Schadenfreude

If any of you have seen Avenue Q, you will be familiar with this term that mean “taking joy in the trouble of others.” I stand before you to admit it --I am guilty. I have only come to realize my faults by watching the behavior of the kids on the Real World. Lacey on RW Austin is guilty of it to. She is what is know as a “pot-stirrer.” She sets bad things in motion with her roomies, such as turning Rachel’s boyfriend against her (necessary, but evil) and then she sits back and watches it all go down. Justin on RW Hawaii was classic at this move – he somehow got Amaya and Colin up in each others grill in India by telling each one a lie the other “said” and then he watched them go at it. I find this method usually stems from a bored real-worlder who believes they are better than the rest and do this for their own entertainment. Well, I have realized that I do this at work too (because I think I’m better than everyone and I want to amuse myself – kidding). It usually occurs when two or more of my colleagues are engaged in a discussion and they arrive at either a misunderstanding or an erroneous conclusion. Instead of correcting the error and moving right ahead, I usually let them spin their wheels or duke it out, purely for sport. Then I laugh in my head at what a bunch of idiots they all are. I know it’s sick, but it’s better than sitting by yourself at your desk, right?