Writing Practice on Schadenfreude for IELTS
Writing Practice on Schadenfreude for IELTS
Topic
What is Schadenfreude?
It seems to me that Schadenfreude is a horrible feeling that can ruin peoples’ lives. What would be wrong if we set a goal for ourselves and tried hard to achieve our objective and enjoyed the journey without comparing ourselves with anybody else? I surmise that comparing yourself with others unwisely could culminate with envy which has connections with Schadenfreude.
Dr. Hariri
I believe sometimes we need to compare ourselves with others, but not excessively. I know many people moderately comparing themselves with others but appreciating and celebrating others’ success and accomplishments, as well. I think Schadenfreude lies at the root of a cynical view that you ought to seek out your success only and only in the failure of others. On the other hand, when you believe in yourself and potentials, be able to motivate yourself in one way or another, become more optimistic and organized in life, then you will be able to combat any sensation of Schadenfreude.
I should also add that Schadenfreude overtakes you when you don’t take necessary action in life. Then you simply hope that others won’t be active, either. While we’re talking on the subject, I personally know some distorted forms of Schadenfreude in which the victim merely draws a line between himself and others to preclude any imminent comparison that could be degrading and demotivating.
Sasan
I concur with you that isolating yourself from society, in order to keep yourself away from any comparison, is an egregious mistake. However, I have seen situations in which people watch their peers meticulously because they are scared of being defeated by the opponents. Not only do they miss the enjoyment of the journey, but also they lose their innovation and opt for imitation. Also, it can be claimed that Schadenfreude comes from lack of skills and abilities in life and if somebody is adroit enough, Schadenfreude is seldom knocking on the door.
Moreover, there is a nice point in the video about the difference between two people, one of whom is sadistic and the other one is coping with Schadenfreude. In fact, a person who is dealing with Schadenfreude does not cause any disaster but he/she enjoys the outcome. So, I believe that such people are somehow timorous.
Morteza Feizbakhsh
In case of Schadenfreude, If we consider a bunch of friends growing up together in school having the same situation more or less. By the time, by the time each of them finds their personality, their own path of life, they become apart from each other. Friends that were inseparable till yesterday, suddenly could not resist each other. I think this is a good example of analyzing Schadenfreude. Each one of us watches the universe through their own eyes. Even feel objects through their own fingers. It’s a personal perception that every body owns.
But the truth is the universe is not what we see or feel. Also we have different personalities and characteristics which means different eyes to see, different fingers and most importantly different thoughts. Therefore, when a group of friends start experiencing the world in one district, school, street, they expect that all of them must have the same destiny at last. It denotes, although all of us are humans but there is no common destiny or path for all of us. Also expectation and meaning of success is different one by one. And that’s why comparison is very cruel. But still we think that because the starting point is the same between me and someone else, the final point should also be the same otherwise there must be injustice!
Dr. Hariri
Another reason behind Schadenfreude could be a partial and biased view about the abundant resources and opportunities in the world. That is to say, any person suffering from Schadenfreude often speculates that they cannot be successful due to the fact that other people have already snatched all chances of success away. As a result, the inflicted person must feel insecure and inferior. If this inferiority complex is not properly managed, it has the potential to trigger anti-social behaviors, depression and chronic stress.
I understand that schadenfreude is a negative feeling and it’s something that we must consciously avoid and prevent. But what about when we watch a movie and we feel schadenfreude toward the antagonist and we feel satisfied by their crucial ending? Is this also considered immoral? Or another example is when we in our lives come across a person who is mean and unjust to many people, and we wish that they will get what they deserve someday. Is this also what we must prevent?
Well, as far as I know, you might develop schadenfreude toward the protagonist in a film or book, and not toward the antagonist. This is simply because schadenfreude is a negative and self-destructive feeling of envy and jealousy toward someone who is successful, positive, decent.
And about the second part of your question, I don’t equate it with schadenfreude, either. That feeling is a type of aversion or antithesis.
This was an interesting topic with a thorough discussion. I wanted to add a point that I do not totally agree Schadenfreude is more common in children than adults. I think it is more seen in children because they are sincere about expressing their feelings. Whereas, many adults hide such feelings to come to the surface in their words and they control it. But if we zoom in their actions, we see similar feelings have played out as deep roots of some behaviors. Therefore, I think it is more difficult to dig this out in adults. Just imagine that as adults, we are more exposed to rivalory actions even if we have more abilities to conquer. Our social environment is more stressful and many of people fight and win their games through unacceptable mentalities like Schadenfreude.
Thank you Asi for your elaborate response on schadenfreude. I agree with you on schadenfreude being more noticeable in children as they are more artless compared to adults when it comes to showing their real emotions. However, it doesn’t mean that schadenfreude does not exist among adults.