberately cause others misfortune, like hard core, that’s not cool and that is kind of evil.

marinelife's avatar

Schadenfreude is the term for the feeling, but not for the person who has it. Perhaps misogynist?

global_nomad's avatar

Misogyny refers to the hatred of women specifically whereas misanthropy refers to the hatred of humanity in general. Misandry is the hatred of men.

marinelife's avatar

@global_nomad Thanks, I thought when I was typing that was the wrong word, but I left it. You are, of course, correct>

Just_Justine's avatar

Sadist?

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