Cringe as Symbolic Violence

or: simulated authority figures patrolling your nervous system

“Cringe” is not an inherent property of objects or behaviors. It reveals itself in context, as a visceral response to perceived social transgressions. And it is sticky precisely because it is often not explicit, but rather a deeply-seated, embodied sense of disgust/repulsion.

Some of those perceived social transgressions often have meaning & value, they exist to maintain social cohesion and facilitate functional interaction. The cringe response can serve as a collective immune system, rejecting behaviors that may disrupt social harmony or violate boundaries. When someone monopolizes conversation, acts entitled, or misreads social cues about consent/appropriateness, “cringe” works as intended.

Yet a misaligned or overfunctioning cringe response ultimately becomes a mechanism that enforces arbitrary hierarchies at the expense of individual expression.

Symbolic violence

Bourdieu defined “symbolic violence” as ~non-physical violence exerted through social interactions and norms that reinforce the values & hierarchies of a dominant group.

An overfunctioning cringe response is exactly that. A simulated authority figure enacting symbolic violence on your behalf. A deeply felt sensation of being judged, where you can feel your body tensing up to protect itself from said symbolic violence.

The simulated authority figure might manifest as the hypervigilant parent who taught the kid that enthusiasm was embarrassing, that vulnerability was weakness, or that standing out was dangerous. When you witness someone dancing freely at a party, or someone unselfconsciously pursuing a creative passion, the cringe you feel often echoes a childhood where such freedom was met with eye-rolls, criticism, or emotional withdrawal.

In such cases, the cringe response replicates the voices of the caregivers who prioritized social acceptability over authentic expression. It may feel like the internalized authority is protecting you from social rejection, when it's actually perpetuating the dynamics that forced your self-suppression in the first place.

Online amplification and “you can just do things”

Very online/social media dynamics amplify the threat of symbolic violence precisely because they generate simulated authority figures through the very systems of likes, shares, replies, etc. It becomes much easier to police yourself when the authority figure takes a numerical form.

Practices like shitposting, or exhortations like “you can just do things” are ultimately a response to the simulated authority figure, they are a form of defiance and attempt to escape the confined of symbolic violence.

Conclusion

I don’t know where I’m going with this, but if “cringe is symbolic violence” is your only takeaway from this, my work here is done.

Next time you feel yourself cringe, your body tensing up, to either your attempts to authentic expression, or someone else’s, ask yourself: “which cop is in my head right now, and are they at least paying rent?”