It's Not Schadenfreude If It Hurts
I just saw the following post from Bernie Sanders on Facebook:
My first gut reaction, as a liberal, was one of smug satisfaction. Upset as I am over Trump's victory, I WANT to see him betray the ones that put him in power. I want to be able to wave this in their faces and say, "See?? He was lying all along, you fools! HahahAHAHAaHAHAhAhAHAhAhAhAhAA!!!" There's no better feeling than political schadenfreude.
The problem is, this not something I actually want to happen. Of all of Trump's campaign promises, this is one I want to see him keep. The gut reaction came first. Only after I stopped to think about it did I make the connection to what I actually want for the country.
Moments later, I saw another news report, basically undoing the previous story:
My brain got whiplash as it snapped back in disappointment that Trump was following through on his promise, until it hit the logical realization that, if true, this is a good thing.
The real story is more complicated than that, but I don't want to get into the facts here. My point is obvious, but bears remembering: we need to stay stay mature, and not cut off our nose to spite our face.
