I can’t help but think that a lot of resentment from guys who aren’t getting laid comes from society’s notion that if you can’t or don’t get sex, it means you’re a lesser human being and that makes it okay for others to hurt you. In that position, I could easily see a man resenting women as the gatekeepers of his full humanity, and that by not having sex with him, they’re depriving him of it. It’s very similar to some angry thoughts I had when I was younger, and in a worse timeline it’s entirely possible I could’ve fully plunged into that same cesspit.

That isn’t to justify any of the awful shit that incels say and do, of course - many reactionaries lay blame in the wrong place for very real problems they face - but I feel there has to be a connection there.

  • AmericaDeserved711 [any]@hexbear.net
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    1 month ago

    One of the things that incels are (rightly) criticized for is their attitude that they deserve sex, the sense of entitlement. But let’s face it, that attitude is not remotely unique to incels, in fact it’s kind of become the norm in Western society. Plenty of sex-havers feel entitled to sex too but it’s seen as less of a problem because well, they have sex. Mainstream culture teaches us from an alarmingly young age to stake our self-worth on our ability to get laid, to an incredibly unhealthy degree.

    I think about movies like American Pie and Superbad which reinforce this idea that if you don’t lose your virginity before reaching adulthood then you must be some kind of loser. There’s something deeply unsettling to me about media, created by adults, shaming children for not having sex.


    On this topic, I don’t really like how “incel” has become synonymous with “misogynist” - yes, incels are misogynists but I’m sorry to say, plenty of misogynists get laid. The majority of violence against women comes from men who are in relationships. I want to reiterate that this is in no way a defense of incels, many of whom at least fantasize about hurting women, or have done so. But I think it’s a mistake to blame some fringe group of internet losers for a problem that is so much larger than them. Incels have become this convenient scapegoat for misogyny and patriarchy at large.

    Whenever a guy says or does something misogynist it has become a generic insult to call him an “incel”, regardless of whether he actually is or not. It’s an immature retort which basically amounts to “yeah, well I bet you don’t get pussy, loser”.

    • BeamBrain [he/him]@hexbear.netOP
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      1 month ago

      On this topic, I don’t really like how “incel” has become synonymous with “misogynist” - yes, incels are misogynists but I’m sorry to say, plenty of misogynists get laid.

      It also frames sex as being the rightful reward for meeting the bare minimum standards of being a decent human being, a view shared by… incels.

      • keepcarrot [she/her]@hexbear.net
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        1 month ago

        Which on the face of it is also untrue; plenty of abusive assholes are in intimate relationships. Incels don’t meet any other standard either though

    • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      1 month ago

      I think about movies like American Pie and Superbad which reinforce this idea that if you don’t lose your virginity before reaching adulthood then you must be some kind of loser. There’s something deeply unsettling to me about media, created by adults, shaming children for not having sex.

      I hated those movies so much from the start, and I include “the 40 Year Old Virgin” to that list. My chud family members adored all three, of course.

      I despise the “blackpilled” 4chan style self-described incels, of course, but I do think it’s a mistake to assign the label by association to all lonely or romantically frustrated people.

      • AmericaDeserved711 [any]@hexbear.net
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        1 month ago

        I do think it’s a mistake to assign the label by association to all lonely or romantically frustrated people

        agree, I only say “incel” to mean specifically the assholes who post on incel forums and who hate women. but to some people it simply means “virgin” and to others it means “misogynist”. the term is so over-saturated in culture now that it’s hard to have an honest conversation about it

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    There’s a weird contradiction with virginity of both being fetishized and mocked. Good, pious individuals stay chaste and wait until marriage, but also you’re a loser if you hit your twenties and still haven’t gotten laid. There’s an impossible standard to meet so yeah, I can see why it’s an attractive notion to blame some Other, that the double standard would be obtainable if not for them.

    • ashinadash [she/her]@hexbear.net
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      Good, pious individuals stay chaste and wait until marriage,

      For women

      you’re a loser if you hit your twenties and still haven’t gotten laid

      For men

      System functioning as intended.

      • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        1 month ago

        Men are supposed to get laid as much as possible while at the same time feeemales are shamed for “high body count.” YET ALSO if a feeemale turns down a man wanting to increase his high score, she is frigid and worse. morshupls

      • PKMKII [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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        1 month ago

        Yeah that’s where the impossible standard comes in. Outwardly it’s a gender neutral policy but in practice it’s only for women, so young men get left with cognitive dissonance on it.

    • keepcarrot [she/her]@hexbear.net
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      The value of virginity probably changes depending on the gender, but even in spaces where men are explicitly told its cool and good to “wait for marriage” it’s still important to be seen as being able to get some (and judging by the frequency of youth pregnancies at those sorts of churches…) even if you outwardly are not having sex

    • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      From what I’ve seen, right-wing “MRAs” don’t want the material conditions of men to get better; they want the material conditions of women to get worse.

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          Nothing scares a reactionary more than the “lessers” getting the same treatment that they do, or the possibility of being treated the way they already treat “lessers.” porky-scared

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    Some of the shame may well be internal, too. If you ever dared to peek into 4ch!n “incel” communities, they hate each other there, and themselves, to a violent degree. They pick themselves apart until wrist diameter deficits and the like send them spiraling deeper into “blackpill” brainworms

    • ashinadash [she/her]@hexbear.net
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      1 month ago

      agony-deep fucking grim

      brainrot shit

      Also cannot help but see the parallels with that shit and 4chan trans communities where they measure obscure bones to diagnose their gender or w/e and spiral

      • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        1 month ago

        Contrapoints may be a total bourgeoisie LIB show especially now, but Natalie’s video about “hon” culture was strikingly on-point regarding how toxic and ruinous those communities were to their own members.

        Also, Tabby did nothing wrong. knifecat

          • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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            Tabby was Natalie Wynn’s “leftist that goes too far” character. Tabby was usually paraded out to show how absurd/embarrassing it was to care too much about a leftist cause to the point of direct action or even adventurism. Tabby had catgirl features, punk regalia, and often a baseball bat or other improvised weapon and had a habit of hissing and making clawing motions.

            In other words, Tabby was awesome. izutsumi-idea

            • ashinadash [she/her]@hexbear.net
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              blob-no-thoughts So fuckin glad I have no idea what this shit is, sounds like chuds making leftists just look too based again. Tabby did nothing wrong.

  • destroyamerica@lemmygrad.ml
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    it’s kinda strange because I’ve never been shamed for it by anyone irl but I used to see it all the time online (although nowadays I feel like I see people use “incel” instead of “virigin” these days)