Most subcultures have their own language and slang. The common use of words, phrases and terms etc. help define and unite members as well as allow them to quickly and easily communicate relatively complex ideas and concepts in a word or a few words; slang becoming a “shorthand” for the ideas that define the group. The language that subcultures use can also permeate and get picked up by those in mainstream society e.g., The Beatnik and Counter Culture movements of the 1950’s and 1960’s gave us words such as “Bummer” and “Groovy”, and hip-hop culture which originated in the Bronx in the 1970s and developed its own slang, gave us words such as “Lit” and “Bling” which have become mainstream. However, one subculture whose language has started to become “mainstream” especially with Gen Z, is that of the Incels (Involuntary Celibates). For those who are unaware, Incels are misogynistic men who believe that the world is structured in a social-sexual hierarchy, that sees them at the bottom, unable to find a romantic/sexual partner. They believe the world is made up of Stacey’s (shallow women) who are only concerned with “capturing” an alpha/good-looking male (a Chad), and as a consequence don’t give them a second look etc. A lot of this slang has been picked up, and is being used by Gen-Z, with some members of this generation being aware of both its origin – and with younger teenagers and kids – the full meaning of the words, terms and phrases being used. In this article I want to look at how this happened and what it could mean for future violent offending, especially against women.

               Incel culture largely started on 4chan which is an anonymous imageboard website  that was created in 2003. The site allows users to post images and comments without registering, allowing for a greater degree of anonymity, something that certain subcultures prefer as it allows users to use violent and extreme hate-speech with very little fear of being identified. Whilst the original concept behind this was to encourage free speech without judgment, the site has gained notoriety for hosting controversial and extremist content, including incel rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and other types of hate speech. Many incel-related terms and ideologies originated or spread on 4chan, particularly from boards like (Robot 9000), a board known for its "forever alone" themes, and self-deprecating humor that contains incel ideology.

One of the problems with “extreme” ideological groups – and especially when there is anonymity – is that members often try to one-up each other with their level of extremism and commitment to the ideology, and when individuals can do so anonymously, they don’t have to worry about being judged. There is a phenomenon known as “Risky Shift” which suggests that a group is likely to behave in more extreme ways than individuals, because group members believe that other members are likely to be more extreme than them, causing them to engage in more extreme actions, behaviors and rhetoric etc. It is important to note that 4chan is/was an imageboard that saw the proliferation of memes – including those created by Incels promoting misogynistic messages and ideas. These memes – that were on Incel themes such as “Chads vs. Virgins” - started to be exported to other platforms such as TikTok, Twitter, and Reddit  where Gen Z, known for its heavy use and engagement in meme culture, unknowingly absorbed incel slang, taking it into their mainstream. Whilst not every Gen Z user who engages with 4chan-derived incel slang becomes radicalized, exposure to these ideas can desensitize young people to misogyny and the use of such slang ironically or humorously, can lead to further normalization of this.        

               When I was a teenager – back in the 1980’s (I’m Gen X) – it was pretty common for people to be involved in “romantic” and sexual relationships. This has changed considerably with Gen Z i.e., a 2023 poll from the Survey Center on American life found that 56 percent of Gen Z adults had been in a relationship during their teens compared with 76 percent of my generation. In one sense there is no problem with this, but if those who might be susceptible to Incel messaging are noting that many teenage and young women don’t have partners, they may come to believe that they belong to a much larger group i.e., women (Stacey’s) really are only attracted to a handful of Alpha men (Chads), and there are far more Incel men than they first thought. If this coupled with normalized Incel vocabulary, the idea that the world really is structured around a sexual-social hierarchy may start to become more real and believable to them – this can be the danger of a subculture’s language and slang becoming mainstream and normalized.

               Ironically, the term Incel was coined by a Canadian Woman, known as Alana, who started an online support group, in the 1990’s, called the "Involuntary Celibate Project" as a safe space for people of all genders who struggled with dating and relationships. Her goal was to create a supportive community where people could share their experiences of loneliness. However, over time the term was taken and used by angry men, who blamed women and society for their lack of romantic success. A permanent exclusion narrative started to develop amongst self-identified incels that they would always be excluded from finding/having a romantic partner. When people develop such narratives, they often become fatalistic, and think about engaging in violence both to punish society and escape their own misery, such as engaging in mass shootings e.g., Elliot Rodger (2014), Alex Minassian (2018), and Jake Davison (2021) etc. As incel misogynistic language – and the ideas behind it – has become normalized with this generation, there is a danger that such acts of violence will only increase.