Schadenfreude is happiness at the misfortunes of others. We think it’s mean to laugh at people who suffer. The society says it is. So we say it’s bad and we avoid doing it. But little do we know, schadenfreude is becoming an epidemic. Remind me again, when was the last time you laughed so hard you almost fell off your chair? In my case, it was in two instances.

• First, when I watched Janina San Miguel, Binibining Pilipinas - World winner, make a fool out of herself. (Sorry for the lack of a nicer term). Hm. Scratch that. When she had a bad case of jitters. Or according to papers, a verbal breakdown.

Paolo Bediones: Janina, how are you?
Janina San Miguel: I’m fine.
Paolo Bediones: Alright, so you won two of the major awards - Best in Long Gown, Best in Swimsuit, do you feel any pressure right now?
Janina San Miguel: No, I don’t feel any pressure right now. *smiles*
Paolo Bediones: Confident! Alright! Please choose a name of the judge.
Paolo Bediones: We have Miss Vivienne Tan.
Vivienne Tan: Good Evening.
Janina San Miguel: Good Evening.
Vivienne Tan: The question is, what role did your family play to you as candidate to Binibining Pilinas?
Janina San Miguel: Well, my family’s role for me is so important becoz there was the wa- they’re, they was the one who’s… very… Hahahaha… Oh I’m so sorry, Ahhmm… My pamily… My family… Oh my god… I’m… Ok, I’m so sorry… I… I told you that I’m so confident… Eto, Ahhmm, Wait… Hahahaha, Ahmmm, Sorry guys because this was really my first pageant ever becoz I’m only 17 years old and ahahaha I, I did not expect that I came from, I came from one of the taf 10. Hmmm, so… but I said dot my family is the most important persons in my life. Thank you.

• The second one was the Ken Lee video. Some of you might be familiar of this one. The lady who auditioned for Bulgarian Idol ended up humiliating herself for singing the wrong lyrics of Mariah Carey’s Without you.

No one ken to ken to sivmen
Nor yon clees to ju maliveh
When i gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more
New yonooz tonigh molinigh
Yon sorra shoo
Yes ee shooooo, oooo
Ken leee
Tulibu dibu douchoo
Ken leee
Ken leee
Meju more

The roots of “schadenfreude” are the German “schaden,” meaning “harm, injury, damage,” and “freude,” meaning “joy,” giving us, essentially, “harm-joy” as a literal translation.

The way we take comfort in their mistakes is a form of schadenfreude. I am not one to speak about being righteous. One too many times, I make fun of others. But sometimes, I feel guilty for doing so. I feel bad for them.

On a lighter note, they were both known because of it. Their being laughingstocks are actually elevating them to the pedestals. So everytime we talk about them and make fun of them, we are actually making them famous. (And in some cases, they become higher than us.)