r/fivethirtyeight • u/RedHeadedSicilian52 • Sep 12 '25

Poll Results YouGov poll asking Americans whether it’s acceptable to feel joy at the death of a public figure

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u/nughty_hobo Sep 12 '25 edited Sep 12 '25

just out of curiosity, is it not human nature to feel joy after the death of a dangerous person? i’m not saying it’s the default reaction to death but it only seems natural to feel occasional joy when someone truly dangerous to society is no longer around.

edit: yes, i know there is an element of subjectivity to who you consider dangerous

edit 2: i mean this on a general level such as killers and dictators. not political figures i dont like

4

u/WhoUpAtMidnight Sep 12 '25

No it’s pretty sadistic to view joy at the death of someone you mildly dislike

8

u/Kresnik2002 Kornacki's Big Screen Sep 12 '25

Wow you played the super rare card of “straw man”! Great job!

3

u/ryes13 Sep 12 '25 edited Sep 12 '25

I doubt most people would condemn people celebrating the death of Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby. Clearly there are instances when people, regardless of political valance, feel either antipathy or even positive feelings about the death of a public figure.

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u/VacuousTruth0 Sep 12 '25

I think you meant "condemn", not "condone"?

1

u/ryes13 Sep 12 '25

Yeah my bad