Schadenfreude
It is a German word that describes how the “Swells” acted after Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 Presidential election. Schaden means damage and freude is joy.
It simply means pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of, or witnessing the troubles, failures, pain, suffering, or humiliation of another. The English word for it is epicaricacy, rarely used, and is not as much fun to say. Schadenfreude is a common practice in many cultures.
The reason this blog addresses the word is simple. Those of you who were on the winning side of the recent election shouldn’t be practicing “schadenfreude”. It’s unseemly and puts you on the same level as those who called Trump a racist, a Nazi, a threat to Democracy. Kamala Harris’ supporters are already in a state of agony and apparently haven’t notice that the leaves are still turning, the sun rises and sets, and no one has lost any of their constitutional rights.
The gloom and doom predicted by the left has failed to materialize unless you’re a rich progressive liberal living in some elitist enclave like the Hamptons, Hollywood, or Martha’s Vineyard. Their caterwauling is truly pathetic and leading the pack is ABC’s late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel, who makes 15 million dollars a year for not being that funny. His opening monologue Wednesday night was one for the ages.
“It was a terrible night for women, for children, for the hundreds of thousands of hard-working immigrants who make this country go, for health care, for our climate, for science, for journalism, for justice, for free speech. It was a terrible night for poor people, for the middle class, for seniors who rely on Social Security, for our allies in Ukraine, for NATO and democracy and decency. And it was a terrible night for everyone who voted against him. And guess what? It was a bad night for everyone who voted for him too. You just don’t realize it yet.”
His two competitors NBC’s Jimmy Fallon and CBS’ Stephen Colbert were also unhappy and expressed it, but nothing even close the epic, choked up, lying rant that Kimmel offered his rapidly shrinking audience. His ratings are so bad that the program may be going to 4 nights a week like the Tonight Show is currently. No doubt he’s considering a move to Portugal’s Gold Coast or some other exotic location, so he won’t’ be exposed to the horrors he predicted. The man is the definition of “elitist loon”.
Meanwhile throughout the legacy media, a somber darkness has descended. The talking heads (journalists) are all sporting an aggrieved look. The ladies of The View continue their mourning, although they have not taken to wearing all black just yet. Some news outlets have allowed an occasional conservative to appear and opine, but the principal hosts continue to offer weak excuses why Golden Girl Kamala got trounced on Tuesday. Expect the whining to continue while these news sources slowly fade in to obscurity as Podcasts, Social Media and other reliable internet sources replace them and their influence.
So, don’t delight in friends and relatives who are beside themselves over the election results. The polices that a majority of America voted for will soon cause them to change their tune. Lower gas prices, lower food prices, lower inflation will soon be the norm. Being woke won’t be cool anymore because woke died on Election Day. No more boys in the girls’ bathrooms. No more “men” competing in women’s sports. No more diversity, exception, and inclusion (DEI) because merit and ability will be the norm regardless of race. Even Hollywood may start producing watchable material (doubtful).
As for the “Inside the Beltway” swamp dwellers who have wrought destruction on the American culture and the economy, it’s ok to practice Schadenfreude on them. Especially Nancy Pelosi who said the election results were not a rebuke of Democrat polices; she lives in an alternative universe with Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Sandy Cortez. She and her fellow travelers richly deserve Schadenfreude.
From President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 campaign ad, “It’s morning again in America.”