Feature Writing Submissions
Recent news reports are highlighting some disturbing new developments within the Incel community. Incel, or ‘involuntarily celibate’, is a forum-based online subculture involving mostly lonely men and youths that promote and enforce a hatred of women, and forums are now allowing posts on paedophilia, with some posts actively promoting the sexualisation of children. In fact, a recent study shows that more than half of the members of a selected forum support child rape.
Imran Ahmed, CEO and founder of CCDH (Centre for Countering Digital hate), who conducted this study, says, ‘Our study shows that it (Incel) is organised, has a cogent ideology, and has clearly concluded that raping women, killing women, and raping children is a clear part of the practice of their ideology.’
Easily missed, the studied forum changed its rules this year following a trend to normalise the sexual abuse of children. The original rule stated that users should not ‘sexualise minors in any way, shape or form.’ This has now become that users should not ‘sexualise prepubescent minors in any way, shape or form.’ An imperceptible change, some might say, but this has led to a deluge of paedophilic posts on the forum.
There is seemingly nothing off limits to the Incel community, and posts regularly feature sexist, homophobic and racist language and threats of violence, primarily targeting women. Posts mentioning rape are posted on average every 29 minutes, and posts concerning mass murder increased by an incredible 59% over the eighteen-month study period. Radicalisation has also increased, with members encouraging each other to perform ever more extreme acts of violence with increased assaults on the LGBTQ, Jewish communities and women linked to Incel. This is partly due to Incel-influenced attacks making headlines, such as the Isla Vista shooting in 2014, the van attack in Toronto in 2018 and the machete attack at a Canadian massage parlour in 2020. Although most Incel attacks are limited to North America, violence has spread to Europe, most notably to Plymouth, England, where five people were killed by Jake Davison, a mentally disturbed 22-year-old, with links to Incel.
The Incel ideology is one of hatred and violence, mostly against women but also against sexually proliferate men and groups they consider sexually deviant or corrupt. Members regularly post comments discussing loneliness, suicide and mass murder. They also discuss things that can make men more sexually attractive other than looks, such as income and personality. Male superiority over women dominates posts, with many users believing that men have a God-given right to sex, and it is the rise of Feminism that has denied them that right. Incels will often refer to themselves as physically inferior to the broader populace and often consider themselves to be ‘subhuman’ and physically unattractive. They actively support the universal harassment of females and are against the advancement of all female causes and all forms of immigration.
Incel was founded in the 1990s by ‘Alana’ a Canadian university student innocently seeking to bring together lonely people of either sex who struggle to find partners and those who have never had sex. In 2003, love-shy.com appeared, which, unlike Incel, was largely unregulated and infiltrated by various right-wing, white supremacist groups and more extreme views began to appear, which were soon beginning to show on Incel forums as well. ‘Incels’ as they began to refer to themselves, began to move away from established platforms choosing to set up closed groups, often on the Dark Web, but can still occasionally be found on platforms such as Google and YouTube. By 2017 the largest known group consisted of over 7000 members, almost exclusively male, and in recent years the Incel ideology has been described as a terrorist threat by the US government.
In 2021, the New York Times published an article which suggested an interactive website has been set up by Incel members promoting suicide and estimated that hundreds may have died as a result. A study compiled by Incels.co, suggest that 82% of Incels have contemplated suicide, with more than 74% suffering from depression, anxiety and emotional stress. This is likely compounded by feelings of inadequacy and shame. Criminal proceedings are currently taking place against the operators of this site. Violent deaths such as hanging and gunshot were favoured over the perceived more ‘feminine’ method of overdose.
This is the true story of the Night Witches, the all-female bomber regiment, who were the most decorated regiment in the entire Soviet air force during World War Two, with twenty-three of its members awarded the coveted title, Heroine of the Soviet Union. Such was their enemy’s fear that any German soldier that shot one down was immediately awarded the Iron Cross.
They would fly only at night to avoid German fighters and, turning off their engine, would glide silently toward their target, with the swoosh as they passed overhead, likened by the Germans, to the sound of a witches broom, hence their nickname. It was a name given to them with a certain amount of respect, and they accepted it willingly and with a great deal of pride.
Originally the brainchild of the famed Soviet flyer, Marina Rashkova, and officially entitled The 588th Night Bomber Regiment, The Night Witches were the only regiment in the entire Soviet Union to remain entirely female and were composed solely of volunteers, mostly university students, all eager to play their part in the great patriotic war.
They were issued with obsolete Polikarpov PO2 biplanes used pre-war for crop dusting activities. They were incredibly slow and could only carry a light bomb load due to their cheesecloth and plywood construction. The more advanced aircraft were reserved for their male counterparts.
The PO2 had an open cockpit which exposed the women to the full ferocity of the Russian winter. It had no defensive armament, carried no parachutes, and had no in-built navigational aids. The Po2 had extreme limitations, but the women used those limitations to their advantage. The maximum speed of the PO2 was slower than the stall speed of the pursuing German fighters, causing them to overshoot in the dark. No radios meant that they couldn’t be listened to, and their wooden construction made them invisible to German radar, which only added to their mystique, and apparent supernatural abilities.
They would fly in groups of three, taking turns to bomb their target before returning to re-arm and refuel, before flying again. On average, each plane would fly 8-12 sorties a night, and by the end of the war, many two-woman crews had flown over 800 combat missions.
Because of the regiments incredible performance and commitment, they were awarded prestigious Guards status in 1943.
Only 40 planes strong at its height, there is no question that the Night Witches contributed hugely to the Soviet war effort, so it’s somewhat ironic that their part in the Moscow victory parade was denied them as their planes were considered too slow to take part.
Incel: A Clear and Present Danger
Red Sisters, Dark Skies
