Guest Post By Zoe Roberts: It's About the Schadenfreude

Not A Good Idea: Fueling MAGA Schadenfreude

"AmericanJustice" by Nancy Ohanian

-by Zoe Roberts

In the past I introduced readers to the idea of vengeance politics. Those politics have now resulted in a second term for Donald Trump. But there’s something myself and many other pundits have missed. Adam Serwer’s “The Cruelty is the Point” begins to touch on the subject I’m going to discuss.

The reality is that many people in America’s political right take great joy in the cruelty of Trump’s Presidency and Elon Musk’s dismantling of our institutions. The joy they are experiencing though isn’t because of the actions themselves, instead the joy stems from seeing the political left explode in anger. The ranting and raving fuels their satisfaction which is based on the emotional reactions of liberal political leaders and activists. This is a form of political schadenfreude that doesn’t concern itself with good public policy or doing what's right for the country. It’s focused purely on making liberals miserable for entertainment value.

Think I’m joking? Stop and think about a phrase we’ve all heard uttered many times: “sticking it to the libs.” What do you think they’re talking about? Because it sure isn’t policy! It’s their entertainment and satisfaction from seeing liberals go off the rails with rants.

It’s not complicated to understand. Schadenfreude is about finding satisfaction in someone else’s misery to make yourself feel better. The fact that many of the people within the MAGA movement are engaged in this phenomenon in today's world is not surprising. We live in a world that demands everything as close to instantaneously as possible. Crafting sound public policy that helps people takes thoughtful deliberation.Which means that the satisfaction one experiences will happen months if not years after its finalized introduction to the public. Therefore, it doesn’t meet the need many Americans feel for instant gratification. 

When was the last time you saw Congress thoughtfully deliberate anything? The reality is that for many within the MAGA movement, politics is about the entertainment value they perceive from seeing liberals “freak out” over the degradation of our government.

The answer is not that we on the left can’t be angry, we can be and need to be, but we must keep our anger and frustration strictly within our circles of other liberal friends and allies. Our public facing selves must be more stoic in orientation. We have much here to learn from past leaders, one in particular, Marcus Aurelius. 

For those that are unfamiliar with Marcus, he was the last of the “five good emperors of Rome.” During his rule he faced many situations familiar to Americans today. Including a tough economy, a pandemic and war. The way he handled these was by consulting with experts and by following their advice.

Marcus Aurelius is the anti-Trump model the left needs today. His stoic philosophy, his desire to remain humble, to help the poor, to treat everyone with respect and more is the medicine our country needs today. 

The advantage of maintaining a stoic forward-facing public stance for political leaders and activists is that it disarms the very thing MAGA and the political right are getting their happiness from; our misery. And while we all want to go off and scream at the gobshites we have to refrain from it publicly while using our in groups for the support we need behind the scenes. We all know what cockwombles Trump and MAGA are, but that language is for us behind the scenes, we can use it to make ourselves feel better, as I’ve done here. But publicly we have to stop using it. So I hope this made you feel better for a short period, it did me!

By not fueling their schadenfreude, we will force them into real debates on the issues. The resulting debate will return to actual policy and working for the betterment of our people and country. It will require discipline from us all, but it’ll be worth it in the long run.