DOMESTIC TERRORISMBeyond The ‘Incel Attacker’: Media Reporting on Cases of Misogynist Violence
Incidents of misogynist violence are often tenuously linked to the wider incel community in media reports, most notably in the immediate aftermath of attacks carried out by lone male perpetrators. But it is important clearly to separate cases of misogynist violence from the wider incel community. and offers recommendations to journalists who report on such violence.
Incidents of misogynist violence are often tenuously linked to the wider incel community in media reports, most notably in the immediate aftermath of attacks carried out by lone male perpetrators. Recent cases of misogynist violence, including the murders of four University of Idaho students in their off-campus residence in November of 2022 and a mass stabbing at the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center in Sydney earlier this year, have been described by some news outlets as clear cases of ‘incel-related’ violence.
This article offers three critiques of the speculative narratives linking misogynist violence to incels in the immediate aftermath of an offline attack, closing on tangible suggestions for reporting on cases of misogynist violence.
Misogynist Inceldom versus Involuntary Celibacy
The term incel – short for involuntary celibacy – is a self-ascribed identity for anyone, regardless of gender and sexual orientation, experiencing the temporary life circumstance of unwanted singlehood. The term itself is rooted in inclusivity and queerness, stemming from an online forum first developed by a queer Canadian woman named Alana in 1997 to help support people experiencing inceldom. In recent years, the term has become synonymous with a vocal subset of cisgender, heterosexual men in fringe online spaces who spread male supremacist ideologies and use aggressive, violent speech towards women in their posts. Media reports often use the broader term incel to refer to the misogynist subset of this community, without making the distinction between misogynist incels and the wider identity of involuntary celibacy.
It is important to note that people of all genders and sexual orientations can – and still do – identify as involuntary celibates: they find solace in a term to name their experiences with unwanted singlehood, but distance themselves from the contemporary misogynist branches of the community. Differentiating between misogynist incels – those who weaponize male supremacist beliefs and language – and the broader self-ascribed identity of incel allows for recognition of the nuances within the wider incel community, while centering the misogynist community members specifically within wider discussions of misogynist violence.
