- Playing
- Cashing in on Schadenfreude
- From
- Nathan Callahan
When I was a child, afternoons at the Callahan house were filled with the unfortunately televised presence of soap operas. The bad acting, the poor production and the sadass storylines were depressing reminders that my family was middle brow and middle class. I was condemned to a world that looked to someone else’s misery as a form of entertainment… on TV. Post-soap opera, afternoons at the Callahan house have turned to court TV for their Schadenfreude.
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Piece Description
When I was a child, afternoons at the Callahan house were filled with the unfortunately televised presence of soap operas. The bad acting, the poor production and the sadass storylines were depressing reminders that my family was middle brow and middle class. I was condemned to a world that looked to someone else’s misery as a form of entertainment… on TV. Post-soap opera, afternoons at the Callahan house have turned to court TV for their Schadenfreude.
Transcript
Cashing in on Schadenfreude
Frank and I Meet Judge Judy
When I was a child, afternoons at the Callahan house were filled with the unfortunately televised presence of soap operas. The bad acting, the poor production and the sadass storylines were depressing reminders that my family was middle brow and middle class. I was condemned to a world that looked to someone else’s misery as a form of entertainment… on TV. All My Children, Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital — I despised these mind numbing presentations served up to the median class as, how you say, Schadenfreude. And soap opera Schadenfreude was especially pitiable. It was Schadenfreude ala drama queen dream — a form of play acting stripped of all nuance consumed with bringing pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others (as played by the soap opera star). As you may have guessed, I’ve been a...
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