derailing the cringe

Embarrasing moments happen regularly. There are foot in mouth incidences. Public actions & reactions that you would like to keep private occur and you find yourself mulling over the witness list to your vulnerabilities. For me it is experienced almost like a headache. I want to touch my temple over and over to provide some relief. So, too, my mind longs to revisit embarrassments.

But what about the growing allure of cringe in popular culture? "Trainwreck Television" is more popular than ever and not the sort that refers to mechanical catastrophes. More like Flavor Flav looking for love on MTV or any one of the number of unreality programs currently thriving on their cringe factor.

What is the appeal and where does it end?