Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Applied Research in Education
Year: 2024
DOI:
[PDF]
Incel Inside: Understanding the Ideology and Experiences of Involuntary Celibates
Hrishikesh Inguva
ABSTRACT:
Involuntary celibates, who are predominantly young boys and men, possess a mindset that is deeply seated in hate, disillusionment and rage for not being able to involve themselves romantically with whoever they feel they are attracted to. The premise is that involuntary celibates have a lower level of self-esteem and confidence to build and nurture respectful relationships, whatever their sexual orientation might be. The main problem that I’ve identified in this study is, young boys and men have some misunderstandings and disillusions about how intimate relationships work in the real world. I say so because incels need to clearly understand that virtual reality is not actual reality after all. Moreover, internet can very well serve as a medium to find a prospective partner, however as things progress in an intimate relationship, the dynamics evolve and change constantly. The partners need not be prepared for what is to come in future, but nonetheless, should have an idea or some sort of understanding about healthy intimate relationships overall. Due to the advancement in internet and online culture, I recommend we teach school age children from middle school to high school years about intimate partner relationships and respectful dating, so that boys could be saved from getting radicalized on online forums and girls could be saved from facing gender based violence, sparing from online to real life situations. I strongly believe, any form of respect established and cultivated between middle school and high school years has more chance of lasting a lifetime.
keywords: Incel, Misogyny, Femmephobia, Gender based Violence, Nihilism