Scottish cringe

The Scottish cringe is a cultural cringe relating to Scotland, and claimed to exist by politicians and commentators.

These Scottish cultural commentators claim that a sense of cultural inferiority is felt by many Scots, particularly in relation to a perceived dominance of English culture, partly due to the importance of London, within the United Kingdom, and consequently a sense of Scottish resentment and underachievement. The cringe is said to manifest as:^{[citation needed]}

• 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 (see Tartanry)
• a sycophantic attachment to the way things are done in other English-speaking countries, such as England or the United States
• even though part of the ruling state within the British Empire, a tendency of many Scots to perceive themselves as victims of English colonialism and cultural imperialism within British institutions, such as the perceived marginalisation of coverage of Scottish affairs by the BBC and politically, during the Thatcher-era.

Opposition

Opposition has been voiced to the idea that this sense is widespread, with some commentators even going so far as to suggest that quite the opposite is true. Scottish historian Niall Ferguson, in a piece in the Daily Telegraph, put forward a position that in fact:

“	We regard it as only right and proper that the world sees in the New Year by singing a Scottish song. We take it for granted that half the broadcasters on the BBC are Scotsmen. We don't envy the English. We pity them. There is no Scottish cringe, in the Australian fashion. There is only the Scottish swagger - a swagger inspired by the authentically Calvinist certainty that we and only we (by which of course I mean we White Aggressively Scottish Protestant males) are the Elect.	”
—Niall Ferguson

He then however goes on to list what he sees as "realities" that call into question this "superiority complex" and proposes that "Scotland should go into liquidation".

The phrase "Scottish swagger" was repeated in February 2009 by journalist Dominic Lawson in The Independent.

See also

• North Briton
• Scotlandshire
• Scottish national identity
• Tartanry

External links

• Scotland: cultural profile