I’m an ex incel myself, but I’ve been seeing a few users here exhibiting the tell tale signs. “I’m not attractive enough”, “I don’t socialize correctly”, “I’ll never find a woman” - all extremely unhealthy attitudes.

Personally I burned through many friendships and ruined a lot of chances with women because I was in the incel community. The community warped my view of women so much that I made it even harder to meet women, I became my own worst enemy. I lost friends because all I could think of was how horrible it was that they had girlfriends.

I have a friend who helped me out of it. She was the one who started calling out my bad behavior for what it was, and I started on the long uphill path out of it. I’m now married and stable for well over a decade, but I still think back to those days, and it depresses me seeing other people causing this themselves and not being aware of it.

So, Lemmy, for those who have clawed out of it, what’s your story?

  • DarkThoughts@fedia.io
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    2 months ago

    I’m an ex incel myself, but I’ve been seeing a few users here exhibiting the tell tale signs. “I’m not attractive enough”, “I don’t socialize correctly”, “I’ll never find a woman” - all extremely unhealthy attitudes.

    Unhealthy, sure. But those are really not incel signs at all, but rather those of people with little to no self-esteem or other issues like depression and / or anxiety, or some other more niche issues & views.

    • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techOP
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      2 months ago

      I think they’re closely linked, one feeds the other. However incels never see these as solvable problems or things they should seek help on, but rather argue that there’s no way they can solve them. This becomes a vicious cycle because by believing they can’t change only makes things worse, making it even harder to pull themselves out

      • DarkThoughts@fedia.io
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        2 months ago

        No. Incels don’t really see themselves as the issue, but rather women. They shove the blame completely away from themselves.