schadenfreude is the basis of a lot of comedy, and is the set up for tragedy when misfortune evolves in to actual pain or death. I can also morph in to pathos and empathy if handled correctly, taking away the guilt and replacing it with shame with the addition of only a little more information.
It is a useful tool for the writer and a social learning experience.
The current trend of trying to curb and eliminate emotions that "might cause offence" or "trigger" people will rob a whole generation or more of that societal education and lead to unforeseen consequences that are likely to be horrific