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We like to laugh, we might like to cry, but we also like to cringe from time to time. And the proof is in the pudding: The Office, Tim Robinson's I Think You Should Leave, and Curb Your Enthusiasm (despite its imminent ending) are perhaps forever embedded in our popular culture. The same trends rule the digital space, as pages and accounts featuring cringe humor are probably the most popular.

The X (Twitter) page Cringe Photos falls into the family of cringe content that thousands of people either enjoy or feel extremely uncomfortable interacting with. As there is never a shortage of awkward and cringe-inducing content here on Bored Panda, we're bringing you a selection of the best pictures from said X (Twitter) account.

We reached out to an expert in all forms of comedy, Dr. Steven S. Kapica, assistant professor of English at Keuka College and writing program director. He kindly agreed to tell us more about what constitutes cringe comedy, what cringe is not, why we sometimes fear and loathe cringe, and why our sense of humor is inevitably declining. Read his opinions below!

Kapica begins by defining cringe comedy as what it is not. "It is not 'shock comedy.' It is also not 'anti-woke comedy,'" he says. And while he has a lot more to say about the latter, the point that he emphasizes is that cringe comedy is not 'punching down.' "'Anti-woke comedy' is 'punching down' comedy. And we all know which direction we're supposed to punch, right?" he asks rhetorically.

"Cringe is not shock, and it's not anti-woke. It is a unique, abjectly beautiful, absurd beast," Kapica concludes. But it's still best to explain it by comparing it to 'shock comedy.' The latter, according to Kapica, is about "saying the quiet part out loud." It's about braveness and the audacity to cross lines, and shock comics often pride themselves on being contrarians.

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I thought she was holding that tree.

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"Shock works precisely because its artisans are bold, daring, and singular," Kapica tells Bored Panda. "They take full ownership and responsibility – and rightly suffer the consequences should there be any." He gives stand-up comedian Daniel Tosh as an example. "Shock is offensiveness for offensiveness's sake. Often, because the shock comedians own and bear the brunt of [the] backlash, they are rewarded by fans. [Like] Howard Stern."

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"But shock is not cringe," Kapica clarifies. "Cringe does not emerge from a reversal or distortion of a premise, nor does it emerge from oppositional stances. Cringe does not point out incongruity. It breaks incongruity."

Let's look at this from the perspective of constructing a joke. It starts with a premise that is not funny, and then it's the comedian's job to deliver the punchline by breaking the audience's expectations. Cringe starts with a funny situation or premise and pushes it to a breaking point until it becomes unfunny – or awkward. "Cringe starts with laughter and then turns that laughter against the one who is laughing," Kapica explains.

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Katie Lutesinger
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4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Of course, as the driver is blind, they either have to stick their cane out the window or have their guide dog on a very long leash.

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But that doesn't mean that cringe comedy is foolproof. Those who use cringe risk alienating their audience. "This is the audience that gets angry and walks out on Andy Kaufman for being intentionally, relentlessly unfunny," Kapica says. According to him, cringe comedy is successful when it comes full circle. "It starts with laughter, turns the laughter to cringe, and then returns the cringe to laughter."

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He gives the film Borat (2006) as the most famous example of cringe in movies. It works and is so successful because the film directs its comedic ire and cringe at Americans, not the Kazakhs. "Borat's premise is inherently funny (from a subject position of superiority); however, the cringe ultimately reveals the lunacy of American exceptionalism."

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Other examples of cringe include The Eric Andre Show and I Think You Should Leave. "Andre is gonzo absurdism at its finest," Kapica says. "I Think You Should Leave puts it right there in the title." Andy Kaufman is an progenitor of comedic cringe. Kapica also points to Jerry Lewis' films from the 1960s and the 'Fix My Hat' scene in The Ladies Man (1961). "The hat scene in The Ladies Man (1961) is pure genius cringe," Kapica says.

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But cringe is risky business, Kapica observes. Comics who choose to dabble in it need to do so with care, as audiences might interpret it as debasement and perhaps the lowest form of comedy. "We like to believe that punching up or punching down is obvious, easy to spot. No one really wants to be Biff Tannen [from] Back to the Future," Kapica says.

"But systemic prejudices can easily be traded on in ways that not only perpetuate negative comedic tropes but reinforce underlying, supremacist worldviews. Cringe is arguably the riskiest form of humor, so its merchants must be hypervigilant with regard to intent in order to avoid such reinforcement."

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Proposing. In McDonald's.

With a chicken nugget.

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Iampenny
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4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, come on, this is probably an inside joke with them both and is maybe actually quite romantic

tanne82 avatar
Me
Community Member
4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like they're having fun. Probably a very spontanious thing

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xolitaire
Community Member
4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean that looks like it's some kind of inside joke? Let them be

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No spam
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Are we sure that's really a McDonald's? It looks like a classroom. As long as he promises to keep them in bbq sauce for the rest of their lives, she should go for it 😆

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Cee
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can we just take a sec to check out the dude sleeping behind them? Imagine being able to drift into a slumber so easily

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Stephanie A Mutti
Community Member
4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

With the dude in the back slumped over,,, possibly sleeping, possibly deceased???

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Justin Tyme
Community Member
4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Will you live with me and my cousins down at the trailer court? Please say yes. I promise I will move some of my dogs out of my bedroom."

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Sheri Lytle
Community Member
4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If this is happening in a McDonalds........what is the guy in the back ground doing? Is he passed out.....LOL :)

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Ael
Community Member
4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh no, someone doesn't adhere to OPs wishes regarding proposals. Please, OP, let me know how my proposal will have to go, I couldn't live with the thought that I digressed from yours, the once and only , sacred way. ---- do I need /s to this, or is it clear enough?

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sho-haru here
Community Member
1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i was joking when i say this but if my friends did this to me i would accept just for the laugh

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Velvin Bixby
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2 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's priceless! He's also going to look like the guy in the background in 40 years.

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MAKtheknife
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3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Love the guy passed out on the back table. Makes for a nice romantic touch.

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The Rogue Adventurers.
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3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've always thought that if I ever get engaged, I want to do a load of joke proposals (with previous plans with my gf) at loads of stupid places just for fun and to see people's reactions

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Janet Graham
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3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I like the folks in the background. Is this McD's open all night and this is after the bars close?

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Peaches
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3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The drunk sleeping at table behind her is a nice touch

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Sara Harvilla
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3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We all really know this is a classroom, not McDonald's, right?

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Moo
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My friend legitimately wants to be proposed to in a McDonald's

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Bill Kubeck
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I guess y'all weren't looking very close. There's an an engagement ring stuck in that nugget. Just hard to see in the pic. Humor? Oh yes. That marriage might last forever.

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Daycare Attendant Sun
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My kind of proposal, though I would have gone with glitter glue and a hand turkey

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Nicola Barrett
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The man in the background looks dead , did anyone check him for a pulse....lol 😂😆

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Donald
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My man sleeping in the back looks like he is going through it.

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Eric Thomas
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3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Back in the 80's, downtown Portland McDonald's had an entire wedding reception. Happy Meals for everyone.

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Cool crow
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It looks to me like she's about to pass out! Like the guy at the other table.

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J. Maxx
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is that a pasted-out drunk in the corner? LOL! Oh, my GAWD! LOL!

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Kraneia The Dancing Dryad
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well?............... maybe they met or had their first date there? Not everyone wants to go to Outback steak house..... I'm not big on public proposals anywhere, but if she's cool with it, and it looks like she is, mind yo' own bidness ;) I'm more concerned about the guy taking a nap in the background. You okay bro?

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SkippityBoppityBoo
Community Member
3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe this is where they met and it's the anniversary of when they met?

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Kevin Doyle
Community Member
4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How is nobody talking about the dude sleeping on the table in the background?

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Micheala Smith
Community Member
4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe it’s where they met? Maybe it’s where they had their first date and McNuggets was what was ordered. This isn’t cringe. This is sweet

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Sunny Day
Community Member
4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think it's a school, not a McDonalds. Guessing the chicken nugget is a private joke

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Viking74
Community Member
4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Big Don Gorske proposed in McDonalds in 1976 and he's been happily married for the past 48 years. Search him up! : )

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What matters is the comic's or comedy writer's intent. "Free speech is the red card used by those who have been accused of dispensing bigoted humor. 'Just a joke.' 'I don't really mean it.' Except bigoted humor has nothing to do with free speech. It has to do with intent," Kapica tells us.

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"If the intent is to elicit laughter at the expense of someone else's being, then it's hack comedy. If the intent is to complicate, transform, defend, speak truth to power, or even self-immolate, then the source of the cringe and laughter is freed of ethical transgression."

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Verena
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4 weeks ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I get his point, and the kids should get a friendly explanation. But I see happy kids, mimicking his looks because they like him. They most likely would form glasses for a person wearing glasses. Edit: There are very poor areas on this globe, where people, especially children, are not discussing on a daily basis that some gestures or remark come over as insult. Most likely these kids have never seen an Asian looking person before. Drop him amongst an indigenous tribe in the Amazone rain forest with no contact with the "civilized" world - they would do the same to indicate him. Understand the context, don't search frantically for insulting gestures.

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Kapica has written about American comedian George Carlin and is currently working on a book about his rhetorical genius. For Carlin, nothing was off-limits. But in his comedy, he always strived to go toward justice, and he always committed to punching up.

Kapica quotes Carlin's 1990 HBO Special, Doin' it Again: "It's the context that counts. It's the user. It's the intention behind the words that makes them good or bad. The words are completely neutral. The words are innocent… It's the context that makes them good or bad." He says that the same is true when it comes to cringe: intent and context matter.

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Rachel Pelz
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4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bet the manual of the iron even specified to use only water and not whiskey, beer or gin. Too bad they forgot to mention Volvic flavored water and Cool Aid.

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* * * Being_Cori * * *
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4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

atleast they know they made a mistake and admitted it... nothing wrong with it, just dont take pics.

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Katie Lutesinger
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4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nothing like crotch water to get those dishes nice and sparkling clean! Lemon fresh is SO last century.

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Kapica made similar observations in his piece about American comedian Gallagher. "While stand-up comedy at its best is powerful critique, at its worst – which is sadly more often the case – it reifies prejudice, and it perpetuates ignorance and injustice," he warned.

"While we might be inclined to [brush off comedic pandering] as harmless fun – to roll our eyes at the ignorance fueling the post-truth era – doing so would make us complicit."

So, where do we go from here? What's the future for our collective sense of humor, especially in digital spaces? Kapica points to Idiocracy (2006) as a "prescient" statement of its decline. "That decline is hastened by social media, digital culture, even AI," he explains.

"Social media and digital culture bypass important culture work – editing, contemplation, temperance, review, practice, reception. The speed of the digital is such that we get everything now now now! So when we combine [the] speed of access and distribution with blatant disregard for editing and filtering – and then pour in a big scoop of cringe? Goodbye intent. Goodbye context. Hello outrage."

Currently, Kapica doesn't have much faith in the Internet's critical thinking abilities. "I would argue that the vast majority of social media-based comedy consumers lack the critical acumen to determine if a bit of cringe is punching up or punching down," he says.

"A quick Google search for 'Borat,' for instance, reveals that enough viewers of the film have asked questions about him to merit a 'People Also Ask' box containing questions like 'Is Borat really from Kazakhstan?' and 'Is Borat based on a real person?' A consumer culture that asks these questions about incisive, daring, shocking, boundary-pushing, cringe comedy is not a culture served by wildly unfiltered digital content."

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However, perhaps it isn't all so bleak. "There is some amazing, anti-authoritarian comedy being produced on digital platforms and by amateur comedians," Kapica says, trying to see the bright side. "But the sum total of it all is a dumpster fire that I fear will inevitably lead to a Netflix-produced Ow! My Balls!"

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PeePeePooPoo
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4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm not sure if I have a bigger problem with the bathtub surroundings or that dirty water she's in. Yuck!

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Surenu
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4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean, there is at least one person taking pictures of people at the ATM so...

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Note: this post originally had 61 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.