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We’ve all been in a situation where we found ourselves awkwardly laughing at something. A part of ourselves knows we shouldn’t be amused, yet it tickled our funny bones nonetheless.
It’s like watching an older person use internet slang to connect with a younger individual, only to get a blank stare in return. Quite an embarrassing situation, but a rather comical one, nonetheless.
That’s what cringe humor is all about. It is growing in popularity, and there are even Instagram pages that make it their central theme. Here are some of the posts that stood out to us.
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#1
ॐBoyGanesh 19 hours ago
I mean, it’s pretty realistic. One of the better witness sketches I’ve seen.
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Cringe humor can understandably come off as offensive since it is making fun of someone’s embarrassing moment. But at the end of the day, it’s all about the context of the joke, according to stand-up comedian Shaun Eli.
“Please note that not every joke about something or someone is making fun of that person or thing,” Eli told Bored Panda. “To take an extreme example, you can have a joke about a heinous crime that's horribly mean.
“But you can also have a joke about the subject of a heinous crime that isn't advocating it or glorifying it. Perhaps the victim of the joke is the criminal, who in the joke gets electrocuted.”
Comedy has evolved with the rise of the internet and digital media. According to Eli, anonymity has emboldened people to be nasty online, blurring the line between “cringe humor” and being obnoxious.
“We have gotten very used to being mean because it's to strangers and we can be anonymous, or at least thousands of miles away and barely at risk for any negative repercussions. And that rather sucks for society,” he said.
#12
GenuineJen 17 hours ago (edited)
A reference to Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb. He looks like a regular platypus to Dr. Doofenshmirtz until Perry puts on his fedora and then Dr. Doofenshmirtz recognizes him. It happens in every episode.
Intent also matters when it comes to cringe humor. As Eli points out, many people pick on someone under the guise of joking, to which he has a standard response:
“You have no right to be mean to me just to make yourself feel better. That's called being a jerk.”
#14
At the end of the day, it’s all about finding a middle ground, which, according to Eli, is not difficult to do. He even offered one piece of advice on how to go about it.
“Every joke has a victim, because every joke is making fun of something. How can creators strike that balance? I say to put themselves in the position of the victim of the joke.”
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#39
RamiRudolph 11 hours ago
Because there are three days between Monday and Friday, but only two days between Friday and Monday.
#42
#45
Chihuahua Mama 13 hours ago
You realize you have to get off Fortnite to make said kids, right?
#48
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#55
Mia Fillene 2 hours ago
Someone needs to make a matching profile of a guy in lederhosen named "gesundheit".
#58
#62
Ryan F. Mercer 18 hours ago
Probably the most epic cartoon ever made. When I was a kid, we had "knowing is half the battle" for the last 30 seconds of GI Joe. My kid had this. Profound social commentary and multi level references that dipped into pretty much *everything*. And it did it with class and style. The creators quit while it was still good and left us all wanting more.
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Vexed Panda 22 hours ago
I was playing Silent Hill in the dark and my 17 yr old step son asked me what I was playing. Handed him the controller and five minutes later he screamed, threw it across the room, and ran away.
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What do you think ?
Alexis Hebert 34 minutes ago
My last salary was $8750, ecom only worked 12 hours a week. My longtime neighbor yr estimated $15,000 and works about 20 hours for seven days. I can't believe how blunt he was when I looked up his information, This is what I do..... 𝐉𝐨𝐛𝐀𝐭𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝟏.𝐂𝐨𝐦
Alexis Hebert 34 minutes ago
My last salary was $8750, ecom only worked 12 hours a week. My longtime neighbor yr estimated $15,000 and works about 20 hours for seven days. I can't believe how blunt he was when I looked up his information, This is what I do..... 𝐉𝐨𝐛𝐀𝐭𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝟏.𝐂𝐨𝐦
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