Two Shades of Cringe: Problems in Attributing Painful Laughter

This article aims to approach the phenomenon of cringe in four steps: First, from a sociological perspective, distinction between shame and embarrassment is discussed working definition developed that conceives this difference as situational rather than essential. In second step, will be used examine more closely how actors’ self-representation decomposed reality format Wife Swap what role cringe—understood “Fremdscham” or “vicarious embarrassment”—plays this. Third, an explanation for attractiveness these formats offered draws on concept “flexible normalism” further specifies latent functions sociologically. Finally, with look at current comedy, it elaborated use made very restricted truncated variety phenomenon. Cringe comprehensive sense, meanwhile, turns out reflexive resource based unresolved ambiguity multiple often intersecting attributions.