Tuesday, June 15, 2010

How Do You Like Your Schadenfreude?

by Dick Mac

Since becoming a father, the things that appear on my television have changed. There's more "family-oriented" television; and that's fine with me.

One type of show we watch together is the "funniest videos" shows. Clips of dad getting whacked in the cookies with a pinata baton. Brothers and boyfriends riding their bikes down staircases or mountainsides and after flailing comically through the air, landing in a humorous position that generally compromises the health of their reproductive organs. Grandma dancing at a wedding while some prosthetic or garment takes off with a mind of its own. People using relatively dangerous power tools to inflict major damage on their property.

We all laugh.

I laugh.

It is collective schadenfreude

I have started recording these shows to DVD so that they can be viewed on demand.

Prior to recording them, though, my daughter and I would sit in front of the computer and search youtube.com for collections of clips that make us laugh.

Today I need to laugh, so I found this one:







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