You may have noticed recently that an online subculture once confined to the cryptic cyber hallways of anonymous forum 4Chan or social media platform Reddit has slowly become mainstream on many of the bigger networks such as TikTok, Instagram and Twitter. “Incel subculture” and its adjacent underground communities have made a huge mark on the internet in recent years. The misogynistic ideology is shared among men who blame women for their lack of romantic partnerships and fulfilment.
Some British schools have referred pupils to Prevent, a key pillar of the UK Government’s anti-radicalisation strategy as its influence spreads. Recent Schools Week analysis found that school referrals to Prevent over such ideologies made up 60 per cent of all cases in 2020-21, up from 10 per cent in 2016-17.
But how are adolescent boys being pulled into this fast-growing subculture? In part, popular social media figureheads in the movement such as the late Kevin Samuels and Jordan Peterson are to blame. There is also Andrew Tate – an American-British former kickboxer and Big Brother contestant. He has over 11 billion TikTok views and is famous for saying rape victims must “bear responsibility” for their attacks and claiming he prefers to date 18 or 19 year olds so he can “make an imprint” on them.
Tate also promotes “modern wealth creation” as a way out of hardship for disenfranchised men. This supposed “get rich quick” olive branch for the economically left behind driven by his Hustler’s University programme gives us a clue as to why the influence of incel ideology is growing. Young men who face uncertain economic futures are looking for a way out.
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The Bank of England began its Quantitative Easing programme in 2009 after the financial crisis. The process is supposed to boost economic activity by making households and businesses that hold shares wealthier. Low interest rates have contributed to increased asset prices, making home ownership a pipe dream for many. To top it all off, we have faced over a decade of austerity, which means public services the most vulnerable might rely on have been stripped back.
While landlords and large companies have benefited hugely from a less regulated economy, things have not been the same for the average Joe on the ground. Data shows that real wages have still not caught up to pre-2008 levels – the average Briton is expected to remain poorer until at least 2026. A backdrop of rising food bank usage, record inflation and poverty in the UK is fertile ground for radical misogyny to take root.
Recent studies have shown that during the 2008 recession, domestic violence-related visits to A&E in Californa more than tripled. In the UK, meanwhile, police have already warned that a post-Covid recession could lead to an increase in domestic violence cases.
Of course, women are also affected by difficult economic circumstances, sometimes disproportionately so – but I would argue that they are less likely to take their frustrations out on men.
Feelings of helplessness, despair and discontent with life permeate the lives of many men who look towards influential incel figureheads on social media. The BBC documentary Inside The Secret World Of Incels shed light on this, with executive producer Adam Jessel saying: “They’re expressing some kind of blame towards women for their own personal situations”.
In the British Journal of Psychiatry, Dr Boadie Dunlop suggests that men’s failure to fulfil the role of breadwinner is associated with greater depression and marital conflict. This is further backed up by the University of Michigan study which found that economic woes create more disagreements within married households.
The age-old patriarchal idea that wealth and power make a man is not a new one. It is certainly no excuse for misogyny. Still, we must have frank conversations about the need for policymakers and, in this instance, central bankers to consider the cultural ramifications of their decisions.
As economic indicators continue to point towards a lengthy recession and more hardship, it is important that deradicalising young men remains a priority. The safety of women and girls depends on it.
On a community level, we should also encourage vulnerable boys and men in our lives to have healthy conversations about their insecurities. That way, they will be less susceptible to toxic communities headed by opportunistic businessmen offering them “riches” on social media – and suggesting that women are to blame for their economic disempowerment, when women are facing this financial crisis too.
With interest rates now rising and tax cuts being touted as an option for PM hopefuls Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, will a reversal of the current economic order also kill the momentum of this fast-growing extremist subculture? That’s a difficult question to answer.
A deep-rooted culture of misogyny cannot be thwarted solely by monetary policy changes. While some economists like Sidney Homer believe interest rates can alter the cultural fabric of a nation, positive cultural change requires full participation and constructive dialogue from all of us in society.
Ashley Rouen Brown is a writer and social commentator
