When news broke of an ‘incel’ (involuntarily celibate) terrorist attack in Plymouth, England on 13 August, media coverage of the perpetrator and explanations for his motive quickly went viral. Academics tracking the shooter’s online activity provided further information of his digital footprint, which indicates an interest in incel subcultures, while the UK Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation linked to a report referencing inceldom as a potential terrorism category. Others rightly pointed out the problematic issue of the shooter being given back his gun license last month, after it had been previously revoked following an allegation of assault. Initially, it was contested whether the attack qualifies as terrorism, but after police reviewed the case, it has been reclassified as incel terrorism. (…) While incel terrorism should be considered a threat, terrorism researchers should not dismiss the well-developed body of scholarship on violent misogyny and male supremacism, which offers useful analytical perspectives on the phenomenon. This Perspective further argues that policymakers and tech companies must identify and classify incels in ways that move beyond traditional counter-terrorism models. (…) Incels attribute their lack of success in developing sexual relationships with women to biological determinism, believing that women solely choose men who are physically attractive and that some men, such as incels, are thus genetically predetermined to never find a mate. Self-described incels are allegedly ‘victims’ of this social dynamic and increasingly blame women’s agency, escalating into violent misogyny where women are frequently targets. This process is referred to as embracing the ‘black pill’ ideology in the incel community. While such attitudes are extreme, they amplify mainstream gender norms. Misogyny and sexism are socially prevalent despite efforts towards achieving gender equality. Women continue to be sexually objectified across all social institutions, from popular culture to politics to the workplace, while gender-based violence continues to disproportionately affect female victims. Academic research on incels highlights that ‘wider society is implicated in the emergence of the incel subculture’. Understanding this connection means recognising the social structures that enable incel ideology. Further, the beliefs and worldview of incels stem from mainstream cultural concepts that have become popularised, such as evolutionary psychology from pseudo-scientific research.
via icct: Why Terrorism Studies Miss the Mark When It Comes To Incels