A Closer Look at Schadenfreude and the Prophetic
I contend that schadenfreude, taking joy over the misfortune of others, can be seen as an offshoot of the formal Nazi project of Kraft durch Freude, finding strength through joy. Schadenfreude generated collective pleasure at the expense of the humanity of the Jews, while Kraft durch Freude produced collective pleasure at the expense of one’s own humanity. In the latter case, individual conscience was bought off with “bread and circuses.” In all cases, the overriding value was power and self-distraction rather than traditional virtue. I am not claiming that moral joys are identical to or utterly indistinguishable from immoral ones, since the two kinds can be evaluated by their fruits as well as by their durability, but I would contend that evil can occasion profoundly pleasant and animating affections, at least for a time, as in the Third Reich. See the smiling faces of German soldiers lynching communists and Jews.