In 2014, Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured 14 others in a shooting spree in Isla vista. He left behind a manifesto and YouTube videos expressing deep resentment toward women and sexually active men, whom he blamed for his loneliness and lack of romantic success (BBC News 2018a). Four years later, in 2018, Alek Minassian, carried out a van attack in Toronto that killed 10 people and injured 16. Shortly before the attack, Minassian posted a message on Facebook praising Elliot Rodger and referred to the beginning of the \u2018Incel Rebellion\u2019 (BBC News 2018b). These acts were not isolated. They were symptoms of a growing, radicalised subculture: Blackpill. At its core lies a belief system that convinces men their incel status is permanent and unchangeable (Rouda and Siegel 2020; Lindsay 2022). The term \u2018Incel\u2019 is \u201ca portmanteau of the term involuntary celibates,\u201d referring to men who lack sexual and romantic intimacy (O\u2019Malley, Holt and Holt 2020, p.4983). Blackpill builds on this hopelessness, promoting a nihilistic belief that the world is permanently stacked against low-status men, especially those considered genetically inferior (Lindsay 2022; O\u2019Hanlon et al 2024). Central to this worldview is the belief that women are biologically programmed to choose only the most attractive men, acting as gatekeepers of sex, and wielding the power to choose or reject partners (O\u2019Malley, Holt, and Holt 2020; Lindsay 2022). These ideas not only fuel resentment toward women but also serve to justify the violence perpetuated against them. Loneliness is transformed into rage; rejection into retaliation. How many more women must be victims at the hands of these men before we can consider the ideology as a serious threat?<\/p>\n
To clearly understand the Blackpill space, we must first examine the concept of hegemonic masculinity. Masculinity is not fixed; it is socially shaped and changeable. Yet despite its fluidity, many men find themselves competing for dominance suggesting the existence of a hegemonic ideal; a socially accepted form of masculinity that marginalises all others (Connell and Messerschmidt 2005). The \u2018ideal\u2019 masculinity does not need to be the most common but is the most socially valued, where \u201call other men\u2026position themselves in relation to it\u201d (Connell and Messerschmidt 2005, p.832). A key feature of hegemonic masculinity is its reliance on female validation. Women are often reduced to sexual objects whose attention affirms a man\u2019s status. This prompts men to compete for romantic and sexual success (Donaldson 1993). Blackpill ideology builds on this framework by creating a collective identity rooted in rejection and low self-worth. Within the community, discourse centres around a shallow sexual marketplace where only \u2018Chads\u2019 and \u2018Stacys,\u2019 (those who embody idealised masculinity and femininity) are seen as successful (Lindsay 2022). Incels believe that \u2018Stacys\u2019 strategically pursue \u201calpha males\u201d for pleasure and later settle with \u201cbeta providers\u201d for stability, reinforcing their sense of exclusion and unfairness (O\u2019Malley, Holt, and Holt 2020; Lindsay 2022). Incels see themselves as the opposite of \u2018Chads\u2019 and believe they will never receive the attention or approval society expects men to earn through romantic and sexual success (Lindsay 2022). For them, being rejected is not just a personal issue but a symbol of a system that they believe is stacked against them. It is a stamp that reminds them of their perceived failure to embody \u2018masculinity.\u2019<\/p>\n
The black pill ideology fosters a sense of hopelessness and resentment, often leading to radicalisation. Incels frequently blame feminism for empowering women to choose their partners freely, believing this has lowered men\u2019s status in the dating world (Lindsay 2022). Within these spaces, as Ging (2017, p.649) notes, women are described as \u201cirrational, hypergamous, hardwired to pair with alpha males, and need to be dominated\u201d. These characterisations reinforce the belief that women are biologically programmed to reject incels, intensifying feelings of deep resentment and hatred. \u2018Blackpillers\u2019 reject typical coping strategies and instead blame women for their suffering, which encourages retributive violence, and normalises extreme misogyny (Rouda and Siegel 2020; O\u2019Hanlon et al 2024). For many incels, this manifests as online hate speech, but for a more extreme minority, it escalates into real-world attacks (Lindsay 2022). Within Blackpill ideology, incels often refer to two paths; \u201cLDAR (Lie Down and Rot)\u201d which is to surrender to despair and \u201cGo ER (Emulate Elliot Rodger)\u201d which is to channel rage into violence (Rouda and Siegel 2020, pp. 5-6). This extremist thinking is rooted in the belief that society is deliberately structured to oppress them, fuelling frustration, victimhood, and in extreme cases, justifies calls for a \u201cbeta uprising,\u201d a form of political action rooted in resentment (Lindsay 2022). This radicalises young men into targeting women with violence. Women are seen not just as the source of incel suffering, but as the cause, and therefore deserving of punishment. This belief manifest in calls for passive violence, such as refusing to help women in danger as a form of revenge (Rouda and Siegel 2020; O\u2019Malley, Holt, and Holt 2020). Thus, through moral disengagement, they have redefined violence both physical and sexual, whether, active or passive as justified retaliation, not immoral behaviour (Rouda and Siegel 2020; O\u2019Malley, Holt, and Holt 2020). Highlighting the serious consequences of overlooking the growing radicalisation in Blackpill spaces, where women are stripped of individuality and reduced to animalistic sexual beings. It normalises misogynistic ideas and intensifies the desire for violence against women.<\/p>\n
The radicalisation is not just digital, it is shaped by offline experiences like rejection, loneliness, and systemic inequality. Most incels are not inherently hateful, they are isolated, misled young people who need connection and guidance (Rouda and Siegel 2020; Lindsay 2022). To counter the radicalisation of young men, we must promote broader, more inclusive definitions of masculinity. Doing so can help reduce the number of young men who feel alienated and rejected when they fail to conform to traditional ideals of manhood. Support systems that focus on mental health and self-worth beyond appearance, can help young men build community and reduce the isolation that drives men into these extremist spaces. Additionally, we must critically examine the role that self- improvement cultures like gym culture and looksmaxxing forums have on the radicalisation of young men. While these spaces offer hope, they can also reinforce Blackpill thinking when improvement feels unattainable, this is not to say these spaces cannot help young men, but we should be cautious as they still foster the belief that self-worth is tied to appearance. Ultimately, we must invest in creating communities that prioritise belonging and emotional resilience. If we continue to ignore the Blackpill space and its role in radicalising young men, we risk the continued rise of violence against women.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Reference list<\/u><\/p>\n
BBC News, 2018a. Elliot Rodger: How misogynist killer became ‘incel hero’<\/em>. Available at: https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-us-canada-43892189 (Accessed: 29 October 2025).<\/p>\n BBC News, 2018b. Alek Minassian Toronto van attack suspect praised ‘incel’ killer<\/em>. Available at: https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-us-canada-43883052 (Accessed: 29 October 2025).<\/p>\n Connell, R. W., & Messerschmidt, J. W. 2005. Hegemonic Masculinity: Rethinking the Concept.\u00a0Gender and Society<\/em>,\u00a019<\/em>(6), 829\u2013859.<\/p>\n Donaldson, M. 1993. What Is Hegemonic Masculinity?\u00a0Theory and Society<\/em>,\u00a022<\/em>(5), 643\u2013657.<\/p>\n Ging, D. 2017. Alphas, Betas, and Incels: Theorizing the Masculinities of the Manosphere.\u00a0Men and Masculinities<\/em>,\u00a022<\/em>(4), 638-657.<\/p>\n Lindsay, A., 2022. Swallowing the black pill: Involuntary celibates'(Incels) anti-feminism within digital society.\u00a0International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy<\/em>,\u00a011<\/em>(1), pp.210-224.<\/p>\n O\u2019Hanlon, R., Altice, F.L., Lee, R.K.W., LaViolette, J., Mark, G., Papakyriakopoulos, O., Saha, K., De Choudhury, M. and Kumar, N., 2024. Misogynistic extremism: A scoping review.\u00a0Trauma, Violence, & Abuse<\/em>,\u00a025<\/em>(2), pp.1219-1234.<\/p>\n O\u2019Malley, R. L., Holt, K., & Holt, T. J. 2020. An Exploration of the Involuntary Celibate (Incel) Subculture Online.\u00a0Journal of Interpersonal Violence<\/em>,\u00a037<\/em>(7-8), NP4981-NP5008.<\/p>\n Rouda, B. and Siegel, A., 2020. I\u2019d kill for a girl like that\u201d: The Black Pill and the Incel Uprising.\u00a0International Multidisciplinary Program in the Humanities, Tel Aviv University<\/em>, pp.1-21.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In 2014, Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured 14 others in a shooting spree in Isla vista. He left behind a manifesto and YouTube videos expressing deep resentment toward […]","protected":false},"author":7166,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-student-manifesto-2025"],"meta_box":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/manifestos-for-social-change\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/manifestos-for-social-change\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/manifestos-for-social-change\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/manifestos-for-social-change\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/manifestos-for-social-change\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/manifestos-for-social-change\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/manifestos-for-social-change\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions\/142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/manifestos-for-social-change\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/manifestos-for-social-change\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/manifestos-for-social-change\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}