When piled high in a bucket, some crabs will attempt to escape over the edge, only to find themselves pinched and dragged back down by those around them for seemingly no reason. Like crabs in a bucket, there has been a notable and significant generation shift towards the ostracization of passion, joy and personal expression amongst those who stand out, even when they pose no threat to the existing lives of those around them. Years of exposure to comment section pissing contests where users try to be the funniest, edgiest and most cynical to elicit laughs for others and get validation have resulted in a young generation afraid to stand out, lest they be labeled as cringeworthy or be laughed at for being themselves. People now are far less reserved about laughing at the expense of others than they ever have been, and normal, passionate avenues of self expression have been labeled as “yapping” or “not that deep.” Because of this, many young people have found themselves in a position where they are unwilling to try new things because of how they may be perceived.
This deep sense of societal shame around enjoying things that others see as embarrassing or cringe ties into social conditioning where people feel as though they constantly need to look for the flaws in things instead of enjoying them as they are. Youtube videos which talk about why “___ movie sucks” or “how ____ is overrated” have dominated trends and search algorithms because people are psychologically drawn towards negativity. Comment sections of Instagram reels and TikToks encourage people to voice their most negative and hurtful comments in an attempt to get validation from others, and the crossover of content between different avenues allow those labeled as cringe to gain unwanted virality wherein they become internet punching bags. Negativity seeps into daily life, where individuals who have gotten comfortable with this cruelty start adopting it, often without even realizing it. Cynicism is, by many regards, a new standard rather than an exception, and because people have an intense desire to fit in they allow this rising air of judgement to deter them from trying new things. The result of this is a significant subsection of society that are frankly boring and uninspired not out of a lack of character, but a hesitancy to express it.
This fear of embarrassment ultimately raises the question of how socially acceptable it is to like something or to be passionate about it before it becomes cringeworthy or unappealing, but I would argue that point doesn’t exist. People on social media frequently express a thankfulness that they never had an anime phase or a musical theater phase, but this mentality stops someone from ever allowing themselves to find the joy that they might get out of fully immersing themselves into something. The greatest athletes, musicians and artists throughout history have all had a level of obsession with their craft or hobbies that pushed them forward, and may not have found that deep passion if they were too interested in protecting their social image. Even on a much less intense level, socially frowned upon interests in anime often lead people into trying art, theater phases make actors and singers and video games often push people into coding and development later down the line.
The solution to this social pressure is to not allow oneself to be dragged down by those around them, and to instead muster up the courage to be fearlessly expressive and try as many new things as possible. Each person will only get so much life, so it is best to act first and address criticism later rather than live in constant anticipation of it. The greatest critic contributes less than the worst artist, as without the art there can be no critique.