I can’t watch people embarrass themselves.
As a kid, I’d run from the room when Tootie or Blair got called out by Mrs. Garrett. These days, there are entire TV shows built around awkwardness, like The Office and Peep Show. I keep the remote within arm’s reach.
It’s worse when the embarrassment is real, not scripted — for example, in this clip from The Graham Norton Show, where Mark Wahlberg gets completely hammered in front of a live studio audience, then alternates between hitting on Norton and Sarah Silverman.
At least I think that’s what happens. I had to fast forward through chunks of the clip for reasons that should be obvious.
And for the record, I’m not judging Wahlberg. Believe me, I’ve been in his shoes. Just not on international television, that’s all.