By Katerina Valouxi,
The rise of the so called influencers of the “manosphere” begun when I was in high school and it often was the topic of many conversations. One could hear the students whispering in the halls about it; “Have you heard about Andrew Tate? Have you listened to what he says?”. We all thought it was atrocious. The girls condemned him, the boys were silent, almost ashamed that he was of their own sex. We thought, “there is no way that the men we know will actually believe these things.” And yet, I started seeing guys whom I knew since primary school, follow this person on social media. Only when Tate got banned from all social media platforms and was accused of sex trafficking, it occurred to them to stop following him. However, I saw, and I still see, men I know and have met but also a thousand more that stay anonymous on social media, liking posts of similar creators who support a way of living that is deeply misogynistic and aggressive at its core.
This is the topic that the Netflix show “Adolescence” revolves around, only it deals with a younger generation, as its protagonist is just 13 years old. “Adolescence” follows Jamie, a young boy who kills his female classmate, Katie, and the show has caused an uproar all over the world, making it the most streamed series in a platform since the day it was released. It has come across as a cultural shock because it clearly showcases what often stays unsaid; Misogyny will always feed off of social media. The real question that “Adolescence” poses is not who did it, something that is clear from the start, but why he did it. What could possibly drive a 13 year old boy to murder his female classmate?
In the show’s second episode, Detective Luke Bascombe has gone to Jamie’s school in order to further investigate the case. Based on their Instagram interactions, the police suspects that Jamie and Katie had a friendly relationship, until Bascombe’s son makes him realize that they have got it all wrong. That moment is the first indication of the parents’ inability to genuinely understand young people and the real effects that social media may have on them. The seemingly innocent emojis that Katie commented on Jamie’s Instagram posts were actually making fun of him, referring to the incel community, the red pill and the manosphere. But what is the idea behind all of these terms in male dominated online communities?
The term “incel” basically means “involuntarily celibate” and refers to a male person who is frustrated by their lack of sexual experiences. These heterosexual men blame women and society for the problems they face which are defined by their misogynistic views and behaviors. The term was actually first introduced by a woman in the 1990s, Alana, through a personal website called “Alana’s Involuntary Celibacy Project.” “Incel” was used between her and her followers in order to discuss shyness and being socially awkward. However, the term started spreading and took on completely different meanings.
Online incel communities are based on ideas like appearance-based hierarchy, a dislike of feminism, the notion that women use their sexual privilege in order to advance socially, as well as the theory that 80% of women are attracted to 20% of men. One of the most important symbols for incels is the idea of the “red pill” and the “blue pill”, coming from the movie “Matrix”. Keanu Reeve’s character in the film has the choice of either taking the blue pill, which will keep him in a state of ignorance, or the red pill, which will enlighten him and open his eyes to an uncomfortable, but true world. Thus, the red pill represents the fact that love and sex are commodities in a society that women control, and the men that have accepted this notion have opened up their eyes to a new reality.
Incel communities are part of a large group of ideologies that fall under the term of the “manosphere”. This term does not only refer to incels, but also to “alpha male” influencers and so called men’s rights activists. These groups have certain things in common, like their tendency for acquiring wealth, mutual male respect, as well as the misogynistic views that put women in the subservient position of a sexual object. What they offer to young boys nowadays is very simple; a feeling of belonging, safety and reassurance. In the show, Jamie and his friends are outcasts. They are not famous in school or popular with girls and Jamie himself admits to having low self-esteem, feeling ugly and useless.
Mental health issues like depression and anxiety regarding self-image, caused by the need for boys to constantly appear strong and domineering, encourage them to find solace in online communities like those that offer advice on male self-improvement. These ideas include going to the gym and working out excessively, learning how to manipulate and use women. It does not matter that Andrew Tate, the biggest influencer of this kind was banned from social media, because his ideas affected many other influencers and young boys who later saw him as a model of masculinity and went on to continue his “teachings”.
Over the past years, the influence of online male personalities like these has been so striking that there have been incidents of mass violence by men whose beliefs in male supremacy were publicly known. Elliot Rodger who went on a stabbing and shooting rampage in California, a man who killed 10 that spoke of an “incel rebellion”, and the list goes on. Nowadays, a decline in social skills and an increase in male aggression has been observed, beginning from middle school, and harassment towards female students in the UK and Australia has started becoming a huge problem.
“Adolescence” not only showcases how much these sexist ideologies affect young boys and girls, but also how deeply ingrained hatred towards women and misogynistic views are in working environments as well as the school system. From the psychologist and the female detective being belittled or ignored due to their sex and Jamie only acknowledging his mother’s contribution in the family because of the great food she makes, to the young adult in the store who reassures Jamie’s father that everyone is siding with him, despite the crime he committed. How can a patriarchal society that divides people based on gender and social class protect the youth and prevent harming ideologies of this kind to prevail, when its discriminatory roots are still alive and well? When will men take responsibility and start discussing these issues with other men, in order to prevent more harm from being done as well as for things to start changing?
References
- What Does the Term “Incel” Mean? CNN. Available here
- Teenage Boys Are in Crisis. The Creators of Netflix’s “Adolescence” Want Adults to Pay Attention. CNN. Available here
- Misogynistic Influencers Are Trending Right Now. Defusing Their Message Is a Complex Task. CNN. Available here
