We all know the inward, sinking feeling that we have come to call cringe in recent years. The slang description describes the embarrassing awkwardness that accompanies social failures that are far too common. On the one hand it is nervous laughter when nothing is funny and on the other it is the deafening silence after a joke falls flat.
We cringe over loud, obnoxious conversations in quiet spaces; over the duck face that people make for selfies; and over drunk fans at sporting events. Bad grammar leaves us gritting our teeth. Inappropriate commercials while the family gathers around a television is an uncomfortable intrusion. Unbridled arrogance invites rolling eyes due to our internal consternation. Whether serious or sympathetic, the more public the offense the greater the cringe. [Read more…]