relishing in pain

What the heck is wrong with people? Do you notice that sometimes people take pleasure in the misfortune of others? Are people hard-wired this way? Is it something that we're brought up with?

I know this sounds awfully cynical, but think about it. Remember when you were a kid, watching cartoons and all that stuff? Think back...Yogi Bear, Coyote and Roadrunner, Sylvester and Speedy Gonzales...the funniest moments where when Yogi failed to get a basket, or coyote blew himself up or fell off a cliff, or when Sylvester gets smoked trying to chase Speedy.

Even on TV these days, we see that the funniest plotlines are when the main character is failing miserably or about to fail. Take Frasier for example. In that show, for seven seasons Niles has been madly in love with Daphne, but has seen missed-opportunities and epic failures come in the way of asking her out. In Cheers, the recurring Bar Wars between Cheers and Gary's Old Towne Tavern has Cheers losing or screwing themselves up each time. Why is that?

Frustration is funnier than victory. It wouldn't be funny if Yogi got the basket right off the bat, or if Coyote and Sylvester ate their respective counterparts. The entertainment is built upon their knack for failure and ensuing frustration. Is that twisted that we find this funny? I supposed now that we've somewhat established that people are kinda screwed up, is it something we can change? I'm definitely not saying I have the solution, I'm just posing the question. Please let me know what you think.