Alex Jones Verdict Inspires Twitter Users To New Heights Of Schadenfreude
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The news that a jury had ordered notorious disinformation peddler Alex Jones to pay nearly $1 billion to several family members of those killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting had a big effect on Twitter users.
On Wednesday, a Connecticut jury ruled that Jones must pay $965 million to families affected by his false claim that the massacre of 20 children and six adults never happened.
Although it could be a while before the plaintiffs see any of the money, many Twitter users decided to cash in on the one asset guaranteed by the verdict: “schadenfreude,” the delightfully descriptive German word that means finding joy in others’ misfortunes.
And Twitter users were happy to express joy at where Jones’ perfectly avoidable situation had taken him.
This made my day!!!! Alex Jones Hit With $965 Million Verdict In 2nd Trial Over Sandy Hook Lies https://t.co/VMmUUZrpgv
— Preston Wilson (@PrestonWilson44) October 12, 2022
What just happened to Alex Jones is what should happen to all professional liars who spread dangerous disinformation. Defamation law can be a very effective tool in upholding truth.
— Ahmed Baba (@AhmedBaba_) October 12, 2022
The damage Alex Jones has done to the lives of these families is horrific—nearly a billion dollars doesn’t solve their pain-but also true that the end of infowars would be a public service
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) October 12, 2022
Alex Jones is already a miserable human being but today let’s take some comfort in that he feels even more miserable.
— Brian Balthazar (@BrianBalthazar) October 12, 2022
We’re richer than Alex Jones love to see it
— Frank Chaparro (@fintechfrank) October 12, 2022
It is so refreshing and empowering to see a trafficker in disinformation held accountable. Nothing says deterrence like a billion dollar verdict. https://t.co/FKSm1JNszK
— Barb McQuade (@BarbMcQuade) October 12, 2022
Imagine coming up with something so awful you have to pay society a billion dollars and not even come close to making up for it.#AlexJones
— Danny Wallace (@dannywallace) October 12, 2022
I’m in tears watching the jury read the damages in the Alex Jones trial. It’s in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) October 12, 2022
Now that’s what I call a just verdict. Huge, for sure. But it doesn’t suffice to make the victims whole — not to mention the need to deter similarly outrageous conduct in the future. https://t.co/AX8ClGgURl
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) October 12, 2022
Say what you want but it seems like Alex Jones’ weight loss pills work. Alex doesn’t work out and he is $965 million dollars lighter.
— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) October 12, 2022
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.