Oh, how we enjoy when the mighty fall

Five years ago, Denny Hecker's mug was ubiquitous, plastered all over buses, newspapers and the Internet. Today, he is still a conspicuous presence, but in a real mug shot -- complete with orange jumpsuit, disheveled and disgraced.

And we're loving every minute of it, lapping up the former auto kingpin's travails as he awaits sentencing for financial fraud. What is it about the demise of the rich, powerful and famous that prods us to relish their misfortunes? Are we just mean-spirited?

Actually, this form of schadenfreude does not necessarily reflect poorly on us, Twin Cities social observers say.

"I don't think people feel like, 'This is really great.' It's more like they feel a certain amount of satisfaction," said Lori Barghini, co-host of Talk107.1's "Lori & Julia Show," which offers wry observations on celebrity culture. "Sometimes, you feel like the good guys finish last, but in this case, maybe not. It makes you feel like, 'Oh, whew, so everything is not going all crazy.'"

There might be something subtler, almost subconscious, at work, said Jason DeRusha, WCCO-TV's "Good Question" newsman.

"We like to think that everyone's the same in America. We like to think that even the biggest heroes in America have to go to Target to buy toilet paper," DeRusha said. "When we see a guy whose face was on the back of all those buses and now he's in trouble, it kind of brings that American equality thing back into balance."

But there's no question that in an age where Hecker-type financial scandals have become commonplace (think Tom Petters and Bernie Madoff), it is his post-arrest behavior that has fascinated us. There's a perverse pleasure to taking umbrage at Hecker's hubris, as he bought lavish gifts and spendy dinners at Manny's Steakhouse while claiming to be broke.

Not the what, but the how

Not all fallen figures get harsh treatment. A lot depends on how they got there.

"People don't really have a problem with other people getting rich," said Ed Kohler, a Minneapolis blogger and self-proclaimed "hobbyist media analyst." "But we do have issues with how they get rich. ... When somebody takes shortcuts to wealth, people feel like someone got screwed along the way."

Our perceptions of an individual's talent are key.

"Hecker had that 'too good to be true' thing," Kohler said. "But you take someone like Prince. The dude's very powerful, but people have no issues with him getting rich and famous. They root for him and against the record companies."

"Tiger [Woods] can play. Lindsay [Lohan] can act. But what does Kate Gosselin do moving forward? She is neither rich nor powerful nor talented. She is famous for being a freak show," he said.

"I think with people like her, the schadenfreude is just eerily delightful in and of itself and frankly almost irresistible."

Much as we might savor the demise of someone who acted badly, especially if we found them too big for their britches, leaving room for compassion isn't a bad idea, Barghini said.

"With Petters, I always think of the family. His shame stains them," she said. "And with [quarterback] Brett Favre, his poor wife and daughters. You're kind of torn. You feel like there is karma, there is justice, but too bad it has to leave all these brokenhearted family members."

Even Hecker might deserve some empathy, Mordal noted.

And in all but the most egregious cases, we do tend to leave room, and sometimes even root, for redemption. Americans love a comeback.

"Someone like Denny is certainly capable of making a really good living without breaking the rules," Kohler said. "So he could do something later."

Zimmern agreed.

"What I love most about our national character is how forgiving we are. Act 1 is always to overinflate someone's importance and cultural relevance, then in Act 2 we delight in their comeuppance," he said.

"But then in Act 3, we forgive and many public people have their best moments in this phase. Think what will happen come spring if Tiger wins the Masters. Or if Lindsay stays sober and turns her life around."