While much has been made of the alleged Highland Park shooter’s attendance of Trump rallies, more alarming is his presence in online subcultures detached from reality. The shooter inhabited communities focused on conspiracy theories, the paranormal, and deep nihilism. These communities cut off their participants from consensus reality at large and serve to lower the inhibitions of their participants towards violence.
Tag Archives: Incels
Incel Punks Fuck Off: When a Far-Right Internet Subculture Comes to Town
On 11 September 2021, attendees from around the country gathered in Atlanta for “Virginfest,” a self-described “incel music festival.” The “incel” community or “involuntary celibates” are a violently misogynistic online community that has produced numerous mass murderers, such as Elliot Rodger.