Cringe culture says stop. We say lean in.
August 20, 2025
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24:05Now PlayingCringe culture says stop. We say lean in.
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as posted by the channelHas online hate ever been this cruel?
Brendan Abernathy () is a singersongwriter who went viral earlier this year for an earnest performance of his song "married in a year." The backlash was immediate, and one word popped up over and over again in the comments"cringe."
Brittany and Ramtin Arablouei () , cohost of NPR's Throughline () , get into the rise of cringe culturewhere it comes from, how it's hurting us, and how leaning into cringe is good for art. And Ramtin talks with Brendan about how to cope with the criticism, and Brendan debuts a new song about his experience. Brendan's new album is out September 26th.
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