Cringe as an Ethical Kitsch and Practice of Distancing

The author addresses the problem of defining and analyzing the features of the cringe as a specific modern phenomenon. The first thesis of the article is that the word cringe being clearly similar to other slang words in terms of meaning and practice of use, is not their synonym and expresses its own new concept, important for the current cultural situation. The author demonstrates the features of this situation discussing the specificity of cringe. In the article, cringe is considered as a special judgment about the action and experience of the Other, built on the existentialist grounds. The author shows that the same grounds are also found in the analysis of kitsch as a judgment, which makes these two complex and relevant concepts related. Based on the concepts of kitsch by Umberto Eco and Tomáš Kulka, the author makes an attempt to formulate his own definition. Kitsch and cringe are judgments not only about the object, but also about the response it aims at and the means by which that response is elicited. At the same time, kitsch is precisely an aesthetic concept and refers to aesthetic reactions and means, while cringe goes beyond the aesthetic and works with both ethical and sociocultural meanings. In conclusion, the author especially emphasizes that the cringe is associated with the practice of distancing, which is extremely important for building an identity in the current situation. In conditions of total accessibility and closeness of the experience of the Other, distancing becomes an important tool for delineating the circle of the Own.