The alleged gunman who killed at least six and injured seven near the campus of UC Santa Barbara Friday has been identified by a family attorney as Elliot Rodger, 22. Rodger appears in a haunting YouTube video called “Retribution” in which he describes a tortuous life of “loneliness, rejection and unfulfilled desires, all because girls have never been attracted to me” and lays out his plans to slaughter members of a sorority.
His identification sent Rodger’s name trending, as well as spurred discussion of “incel,” or involuntary celibacy.
Wordwatch: incel (n). Involuntary celibate. [Sorry this is a disturbing term given the origin, but language never sleeps.]
— Mededitor (@Mededitor) May 24, 2014
https://twitter.com/jamesrbuk/status/470239595515617281
Santa Barbara shooter was reportedly "incel"- involuntarily celibate. New word for me, trending on the story. @BBCNewsUS @BBCWorld
— Regan Morris (@reganmorris1) May 24, 2014
@andressa_ian @PostRacialMyAss @AnalGender he got so into the incel thing he was utterly murderously enraged at IMAGINARY REJECTION.
— Chaos (@chaosprime) May 24, 2014
https://twitter.com/Morzas_/status/470276942227202048
https://twitter.com/CosRyan/status/470262733225877505
https://twitter.com/jennatar/status/470268281354330112
Rodger is said to have been a member of an Internet forum called PUAHate.com, which describes itself as the “Anti-Pickup-Artist Movement.” He is also said to have been an “men’s rights activist,” or MRA.
"He is what the Men's Rights movement calls an Incel, short for involuntary celibacy. It's a hot topic in various parts of the manosphere."
— No Justice, No Peace (@Stefaniya) May 24, 2014
@RationalWiki Well, more precisely an "incel," though his belief system seems to have considerable overlap with MRAs, PUAs etc etc.
— David Futrelle (@DavidFutrelle) May 24, 2014
https://twitter.com/KishSoup/status/470284609800773632
So angry. I hate MRAs. I hate PUA. I hate "nice guys" and "incel" and all you little entitled, misogynist fucks.
— ?Real Housewives of Antifa? (@MercuryRenegade) May 24, 2014
oh my god, the incel movement now has a martyr http://t.co/I5C69VI5Q0
— len damico (@lendamico) May 24, 2014
@chaosprime @mystery_butt @andressa_ian @OrochiZantou and the "incel" is a failure-state of the "nice guy", which is pure misogyny.
— CARa+ (@alendrel) May 24, 2014
https://twitter.com/jesslynnrose/status/470242872495972352
Women lying dead because of your MRA PUA redpill incel entitlement BULLSHIT. This is not just a rape culture, it is a murder culture.
— Gemma Hallam (@badhedgehog) May 24, 2014
https://twitter.com/ReclaimWarlock/status/470242717516464128
Join the conversation as a VIP Member