A Sickness That Now Has A Name

(pinterest image)

Despite its long-comings, the German language has words that describe some concepts perfectly.

Schadenfreude ("a feeling of enjoyment that comes from seeing or hearing about the troubles of other people") is used so often that it has become cliché.

Gestalt - in psychology, "something that is made of many parts and yet is somehow more than or different from the combination of its parts"; in broad terms, "the general quality or character of something."

Another valuable entry, sure to gain currency, is witzelsucht:

Witzelsucht (from the German witzeln, meaning to joke or wisecrack, and sucht, meaning addiction or yearning) is a set of rare neurological symptoms characterized by a tendency to make puns, or tell inappropriate jokes or pointless stories in socially inappropriate situations.

My affection for (obsession with?) Airplane! and Naked Gun movies can now be explained.

Witzelsucht "can be an early indicator of dementia" (Surely, you jest--no, and don't call me Shirley!), so I suppose I should see a doctor (if I don't, I need some new glasses).

But not before I check out TBS' Angie Tribeca series:

when Tribeca does work, it nudges awake a certain eighth-grade sensibility that delights in nothing more than seeing a knowingly asinine idea treated with staunchly serious commitment...Tribeca revels in fiendishly devised, fast-and-furious quips.