Incels: who are they and how do they think?

The misogyny of the self-styled "involuntary celibates" has led them to justify murders.

There are many ways of seeing the world and numerous associations and social movements with different purposes and ideologies. However, not all of them are positive and pro-social.

There are movements and even subcultures that defend the commission of various crimes or consider part of the population as their enemy. This is what is happening with the incels, a group that has claimed its first fatalities and about which little information existed until recently.

The "incels": origin and evolution of the term.

The term "incel" comes from "involuntary celibacy". comes from "involuntary celibacy" or involuntary celibacy.. Initially it was generated by a woman of the LGTB collective who intended to refer to all those people who due to their physical appearance are not sexually attractive and do not manage to maintain sexual relations, trying to generate a label to group and generate a community that would integrate and allow those people who could not get out of their loneliness to feel less lonely.

However, with the passage of time the term and its definition have been taken and appropriated by a community or subculture born and born community or subculture born and expanded through the networks (being 4chan or Reddit (being 4chan or Reddit some of the main ones).

Thus, nowadays it would be identified as such to that group of men, mostly heterosexualswho are not in a relationship and have not had sexual relations either never or for a long time (they do not necessarily have to be virgins) in spite of pretending to be so. These people consider that they have the right to have sex (confusing the right to have sex with the fact that others should provide it), and blame women for denying them this right.

Characteristics of this misogynist group

Current members of this group generally have a misogynistic attitude that has led some members of this which has led some of its members to consider that they have the right to punish, force or even kill those who deny or usurp this right. A macho and misogynist attitude can be recognized that sees women in general as mere sexual objects or as subordinates who have the duty to provide them with sex.

The incels' collective tends to consider that their lack of relationships stems from an unattractive physical appearance or because of a supposed feminine superficialityThe incels tend not to see their beliefs and attitudes as motivating their rejection. They do not usually understand the possible reasons for rejection or how other subjects are accepted, and consider it an act of discrimination that deserves contempt and punishment. The attitude towards themselves is usually self-deprecating to a greater or lesser degree, highlighting the presence of feelings of displacement and inadequacy that generate great frustration.

Likewise, they are characterized by communicating in Internet forums, spaces where they share their opinions and talk about diverse topics among which stands out the vision of sex as a masculine right that is being denied to them (even forming men's rights movements and even proposing the advocacy of laws), as well as the vision of themselves as someone who has been humiliated and is suffering a conspiracy against them.

Terms and jargon used in their forums

The hatred of this group is not directed exclusively towards women, but it has also been observed that physically attractive and sexually active men are also seen as enemies or rivals.It has also been observed that physically attractive and sexually active men are also viewed as enemies or rivals. In fact, they have even generated nicknames or nicknames to name their objects of hatred.

Chad" would be understood to mean any physically attractive and sexually active male who represents what many of these subjects would like to achieve but cannot, and who are seen as their opposites. Some incels revere them, but in other cases there is usually a deep hatred and envy towards them. In some forums there has even been talk of Chads' genocide..

Another of the nicknames that this subculture gives to other people is the one they give to the female counterpart of the previous case: the "Stacy". In this case it would be the physically attractive and generally young women who tend to be attracted to the "Chads" and reject members of the incel collective. This is a hated object of desire, as they feel that they deny them the love and sex to which they believe they are entitled.

In addition to this, they also use the term "femo they also use the term "femoid," or female humanoid, as an object of desire.. It refers in a clearly pejorative and dehumanizing way to those women who only have sex with the Chads, practically, as if it were their only function.

Finally, another pejorative term they use is "roastie" (from roast beef), which refers to the supposed shape they believe the genitals of promiscuous women take.

Related psychological aspects

Although there is no official profile, in a more psychological reading of the incel ideology, researcher Debbie Ging considers that it is possible to observe in those who are part of this group the presence of a high level of frustration, loneliness and a sense of not belonging, of being ignored and feeling isolated.of being ignored and feeling isolated. A frustration for which they hold their objects of desire and those who maintain relationships with them responsible.

It is also observed the presence of a low level of tolerance and low capacity to manage the rejection of love and/or sexual rejection, not possessing sufficient social and emotional management skills. These are people who tend to focus on the perception of Pain and frustration to end up blaming the other person. and end up blaming the other person for it. The lack of strong emotional ties and personal insecurity also facilitates the ascription to this type of ideology, by giving those who do so a sense of meaning to their lack of relationships.

Murders associated with this group

The expansion of this group has already claimed its first victims. One of the most notorious cases is that of Elliot Rodgerwho in 2014 shot six people to death and wounded thirteen others before committing suicide, having left recordings and documents in which he explained wanting to punish women for having felt rejected and unsatisfied all his life and defending that they deserved to die.

This first known case was idealized by some members of the incel collective, to the point that it would be replicated this same April 23rd of this year by Alek Minassian. The mass shooting in Toronto last month, which resulted in the death of a dozen people, was provoked by the aforementioned young man. After that, he left a message on Facebook expressing the desire to start a revolution and to exterminate the Chads and Stacys.

These two are cases in which the involvement of this collective in murders and massacres has been observed in a direct way, but other less known cases could also be related.

Bibliographical references:

• Donnelly, D.; Burgess, E.; Anderson, S.; Davis, R. & Dillard, J. (2001). Involuntary celibacy: A life course analysis. The Journal of Sex Research, 38 (2), 159-169.
• Rengel, C. (2018). Incels, the misogynists who kill because they can't get laid. The Huffpost.