The Short-Sightedness of Political Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude is a German word that means “taking pleasure in the misfortune of others.”  Even though the German word is not often used in American discussions of politics,  the word can be used to characterize some of the comments made in such discussions.

It is not unusual to see comments in publications and online postings that mock or ridicule people living in cities and states under long-term Democratic Party control when they express concern or distress over the adverse consequences of some policy or practice.  The mockery or ridicule usually includes some variation of (1) “they should not complain because they got what they voted for” or (2) “what else did they expect from the Democrats (or liberals or progressives) they elected?”  Such comments are a form of political schadenfreude.

Political schadenfreude can be emotionally satisfying to people who enjoy telling others “I told you so” or “What else did you expect?”  But political schadenfreude is mean-spirited and short-sighted.  After all, who likes to be mocked or ridiculed and told they have been foolish, gullible, or naive?  Even people who are willing to admit to themselves that they made a mistake are not going to appreciate someone else rubbing their noses in their mistake or taking malicious pleasure in their predicament.

Indulging in political schadenfreude is like indulging in an ad hominem attack against a person.  It’s personal, it’s inflammatory, it’s nasty, it’s polarizing, and it’s likely to poison the well for any hope of a civil political discussion or future cooperation.  If you want to persuade someone to vote differently in the future or work with you on an issue of common concern, mocking them or expressing malicious satisfaction at their distress is not likely to get them to listen to you.  “Persuasion by insult” is counterproductive.

In Virginia there are various areas where Republicans and conservatives are in the minority.  Energizing the Republican and conservative base to vote is not likely to be enough to win elections in those areas.  In order to win in those areas, Republicans and conservatives have to persuade some independents and some Democrats to vote for their candidates instead of voting for Democratic Party or progressive candidates.  Indulging in, or agreeing with, political schadenfreude is not likely to persuade any independents or Democrats to consider not voting for Democrats or progressives in future elections.

In an earlier article on The Bull Elephant, “Liberal Storm Petrels” (January 25, 2022) available at https://thebullelephant.com/liberal-storm-petrels , I discussed some examples of liberals and progressives who have openly dissented from some of the policies and practices of the dominant left-wing of the Democratic Party and its supporters.  Also, there have been various news stories and polls that show that many independents and Democrats are not happy or satisfied with the current state of their local jurisdictions, their States and America in general, and are dissatisfied with the negative consequences of various policies and practices of the Democratic Party and progressives.

Republicans and conservatives should not squander the opportunity to address the unhappiness and dissatisfaction of many independents and Democrats.  They should use that opportunity to engage in civil discourse and positive persuasion.  Republicans and conservatives need to forgo any temptation to indulge in political schadenfreude.  Otherwise, they will diminish their chances to make electoral gains in the 2023 Virginia elections.