• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
Thursday, May 26, 2022
The Millennial Source
TMS
Home WORLD

Incel terrorist attacks appear to be a growing threat

byJoseph Lyttleton
May 28, 2020
in WORLD
Incel terrorist attacks appear to be a growing threat

Source: The Guardian

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin



On Wednesday, May 20, a man named Armando Hernandez Jr. entered the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale, Arizona and fired on the crowd, injuring three. 

It is an unfortunate reality in the United States that such mass shootings are common enough that the attack only briefly garnered media attention.

Yet, as more information has come out about the shooter, it’s become clear that Hernandez’s connection to a misogynistic group known as “incels” links him to a series of other attacks by unstable men. 

Last week, Canadian authorities took the unprecedented action of charging a 17-year-old boy with terrorism based on the incel philosophy that led to a February attack in Toronto. While that represents the first official incel terrorism charge, it is not the first attack to have been directly inspired by the philosophy.

Who are incels?

The term “incel” is a shortening of “involuntary celibate.” The effects of involuntary celibacy – not being able to have sex as a result of perceived external forces instead of one’s personal choices – has been an area of psychological study for decades.

A 2001 study of involuntary celibates linked it to depression, stating, “Participants reported suffering from depression, and many celibates were dissatisfied, frustrated or angry about not having sexual relationships.” 

In the last few years, the focus has increasingly turned to the violence associated with the philosophy.

The reason for this focus is the growing number of incel communities online where men discuss their frustrations with not being able to find sexual partners, often in violent terms. These forums, many of which began on anonymous posting sites like 4Chan and Reddit, also include violent fantasies of raping and humiliating women.

Within the incel philosophy, men and women are grouped into specific categories, which are then labeled with stereotypical names, “Becky” and “Stacy” for women, “Chad” for men. 

Beckys are “average” women who incels believe should be grateful to be pursued by them. Stacys are considered unattainable for their beauty and “hyperfeminine” sexual traits.

Chads are the ultra-masculine “alpha males” who end up marrying (or at least bedding) Staceys. They are also the focus of the Beckys’ attraction, undeservedly so in the view of incels. 

Incels see themselves as being left out of this sexual pecking order altogether.

One common view, propagated on “TheRedPill” subreddit, is that 20% of men are having sex with 80% of women, leaving the remaining 80% of the male population to fight it out for the remaining 20% of females.

The use of “the red pill” analogy – taken from the 1999 film, “The Matrix” – is also common among Men’s Rights Activists and QAnon adherents. The analogy is meant to suggest that members of these respective in-groups have been awakened to the reality of the world and now understand a greater truth about the world that regular people do not.

The Westgate attack

Prosecutors have said that when Hernandez entered the Westgate shopping center on May 20, he was looking to specifically target couples. The 20-year-old male shot and injured three people – a 19-year-old man, a 30-year-old woman, and a 16-year-old girl – but did not kill anyone. It isn’t yet clear if any of the three victims were part of a couple present that day at Westgate.

According to Edward Leiter, a prosecutor with Maricopa County who spoke at Hernandez’s first court hearing, the purpose behind Hernandez’s attack was “taking out his expressed anger at society, the feeling that he has been bullied, the feeling that women didn’t want him.”

Hernandez must pay a US$1 million bail to be released from jail. He awaits trial for over a dozen charges, including three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and three counts of aggravated assault with serious physical injury.

Canada’s first incel terrorist

Incel terrorist attacks appear to be a growing threat
Source: BBC

The timing of the Westgate attack is notable because only a day later, Canadian authorities officially charged a 17-year-old boy with terrorism for a February attack on a Toronto erotic massage parlor. The terrorism charge was added last week because the boy had allegedly been inspired by the incel philosophy and online culture.

The boy, who has not been named due to his age, used a machete to attack the Crown Spa massage parlor, killing one woman, 24-year-old Ashley Noell Arzaga. The owner of the parlor was injured in the attack after she attempted to grab the weapon from the attacker.

The attacker appears to have been motivated by his hatred of women. Though the parlor attack is the first in history to be officially charged as an incel-inspired terrorist attack, Canada has experienced another similar attack.

In 2018, Alek Minassian drove a van into pedestrians in Toronto, killing 10 people and injuring 16 others. Minassian later claimed he attacked the crowd because he was “radicalized” by incels online. Minassian’s trial has been postponed multiple times, most recently because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elliot Rodger: hero of incels

Minassian is among the many incels who have expressed admiration for Elliot Rodger, the first known mass shooter whose motivations were directly tied to the incel community. 

In a Facebook post prior to the van attack, Minassian said, “The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys! All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!”

On May 23, 2014, Rodger used an assortment of guns and knives in Isla Vista, California to kill six people and injure 13 others. Prior to the attack, Rodger had recorded a video and written a manifesto that, among other things, discussed his hatred for women and his failure to find a girlfriend.

Rodger’s victims were both men and women. According to the video he recorded prior to the attack, he intended to enter “the hottest sorority house” at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He did not succeed in that effort. After taking fire from police officers responding to the attack, Rodger was found dead in his car as the result of a self-inflicted gunshot.

An entry in Rodger’s personal journal said of sex, “I would always covet it, I would always fantasize about it. But I would never get it.” Other entries expressed frustration with girls who preferred “the wrong kind of guy” to him.

Have a tip or story? Get in touch with our reporters at [email protected]

Sign up for daily news briefs from The Millennial Source here!

Related

Tags: Longer readNorth AmericaPolitics
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

Biden North Korea

US President Joe Biden says he’s prepared for possible North Korea nuclear test during Asia tour

May 23, 2022
Australia prime minister

Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese claims victory as Australia’s 31st prime minister, ending nearly a decade of conservative rule

May 23, 2022
SEC Wall Street

The US SEC investigates Wall Street over use of unapproved messaging apps

May 19, 2022

There is a “very, very high risk” of a US recession, says Goldman Sachs Chairman Lloyd Blankfein

May 17, 2022

US, China, Russia congratulate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Philippine election win

May 13, 2022

Securing 1,416 votes, former security chief John Lee is now Hong Kong’s new leader

May 9, 2022

What you need to know about the Philippine presidential election right now

May 9, 2022

US hikes rates by half-percentage point, rules out bigger future rate increases

May 5, 2022

What is the US Supreme Court abortion law leak, and why does it matter?

May 4, 2022

SUBSCRIBE TO THE TMS NEWSLETTER

By providing your email, you agree to our Privacy Policy

The Millennial Source Ltd. 2021

No Result
View All Result
  • Your daily briefing
  • About us
  • Explore
    • Startups
    • Climate change
    • Tech giants
    • Crypto
    • The future of work
    • Banking giants
    • Economy
  • Lifestyle
  • TMS archives
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy & Terms

© 2022 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

 

Loading Comments...
 

    string(24) "jsonld single post debug"
    The Millennial Source
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.