Morris Dancing. Nobody can be embarrassed in a dragon's head.
Everyone at the party would rather die than do that, and yet none of them can look away. It's more than a dance, it's a disguise.
THE GIST ON MORRIS DANCING: "Diplomatic immunity"
Why is Morris dancing cringe?
Because cringe is a strange emotion: you feel it for other people. Watch someone embarrass themselves and your brain fires the same bit it uses for pain. It enforces the cardinal rule the English live under: don't stand out.
How do the dancers get away with it?
They worked out something very clever. You can't embarrass somebody who isn't there. Take 12 people, dress them the same and move them as one, and there's no such thing as one dancer, there's only the troop.
Who feels the embarrassment, then?
Not the dancers. Put a bunch of you in bells, harnesses and hankies and you become them, so the embarrassment at the party is all yours. They have, basically, diplomatic immunity in a dragon's head.
Everyone at that party is waiting for enough booze to get up and dance. All they need is a bunch of hankies and a dragon's head.
Would you join a Morris troop for one dance?
Your take. One tap, then see how everyone else voted.
Quick answers
Why do Morris dancers not feel embarrassed?
Dress 12 people the same and move them as one and there's no individual dancer, only the troop.
What is cringe, according to Huw?
A strange emotion you feel for other people, using the same part of the brain as pain.
See you on the next one.
What should the next one be? Suggest a topic for Huw to explain
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