Firstly, what does misogyny mean?
Put simply, misogyny is the hatred, dislike or prejudice against women or anyone who identifies as female. This can be displayed in a variety of ways including:
- Verbal abuse
- Discrimination
- Gaslighting
- Stereotyping
- Violence
In Adolescence’s case, Jamie’s misogynistic traits lead to the murder of his female school friend. Thankfully, cases like these are rare in the UK but a recent report found that online extremism is currently on the rise within young men related to incel culture.
So what does ‘incel culture’ mean?
Incel is short for ‘involuntary celibate’. It refers to people who struggle or feel unable to form romantic or sexual relationships.
Incel culture refers to a rising online community that share these struggles together. While these communities can sometimes be a safe space to vent frustrations and support one another, they’ve been known to turn violent and create negative attitudes towards women or society in general.
Why do people join incel communities?
Many people feel drawn to these communities because their struggles can bring up feelings of loneliness, rejection or low self-esteem. A community offers a space to connect and feel less lonely or seek some validation in what they’re currently feeling.
Other people may want answers. They might be feeling desperate and confused and look to others with similar experiences to explain why this is happening to them.
The problem with this is that the answers may be fuelled by hate towards the female gender and could further worsen their feelings of loneliness and self-esteem.
Should I be worried about incel culture?
The answer is a bit more complicated than a simple yes or no.
In 1997, the very first incel community appeared, created by a Canadian woman who was struggling to date successfully and wanted to connect with others on a similar journey. While these early communities were friendly and supportive, the term ‘incel’ has more recently been linked to and overwhelmed by misogynistic and hateful ideology.
Online communities for men can provide a space to feel heard and understood by people going through similar experiences. However, it’s important to distinguish between the good, the bad and the worrying:
- The good – When online communities work well, they can make people feel more supported and less alone. They can promote positivity and empowerment which are excellent tools to manage self-confidence, rejection and social anxiety. Communities such as The ManKind Project, The Good Men Project and Men Who Talk nurture a positive, non-judgemental space where men can listen to and support each other with zero tolerance on violent and/or misogynistic ideology.
- The bad – When they don’t work so well, they can easily become hateful, promoting toxic views and blaming women for their lack of romantic success.
- The worrying – In (rare) extreme cases, incel beliefs can become radicalised, leading to dangerous acts of hate and violence towards women and to themselves.
The show mentions the ‘manosphere’ – what is that?
The manosphere is one of the more worrying examples of incel culture. It’s an online community that promotes masculinity and misogyny towards women.
Essentially, it’s a community born from fear of losing the dominant role that men have supposedly played within family, relationships and society.
The views that the manosphere promote have been likened to forms of extremism and have been connected to recent hate crimes against women.
One of the manosphere’s notable promoters, Andrew Tate, is currently being investigated for rape and trafficking in several countries.
What do the emojis mean in Adolescence?
A key scene in the show features a conversation between the detective and his son as he understands how the incel community communicates.
Here’s a rundown of the main emojis featured in the show:
Red pill – this emoji is a symbol used by the manosphere around awakening to the ‘truth’ about women. It’s borrowed from the 1999 film ‘The Matrix’ where taking a red pill means that you are aware of the true reality of the world. Except, in this case, the ‘truth’ is distorted by incel beliefs and hate towards women.
The ‘100’ – this represents the so-called 80/20 rule. A strong belief in incel communities is that 80% of women are attracted to 20% of men. As the character Adam tells his father: ‘Women, you must trick them because you’ll never get them in a normal way. 80 per cent of women are cut off’.
Hearts – the different coloured hearts signify different motives. Red means love. Purple means horny. Yellow means ‘I’m interested, are you interested?’. Pink means ‘I’m interested but not in sex’. And orange means ‘You’re going to be fine’.
As Adam says: ‘It all has a meaning. Everything has a meaning.’
How do I avoid falling into these negative online spaces?
The show doesn’t really have an answer to this, and that’s because it’s so complicated. Social media has grown into such a complex beast that it can be very easy to fall into wrong crowd, especially if you’re feeling low and seeking answers.
However, there are a few ways of being more vigilant within the online world:
- Be aware of what you read online – If a group is making you feel worse about yourself, it’s probably not a good place to be.
- Look for more positive online spaces – There are lots of communities focused on confidence, mental health, and personal growth that can offer real support. The Mix community can offer a safe space for anyone struggling or looking for support from other young people.
- Talk to someone – If you’re struggling with loneliness or rejection, reach out to a trusted friend, mentor, or text SHOUT on 85258.
Feeling lonely or struggling with relationships is completely normal – and we’ll all go through this at some point in our lives. The good news is that there are healthy ways to navigate it.
Further Reading
This article was drawn from the following sources:
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