The Perverse Pleasure of Deserved Downfall

It started, I think, with a comment on someone’s Instagram post about a politician getting caught in some kind of scandal – something pretty minor actually, mostly embarrassing more than anything genuinely harmful. The usual outrage cycle kicked off, but what struck me wasn't the anger itself, it was the *reasoning* layered beneath it. It wasn't just "this is wrong," but a whole chorus of “they had it coming,” and “serves them right.” And that’s when I started noticing this pattern everywhere, not just online, but in everyday conversations too.

There's a certain satisfaction, isn't there? A perverse little thrill in seeing someone who seems to deserve misfortune… experience it. It’s the whole schadenfreude thing, I guess, and I know I'm not immune. I remember watching one of those reality shows where someone notorious for their arrogance tripped and spilled a drink all over themselves, and I definitely felt...something akin to amusement. But that initial reaction has felt increasingly complicated lately. It’s not just about feeling *anything* at another person’s downfall; it's how quickly we start constructing narratives around it.

The other night after the National show - Jacobs Pavilion specifically – there was a flurry of online commentary regarding a particular performer whose soundcheck had gone something like… wrong. The internet responded with gleeful dissection, speculation about their career trajectory, and a general tone that felt less concerned with performance quality and more focused on *punishment*. It wasn’t that the criticism itself was invalid, but the underlying current of justification – “they should have known better,” "this is what they deserve" - really bothered me.

It's uncomfortable to admit this, because it feels…icky. Like admitting you enjoy watching a train wreck in slow motion. But there’s an unsettling logic at play. We want accountability. We feel like those who cause harm need to face consequences. That makes perfect sense. Except that the perceived "deservedness" often seems to act as a shortcut, bypassing actual assessment of actions and their impact. Suddenly nuance is irrelevant; any previous good deeds are erased; the person becomes a symbol – an embodiment of everything we dislike or disagree with.

This isn’t new, I know. History is replete with examples of mob mentality fueled by pre-existing biases and prejudices. But I think social media has warped something in us. It's created this constant loop of outrage where judgments are instantaneous and amplified a thousandfold. It’s so easy to become part of the chorus, to echo the prevailing sentiment without really pausing to consider if it's actually…fair. The anonymity offered by online platforms can embolden people to express feelings they might otherwise keep private.

I saw it in my own thinking too - a few years ago, when I was frustrated with… well, never mind the specifics of the situation; the point is that someone I felt had acted unfairly against me became an easy target for all sorts of internal resentment. The initial anger simmered into this low-level justification for wanting them to experience something unpleasant. It’s embarrassing even writing it now, but there’s a clarity that comes with acknowledging these uncomfortable truths.

It's almost as if we need that sense of cosmic justice to feel secure in our own values. To believe things are fair, at least sometimes. But the problem is, this "deservedness" isn't objective. It's filtered through our biases, our insecurities, and our own desires for validation. We create these targets – whether consciously or not – because it makes us feel momentarily righteous, like we’re on the right side of something.

So what do you do with that? How do you actively dismantle this automatic process of justification? I don't have all the answers. Maybe it starts with simply recognizing the tendency in ourselves - noticing when we begin to frame someone’s actions not just as wrong, but as *deserved*. Acknowledging the uncomfortable pleasure that sometimes accompanies another person’s misfortune. It’s a small thing, maybe, but I think those little moments of self-awareness are where real change begins. Maybe it's about slowing down—checking my reactions and considering if my condemnation is based on actual principles or simply…a feeling.