The Scottish cringe is a cultural cringe relating to Scotland, and claimed to exist by politicians and commentators."'I want to end the Scottish cringe'", BBC News, 28 February 2004. URL accessed on 10 June 2006."Taking Scots beyond the 'cringe'", BBC News, 24 November 2003. URL accessed on 10 June 2006.We must shake off the Scottish cringe and win back our sporting pride", Scotsman.com, 27 March 2004. URL accessed on 10 June 2006.
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 identityUnger, J. (2010) "Legitimating inaction: Differing identity constructions of the Scots language" in European Journal of Cultural Studies Volume 13:99-117 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