Richard Smith : When people suffer misfortunes , we feel sorry for them , or do we ? Smith : As a long-suffering Red Sox fan , I can attest to the elixir provided by `` our '' defeating the Yankees ' in the American League playoff in 2004 and then going on to win the World Series . More than we probably want to admit , we sometimes are secretly pleased . He says in sports , politics , schadenfreude tend to be let out into the open . Smith : It is a natural reaction , we should n't blame ourselves for feeling it .
Richard Smith : When people suffer misfortunes , we feel sorry for them , or do we ? Smith : More than we probably want to admit , we sometimes are secretly pleased . He says in sports , politics , schadenfreude tend to be let out into the open . Smith : It is a natural reaction , we should n't blame ourselves for feeling it .