The tragic events of August 12, 2021, when Jake Davison committed a mass shooting in Plymouth, UK, claiming five lives before his own, brought a chilling term into mainstream discussion: “incel.” Davison’s online activity revealed a disturbing pattern of misogynistic and anti-feminist views, heavily intertwined with the incel subculture found on platforms like Reddit and YouTube. While there were indications he was attempting to distance himself from the ideology due to its negative impact on his mental state, the evidence strongly suggests that his engagement with incel beliefs significantly shaped his worldview and potentially contributed to his violent actions.
The term “incel” gained wider recognition after Elliot Rodger’s horrific 2014 Isla Vista killings. Rodger, before his attack, released a manifesto and video detailing his “involuntary celibacy.” Initially, incidents linked to incel ideology were largely confined to North America, with attacks like the Toronto van attack (2018), the Tallahassee Yoga Studio shooting (2018), and others resulting in a significant loss of life. However, the rise of online incel communities in the UK, evidenced by cases like Gabrielle Friel and Anwar Driouich, and culminating in the Davison attack, highlights the growing global reach of this ideology.
What Does “Incel” Mean?
“Incel” is a portmanteau of “involuntary celibate.” At its core, the incel worldview is predicated on the belief that physical attractiveness is genetically determined. This belief dictates that men’s physical appearances are the primary factor women find attractive (Baele et al., 2019; Ging 2019; Hoffman et al., 2020). Individuals identifying as incels believe they lack these desirable genetic traits, condemning them to a life of unwanted celibacy.
This perceived genetic disadvantage fosters feelings of profound isolation and loneliness. These feelings are often amplified by frustration and envy towards individuals perceived as having successful romantic and sexual relationships (Van Brunt & Taylor, 2021). The incel identity, therefore, becomes deeply rooted in a sense of victimhood and resentment.
Incel Ideology: More Than Just Involuntary Celibacy?
The incel ideology is not simply about being unable to find a partner. It is embedded within a broader network of online anti-woman communities known as the “manosphere.” This online space, encompassing groups like Pick-Up Artists and Men’s Rights Activists, has progressively become more radicalized, exhibiting increasingly violent and hateful views, particularly towards women (Farrell et al., 2019). The incel subcategory represents a more extreme evolution within the manosphere, characterized by heightened levels of hate speech, discussions of violence, and a pervasive sense of grievance (Baele et al., 2019; Hoffman et al., 2020; Papadamou et al., 2020). Studies have shown that the “toxicity of discussion” within incel online spaces rivals that of known far-right platforms like Gab (Ribeiro et al., 2020).
Hallmarks of an Extremist Ideology
The incel ideology displays clear indicators of an extremist ideology, mirroring patterns observed in other extremist movements like Salafi jihadism and white nationalism (Berger, 2018ab). These hallmarks include a rigid in-group/out-group dynamic and the construction of crisis/solution narratives.
The Incel Social Hierarchy
A defining feature of the incel worldview is a rigid, three-tiered social hierarchy based solely on physical appearance. At the top are “Chads” (alpha males) and “Stacys” (attractive women), representing a minority deemed genetically superior. The middle tier consists of “Normies” (beta males and average-looking individuals), while incels occupy the bottom, an exclusively male and marginalized group (Baele et al., 2019).
Within this hierarchy, out-groups, particularly women, are systematically dehumanized. Women are often referred to using derogatory terms like “femoids” or “roasties,” stripped of complex emotions and portrayed as driven solely by base desires, and manipulative tendencies. Ironically, despite positioning themselves at the bottom of this hierarchy, incels maintain a belief in male superiority over women.
“Pilling” and the Black Pill Mentality
The concept of “pilling” is central to the incel worldview, borrowed and adapted from the film The Matrix. It presents a false dichotomy: the “blue pill” represents blissful ignorance of reality, while the “red pill” signifies “waking up” to the perceived harsh truths of social hierarchies. Incels have introduced a third option: the “black pill.” This builds upon the “red pill” by adding a nihilistic layer, asserting that these social hierarchies are immutable and hopeless, and nothing can be done to change their predetermined fate.
Nostalgia and “Female Hypergamy”
Incel crisis/solution narratives often draw on a romanticized and distorted view of the past, echoing the “politics of profound nostalgia” prevalent in the men’s rights movement (Menzies, 2007). They envision a mythical patriarchal golden age characterized by traditional gender roles, early marriage, and mandated monogamy (Baele et al., 2019; O’Malley et al. 2020). In this fabricated past, all men were supposedly entitled to sexual access to women, and romantic interactions were guided by outdated practices, minimizing the importance of physical appearance.
This idealized past is linked to the concept of “female hypergamy” within incel circles. This biologically deterministic notion suggests women are inherently driven to seek out “Chad” males to reproduce and pass on “superior genes.” Incels believe this natural tendency was unjustly suppressed during their imagined golden age through social norms and laws, ensuring a “fair” distribution of relationships. They perceive contemporary society as “lookist” and blame feminism, liberalism, and technological progress for dismantling this supposed “fair” system (Baele, Brace & Coan 2019; Ging 2019; O’Malley 2020; Papadamou et al. 2020; Scaptura & Boyle 2020).
Supremacist Nature
The incel ideology, therefore, is fundamentally a supremacist ideology. As Miller-Idriss (2020) notes, while white supremacy is the most recognized form, the underlying logic of dehumanizing an “other” while claiming victimhood for the in-group is a common thread in all forms of supremacist thought.
Are Incels Considered Terrorists?
The extremist characteristics of incel ideology often raise concerns about violence. While incel views can correlate with increased aggression, their perspective on violence distinguishes them from many other extremist movements.
Discussions within incel communities sometimes reference the attacks by Rodger and Minassian as potential catalysts for an “incel uprising” or societal shifts that might force women into sexual relationships with men (Baele et al., 2019). However, a prevailing sentiment within the community, rooted in the “black pill” nihilism, suggests that such acts of violence are ultimately futile in changing the social order. Consequently, incel-related violence is often framed within the community as acts of personal revenge and liberation rather than as a means to achieve broader social or political change.
Violence as Revenge vs. Ideological Change
This distinction is critical when analyzing the nature of the incel movement. While defining terrorism remains a complex issue, a key element in most definitions is the intention to advance an ideological cause and bring about societal or political change. In the cases of Rodger and Minassian, their manifestos and statements indicated an intent to inspire rebellion, potentially classifying their acts as terrorism.
The Terrorism Debate
However, in many other instances of incel violence, perpetrators have not explicitly articulated such ideological aims. Their actions often appear to be driven by personal rage and despair, intertwined with elements of incel ideology and mental health issues. Jonathan Hall, the UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, highlights the challenge for prosecutors in terrorism cases: proving “beyond reasonable doubt that the action was done to advance an ideological cause rather than for some purely personal or emotional reason” (Hall, 2021:31). Yet, Hall also acknowledges that personal motivations do not automatically preclude an act from being considered terrorism.
Canada’s Stance
A growing consensus among researchers suggests that even when mental health issues are present, ideology still plays a significant role (Berger, 2018b). Acts committed by individuals on the extreme fringes of the incel community, driven by their supremacist narratives, should be considered acts of terrorism (Hoffman & Ware, 2020; Hoffman et al., 2020). Canada’s Security Intelligence Service, significantly impacted by incel violence, labeled inceldom as a form of “violent misogynistic ideological extremism” in 2019, reflecting this evolving understanding. The ongoing investigation into the Plymouth shooting will be crucial in determining if it will be classified as terrorism and whether gender-based extremism will be officially recognized as a terrorist threat in the UK.
The Link Between Incels and the Far-Right
While empirical research is still developing, there are emerging connections between the incel movement and the broader far-right.
Ideological Overlaps
Firstly, ideological overlaps exist, particularly in the use of hateful rhetoric (Hoffman & Ware 2020). Rodger’s manifesto, for instance, employed racially charged language, and the 2020 Hanau attacker, inspired by far-right ideology, left behind misogynistic messages (Baele et al., 2020). Secondly, both communities share online cultural similarities, such as meme usage and the concept of “pilling.”
Potential Recruitment by the Far-Right
Thirdly, some researchers suggest that elements within the far-right exploit the insecurities of young men within incel communities, using their anti-female supremacist views as a gateway to recruit them into white supremacist ideologies (Romano, 2018; Hoffman & Ware 2019). However, this potential recruitment pathway requires further empirical investigation.
Inceldom as Part of the Far-Right Spectrum
Given the current evidence, it is perhaps most accurate to view the contemporary far-right not as a monolithic ideology but as a collection of interconnected yet distinct ideologies. Imagine a series of overlapping Venn diagrams, where each circle represents a specific far-right category – white nationalists, neo-Nazis, militia groups, alt-right, etc. Each category shares some aspects of far-right ideology but not all. Incel ideology can be considered one of these distinct yet overlapping sets within the broader far-right spectrum.
Conclusion
Understanding “what’s an incel” is crucial in today’s world. The incel ideology is a dangerous form of extremism rooted in misogyny and a distorted worldview. While the precise links to terrorism and the far-right are still being investigated, the potential for violence and the hateful nature of incel beliefs are undeniable. Further research is vital to fully grasp the complexities of inceldom and to develop effective strategies to counter its spread and mitigate its harmful consequences. To learn more about related topics, explore resources on extremism, misogyny, and online radicalization.
References
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- Berger, J. (2018a). Extremism. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press
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