No, you are not confused, the title of this article is not a secret code that only Tom Cruise can decipher in a "Mission Impossible" movie to save Turkey, let alone the world. Still, these possibly unfamiliar terms represent very important concepts related to Turkey's political culture. Whereas the first one is excessively present, the latter is painfully lacking.
Official explanation of the German word schadenfreude in English is “pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune.” Basically, when a person or a particular group make a mistake, the opponents gloat with glory if they are the beneficiary.
On the one hand, this is a universal phenomenon. In life and politics everywhere, self-interest as a drive is primal, and it is “natural.” Moreover, in areas of more obvious intergroup competition — such as sports or politics — there is a greater chance for excessive schadenfreude, which could be dangerous, leading to willingness to harm a rival fan or group.
In Turkey, however, political culture could be defined as schadenfreude-on-steroids. Cooperation between major decision-makers feels like exorbitant luxury. Furthermore, group identification and solidarity are essential determinants of one’s being, as perfectly portrayed by the proverb “Who escapes from the herd is carried off by wolves.” This sort of strong attachment to groups in Turkey makes schadenfreude widespread and worrisome.
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