--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Like everyone else, I can barely take the…" description: "\"Like everyone else, I can barely take the waves of embarrassment that come with watching someone do something so badly. Roseanne Barr singing the natio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3c/rebecca-traister-4925_acting_like-everyone-else-i-can-barely-take-the_2564656.jpg" --- # Like everyone else, I can barely take the waves of… ![“Like everyone else, I can barely take the waves of embarrassment that come with watching someone do something so badly. Roseanne Barr singing the national anthem, Sofia Coppola acting in 'The Godfather: Part III,' Sarah Palin talking about Russia - they all create the same level of…” quote by Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3c/rebecca-traister-4925_acting_like-everyone-else-i-can-barely-take-the_2564656.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3c/rebecca-traister-4925_acting_like-everyone-else-i-can-barely-take-the_2564656.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3c/rebecca-traister-4925_acting_like-everyone-else-i-can-barely-take-the_2564656.jpg) > “Like everyone else, I can barely take the waves of embarrassment that come with watching someone do something so badly. Roseanne Barr singing the national anthem, Sofia Coppola acting in 'The Godfather: Part III,' Sarah Palin talking about Russia - they all create the same level of eyeball-squinching discomfort.” [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Observing public figures perform poorly can cause intense secondhand embarrassment, making observers feel uncomfortable and cringing. **In simple terms:** Seeing others fail publicly makes us cringe. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage your discomfort. Themes embarrassment public performance media criticism Mood irritated awkward critical Type commentary observational When to use this quote - watching live TV - reading news articles - social media scrolling - discussing pop culture Key Concepts social anxiety vicarious embarrassment Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your strongest cringe reactions? - How does humor affect your discomfort? A Different Perspective Embarrassment may be amplified by personal biases toward the subject. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Badly Roseanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/badly-roseanne-1637673/) [Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create/) [Embarrassment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassment/) [Embarrassment Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassment-come-1637672/) [National anthem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-anthem/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Squinching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/squinching-1637675/) [Waves Embarrassment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waves-embarrassment-1637674/) ## Related quotes > [Do you ever look at pictures from middle school and wish your parents would've kept you in a cage to save you from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-ever-look-at-pictures-from-middle-school-and-wish-your-parents/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The night of September the 14th, 1814, saw heavy bombardment of Baltimore by the British. Despite this, the next morning, the large American flag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/the-night-of-september-the-14th-1814-saw-heavy-bombardment-of/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [On the House Un-American Activities Committee: They'll nail anyone who ever scratched his ass during the National Anthem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/on-the-house-un-american-activities-committee-they-ll-nail-anyone-who/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [“...Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He can recite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/not-yet-dry-behind-the-ears-not-old-enough-to-buy-a-beer-but-old/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [That first game was so hyped up, and it was obviously my first experience of a crowd in a World Cup. When I first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-parris/that-first-game-was-so-hyped-up-and-it-was-obviously-my-first/) [Nikita Parris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-parris/) > [I mean, when you think about it, it's 'bombs bursting in air,' 'rocket's red glare,' it's all kinds of - you know a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-press/i-mean-when-you-think-about-it-it-s-bombs-bursting-in-air-rocket-s/) [Bill Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-press/) > [The white cracker who wrote the National Anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word "free" to a note so high nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-white-cracker-who-wrote-the-national-anthem-knew-what-he-was/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [I sing the National Anthem, while I'm standing, over your body, hold you like a python.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/i-sing-the-national-anthem-while-i-m-standing-over-your-body-hold-you/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [GIRLS NATIONAL ANTHEM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-nelson/girls-national-anthem/) [Jerome Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-nelson/) > [I had a gig in Sweden. There were thousands of people there, and when I launched into 'I'm Yours,' they were all singing along.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/i-had-a-gig-in-sweden-there-were-thousands-of-people-there-and-when-i/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [All of us ... should remember that no amount of flag-waving, pledging allegiance, or fervent singing of the national anthem is evidence that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/all-of-us-should-remember-that-no-amount-of-flag-waving-pledging/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Colin Kaepernick is the latest professional athlete to spark a national debate about the meaning behind the American flag and the national anthem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-abdul-rauf/colin-kaepernick-is-the-latest-professional-athlete-to-spark-a/) [Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-abdul-rauf/) > [“The shortest national anthem in the world is the Japanese one, which only consists of four lines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/the-shortest-national-anthem-in-the-world-is-the-japanese-one-which/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [No matter what. Wherever your mind wanders, it seems to turn up at the same Field of Dreams. It's the vision you wake up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/no-matter-what-wherever-your-mind-wanders-it-seems-to-turn-up-at-the/) [James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/) > [I sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium - at a baseball game - which was crazy; there was, like, 60,000 people there, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/i-sang-the-national-anthem-at-dodger-stadium-at-a-baseball-game-which/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) ## More by Rebecca Traister > [“..the expectations of Republican Motherhood – in which women’s obligations were the instilling of civic virtue in offspring and the moral maintenance of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/the-expectations-of-republican-motherhood-in-which-women-s/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [“Andrea Dworkin famously commented that “Marriage as an institution developed from rape as a practice.” In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/andrea-dworkin-famously-commented-that-marriage-as-an-institution/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [Changing professional expectations and technological tools have created an impossibility of balancing work and life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/changing-professional-expectations-and-technological-tools-have/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [I'd spent my whole adult life considering myself an independent entity, my life filled by work and friends and family. Suddenly I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/i-d-spent-my-whole-adult-life-considering-myself-an-independent/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [The lack of marriage is being blamed for almost every social ill - whether it's gun violence, whether it's poverty, whether it's the dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/the-lack-of-marriage-is-being-blamed-for-almost-every-social-ill/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [“Friedan also didn’t consider the population of American women who were already altering marriage patterns,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/friedan-also-didn-t-consider-the-population-of-american-women-who/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [After Emancipation, black women married earlier and more often because they were legally free to do so for the first time, and that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/after-emancipation-black-women-married-earlier-and-more-often-because/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [Throughout America's history, the start of adult life for women - whatever else it might have been destined to include - had been typically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/throughout-america-s-history-the-start-of-adult-life-for-women/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [“In his 1873 Sex in Education; or A Fair Chance for the Girls, Harvard professor Edward Clarke argued that the female brain, if engaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/in-his-1873-sex-in-education-or-a-fair-chance-for-the-girls-harvard/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [By the time Clinton graduated from Yale Law School, many people, including her boyfriend Bill, believed she could, and should, embark on a political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/by-the-time-clinton-graduated-from-yale-law-school-many-people/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [In 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 64 percent of mothers with children under six worked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/in-2013-according-to-the-bureau-of-labor-statistics-around-64-percent/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [Since the late 19th century, the median age of first marriage for women had fluctuated between 20 and 22. This had been the shape,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/since-the-late-19th-century-the-median-age-of-first-marriage-for/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [“we “are married, or have been, or plan to be, or suffer from not being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/we-are-married-or-have-been-or-plan-to-be-or-suffer-from-not-being/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [There is a kind of woman who is economically powerful, professionally powerful, who threatens a white male grip on power that has a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/there-is-a-kind-of-woman-who-is-economically-powerful-professionally/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [One of the favorite conservative themes is that the cure for poverty is more marriage and earlier marriage. We hear that all the time;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/one-of-the-favorite-conservative-themes-is-that-the-cure-for-poverty/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) [Explore all 105 Rebecca Traister quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) ## More Acting quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) [Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/) > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Like everyone else, I can barely take the waves of embarrassment that come with watching someone do something so badly. Roseanne Barr singing the national anthem, Sofia Coppola acting in 'The Godfather: Part III,' Sarah Palin talking about Russia - they all create the same level of eyeball-squinching discomfort.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca Traister" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/like-everyone-else-i-can-barely-take-the-waves-of-embarrassment-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/like-everyone-else-i-can-barely-take-the-waves-of-embarrassment-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3c/rebecca-traister-4925_acting_like-everyone-else-i-can-barely-take-the_2564656.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3c/rebecca-traister-4925_acting_like-everyone-else-i-can-barely-take-the_2564656.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3c/rebecca-traister-4925_acting_like-everyone-else-i-can-barely-take-the_2564656.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Like everyone else, I can barely take the waves of embarrassment that come with watching someone do…” — Rebecca Traister", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rebecca Traister", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Like everyone else, I can barely...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/like-everyone-else-i-can-barely-take-the-waves-of-embarrassment-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/like-everyone-else-i-can-barely-take-the-waves-of-embarrassment-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```