Selfies of Shame

Revealing the darker depths of their own souls.

Jul 15, 2025

More than two thousand years ago, Aristotle condemned epikhairekakia, “the taking of pleasure in the pain of others,” as morally inexcusable.

Centuries later, the Germans coined the term schadenfreude, viewing it as a primitive yet universal and inevitable human emotion. They were right, it’s inescapable.

We all occasionally take a measure of pleasure in the downfall or travails of others, especially public figures, people with political or philosophical beliefs contrary to ours, or those who we feel have ignored, criticized, betrayed, or disrespected us.

But when reveling in the hardships of others becomes an ingrained personality trait, it reveals a desperate need to perpetually boost one’s fragile sense of self-worth at someone else’s expense.

This is a twisted and dangerous form of self-validation that, when directed at entire groups, usually as a result of political propaganda and psychological manipulation, it morphs into dehumanization.

MAGA supporters taking selfies at Alligator Alcatraz signs in the Florida Everglades.

Hence, MAGA supporters gleefully taking selfies at Alligator Alcatraz road signs in the Florida Everglades, giving us a glimpse into the emptiness of their own souls.

It doesn’t matter that the majority of Latinos being held in the internment camps under miserable conditions were performing the most difficult and least desirable jobs in agriculture, hospitality, restaurants, construction, and manufacturing in our country.

It doesn’t matter that heavily armed, masked ICE agents abduct them off the streets, from their places of work, and even from their homes without the due process required by our Constitution.

It doesn’t matter that their families are torn apart and live in constant terror.

It doesn’t matter that America lured their ancestors here to profit from exploiting their labor.

It doesn’t matter that roughly zero Americans would take those menial, low-paying jobs, much less last at them.

Nor does it matter that this violates the basic tenets of a free society.

They are undocumented immigrants, “the other,” something less than human beings, and to those in the MAGA cult, it feels good to see “the other” get what they deserve.

History teaches us that this mindset is a recipe for exploitation, enslavement, and genocide.

Throughout history, seeing groups of people as “the other” because of their ethnicity, religion, language, disabilities, gender, sexual preferences, or simply because they have something we want for ourselves, has inevitably led to discrimination, marginalization, hostility, exploitation, and ultimately, violent oppression.

It might start with seemingly harmless gestures like smiling selfies by a road sign, but when our more primitive instincts of animosity, prejudice, greed, insecurity, and schadenfreude prevail, democracy, equality, and empathy become eclipsed, and the doors to oppression are thrown open wide.

Native Americans were “the other” to the British settlers.

Black Africans were “the other” to the slave trade and plantation owners.

Jews were “the other” to the Nazis.

One Million Rising: Strategic Non-Cooperation to Fight Authoritarianism

The “No Kings” movement, which organized the largest nationwide protest against a sitting President in history on June 14 this year, is now launching a massive effort to systematically push back against the authoritarianism that is threatening our democracy.

We can do this… Save our country… Preserve our democracy… If we do this together.

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