The Scottish cringe is a cultural cringe relating to Scotland, and claimed to exist by politicians and commentators.
These cultural commentators claim that a sense of cultural inferiority is felt by many Scots, particularly in relation to the dominance of English culture within the culture of the United Kingdom, and consequently a sense of Scottish resentment and underachievement. The cringe is said to manifest as feelings of low self-worth and embarrassment felt by Scottish people in response to overt expressions of Scottish cultural identity and heritage such as the Lowland Scots and Scottish Gaelic languages, and the kilt .
Former First Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell suggested in 2004 that the "Scottish cringe" included opposition to free-market capitalism and alleged that the cringe meant people felt "enterprise was even something to be ashamed of or embarrassed by".
See also
- Kailyard school
- North Briton
- Mongrel complex, for Brazilians
- Scotlandshire
- Scottish national identity
- Tartanry
References
External links
- Scotland: cultural profile
- http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/bloggers/why-we-scots-love-a-good-cultural-cringe.2012032669