Today we learn a new word in German

English has more words than just about any other language, but when we find a needful one missing, we cheerfully borrow from our neighbors. An example is schadenfreude, borrowed from German, and defined by dictionary.com as "pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune." Aside from rage, this seems to be the dominant emotion experienced by voters in this election cycle. Commentator Jack Cafferty said that he would crawl naked through barbed wire in order to get to a television set to watch tonight's VP debate. A truly disturbing mental image, and you can bet he wasn't talking about his overwhelming intellectual curiosity. The aficionados (another good word on loan) of schadenfreude line up on each side, one hoping Gov. Palin mistakes "ayatollah" for a town on Florida's Gulf Coast, and the other hoping to hear Sen. Biden reminisce at length about listening to FDR on his iPod.

Shadenfreude was busily at work in the financial meltdown, too, as Masters of the Universe got their comeuppance (a tasty bit of slang, too.) While the loss of untold billions provoked a schadenfreudic chuckle, one imagines that arbitrageurs in handcuffs and day traders dining on pet food would provide a belly laugh. It's just plain mean out there. I'm not immune myself, but I'm trying to take the cure. Here's hoping that tonight's debate is a civil conversation where both candidates are able to present their positions with honesty and clarity. And here's hoping that we can actually get our financial house in order while we still have houses. But maybe it's all just some kind of uberschadenfreude on my part, hoping to take pleasure in the misfortune of those who are anticipating disaster with glee.