i feel like a lot of people have the wrong idea of what abolishing cringe culture means.

a lot of the time, when i say something like “cringe culture is dead”, at least one person will respond with “but some things are just cringy… i cant stop being embarrassed by x even if i tried.” and, actually? thats ok! thats fine!! second-hand embarrassment is natural in humans. god knows even the most virulent anti-cringe culture advocates have fandoms that they cant stop themselves from internally cringing at, and that’s not a weakness on their part as an advocate. i do of course, and honestly, most of the time, those things i cringe at are things that im interested in too!

the whole point of being against cringe culture isnt that youre so Pure Of Heart that you dont experience secondhand embarrassment (and its ok to admit that you do), its that you ignore that initial reaction and push it aside in the interest of, yknow, not making fun of someone. you dont have to get rid of those feelings entirely, though if you cringe at your own interests, it might be an act of self care to work on accepting that. no one likes everything, thats how it is. the point is that no matter how “cringy” you think something is (and its always subjective too), it brings someone joy, and to stomp on that joy because of your own personal gut reaction is such a shitty thing to do. not to mention that cringe culture is wholly abelist because it targets autistic and other neurodivergent people more than anyone else.

so bottom line is, seeing something -> having a gut reaction that it’s embarrassing is fine, thats normal, but then going to -> making fun of the person who likes that thing, either to their face or behind their back is absolutely where you draw the line. even if the person in question can’t hear you, by making fun of someone, you normalize that behavior, other people internalize it, and you propogade that culture.

you’re allowed to find things cringey. god knows i do. but if you feel like you need to vent those feelings, do so privately with a close friend, and be very mindful about your word choice. you cant just go around calling people freaks or weirdos for liking something you don’t, thats textbook anti-autism bullying, and honestly, getting upset about something that small is such a you problem. ✌ deuces.