Incel stands for “involuntary celibate” and refers most often to young men whose sexual and romantic rejection has led them to spend lots of time denigrating women online. Over the last decade, a handful of high profile mass killings has led to a media narrative suggesting that incels are an organized hate group of violent misogynists. They’ve even been classified as a domestic terrorist threat. But Naama Kates, host of the podcast Incel, has been studying and interviewing these men for years and found that the incel phenomenon is not as simple—or as dark—as we’ve been told. She spoke with Meghan about who these young men really are, what cultural and political forces are shaping them, and what factors often go overlooked in favor of easy assumptions about male ideologues. She also talked about the prevalence of mental health struggles and autism as well as changing social norms that can favor girls and demonize or ridicule boys.
Relevant links:
How Many Bones Would You Break To Get Laid? New York Magazine
Misogyny and the co-oping of the Isla Vista Tragedy Los Angeles Times
Guest Bio:
Naama Kates is a writer, producer, and creator of Incel, a popular weekly podcast for Crawlspace Media. The show is a deep dive into the involuntary celibate community, and features dozens of interviews with incels, as well as researchers and practitioners in mental health, law enforcement, and security. The show has been featured in the New York Times, Vulture, NY Magazine, CTV, and News 4. Naama has a background in Computer Science and linguistics.
The Incel Phenomenon Is Not a Movement (Or A Terrorist Group). Naama Kates on What We Get Wrong About Society’s Saddest and Most Reviled Men