The internet has transformed how Gen Z communicates. Our language is built on memes and a collective sense of wry existentialism, with our humor often turning dark or potentially dangerous, as it has when borrowing from the online community of men called “involuntary celibates.”

Incels (as they're known) are infamous for sharing misogynistic attitudes and bitter hostility toward the romantically successful. Their ideology has even turned deadly: The 2014 Isla Vista and 2018 Toronto incel terrorist attacks killed a collective 17 people and injured another 29. Yet, somehow, incels' hateful rhetoric has bizarrely become popularized via Gen Z slang.

In certain circles, for instance, it's common to hear the suffix “pilled” as a funny way to say “convinced into a lifestyle.” Instead of “I now love eating burritos,” for instance, one might say, “I'm so burritopilled.” “Pilled” as a suffix comes from a scene in 1999's “The Matrix” where Neo (Keanu Reeves) had to choose between the red pill and the blue pill, to experiencing only that illusion., but the modern sense is formed through analogy with “blackpilled,” an online slang term meaning “accepting incel ideology.” Similarly, the popular suffix “maxxing” for “maximizing” (e.g., “I'm burritomaxxing” instead of “I'm eating a lot of burritos”) is drawn from the incel idea of “looksmaxxing,” or “maximizing attractiveness” through surgical or cosmetic techniques.

Then there's the word “cucked” for “weakened” or “emasculated.” If the taqueria is out of burritos, you might be “tacocucked,” drawing on the incel idea of being sexually emasculated by more attractive “chads.” And, finally, we have the word “sigma” for “assertive male,” which comes from an incel's desired position outside the social hierarchy.

So how did we get here? How did these words travel from a fringe, misanthropic internet subculture to relatively widespread use?

@AnnoyinTheGoyim

@RestInPeaceUncleOJ

@ironicshitposter

@JollyJihad

@Bix_SENDkNUDESen

it scares me that people like you can vote. based on the fact that you so confidently espouse materially false information, i say we should require a 36 on the ACT or similar standardized test in order to vote. it would filter the lot of you out, and i would rest easy knowing that the opinion of cretins doesn't matter.

Vote for me and I will use the tools of state repression (a reinvigorated Policy 39 system of state funding withholding) to devastate the suburbs (strongly incentivize them to build sufficient housing to foster socioeconomic diversity and prevent enclaves of affluence)

— Will Stancil (@whstancil) April 30, 2024

It's going to be Battle of Berkeley 2.0 - now with more bananas!

looking for a post from yesterday picture of a sperg in like an airport with a funny tshirt / offensive