Incel Culture 101

Hi there!  Have you -- yes, you, dear reader -- ever heard of an incel?  I'm sure you have.  A person who is "involuntarily celibate," better known as an incel, is an individual who, as the name suggests, simply gets no play.  Although there are varying claims on the origin of the label, the definition and its implications remain quite unanimous wherever you look.

The incel mentality is a relatively straightforward one, and the simplicity in its string of thought only makes it even more terrifying.  This deeply misogynistic subculture is made up of men who blame women for their sexual failings, believing that their unattractive looks have doomed them to a life devoid of love and intimacy.  Rather than take the time to self-reflect on the real cause of their inability to attract potential mates, incels tend to live a life of isolation which only fuels the frustration they feel towards the men who are more successful than them, and even more so towards the women that they are with.  This frustration often manifests itself in the form of misogyny and sexism (mainly on social media platforms), but in many cases has even led to real-world aggression and violence.  Some have even attributed the term "incel" to Elliot Rodger, the 22-year-old gunman who murdered 6 university students as an act of "revenge" for his inability to lose his virginity.  However, I don't believe that this mindset is an intrinsically violent one, only that it may lead to assault if several factors align.  I choose to instead view inceldom as a spectrum, visualizing a chart where the y-axis represents an individual's inability to maintain a relationship, and the x-axis represents the blame they put on women.  If this were the case, our protagonist would fall somewhere around here:

Our protagonist is not necessarily a violent man, but rather, a deeply insecure one.  He chooses to project these insecurities onto women, blaming them for his ineptitude when it comes to romantic relationships.  His friend group is made up of like-minded individuals whose toxicity feeds off of each other, ultimately brewing a storm so powerful that it completely spirals out of control.  Our short film is definitely characterized as a character study, and Virginia and I's fascination with incel culture has led us to create the outline for a story centering on chaos, introspection, and shock value all taking place in the digital realm.  However, I don't wanna reveal too much about the plot just yet.  Until next time, my loyal followers.