A Post-Cringe Theory of Psychedelic Spirituality in the Rave Scene

Cringe, the uncomfortable feeling of embarrassment or awkwardness, can be used to diagnose what has become stale in the rave scene and to argue for reclaiming a transcendent spirit. Although cringe may never be fully escaped, the strong emotions it signals act as a shock collar, alerting participants to behaviors and beliefs that were once radical but have since become outdated and cliché. The essay argues for instrumentalizing cringe to advance the psychedelic music scene beyond its current cringe and capitalist phase. Change cannot happen without cringe.

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Abstract

This essay uses the concept of cringe as a tool to assess where the rave scene has gone stale and to argue for ways it may reclaim a transcendent spirit. While we may never be able to fully escape the cringe, the powerful emotions it signals can serve as a shock collar, alerting us to behaviors and beliefs that were perhaps once radical but have since become outdated and cliche. In this way, I argue for the instrumentalization of cringe as a way of advancing the psychedelic music scene beyond its cringe and capitalist present. There cannot be change without cringe.