The germans have a word for it. "Schadenfreude," basically meaning taking joy in other people's suffering. What's funnier than someone taking a painful shot to the groin (according to "funniest" video shows, apparently not much)?
Compassion for our friends and family and all of the "good" people is easy, it's feeling compassion for losers, nut cases, bullies, creeps, and brats that is a lot harder.
I got a chuckle (BAD Colleen) over Paris' potty fear. It definitely brings back memories of the detention home. Even kids who were behing held for horrible crimes, and seemed to have no modesty or shame whatsoever (even some who would expose themselves or worse to staff for shock value) they all were horrified to be caught on the toilet during room checks (every fifteen minutes we shined a flashlight in the cell to make sure each kid was ok).
If a kid were "caught with his pants down" so to speak, and one of the kids in an adjoining cell overheard it was big news the next day, and the kid would be teased by all of the others. We did have a few kids who were so paranoid, they would actually wet the bed rather than use the toilet (like that didn't make them bigger targets for teasing).
The sad thing is jail staff aren't particularly high paid, and with camera cell phones, someone could easily be tempted to take such a picture (I'm sure several have already received offers many times their annual salaries).
Yep, humans are pitiful.
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