Opinionhaver

I see at least three different ways people use the term incel, and mixing them up leads to a lot of noise in these discussions. First, there’s the literal definition - someone who is involuntarily celibate but doesn’t necessarily hold resentment or misogynistic views. They might even be actively trying to improve their situation, through social development, fitness, or other personal changes.

Then there’s what I’d call the ideological definition - this is closer to the original online “incel community” form: people who believe they’re permanently locked out of dating and sex due to genetics or physical traits, and who often adopt a fatalistic worldview and resentment towards women because of it. That group tends to see looksmaxxing as a waste of time or a cope, because they’ve already written themselves off as hopeless. That was the version I was referring to in my comment.

And then there’s the slur usage, which is probably the most common in everyday discourse now: “incel” as a catch-all insult aimed at men with unpopular, toxic, or misogynistic views, whether or not they’re actually celibate or share any ideological connection to the incel community. This version often gets applied to manosphere types, Andrew Tate fans, or anyone viewed as a reactionary online. But here’s the irony - many of those guys despise incels and distance themselves from that label. Likewise, I’d say most ideological incels don’t align with Tate’s worldview either. Tate’s core message is about self-improvement to gain status and sexual access, while incels - at least in their blackpilled form - tend to reject the idea that improvement is even possible.

So yeah, I agree there’s a lot of grift and posturing in these online spaces, but we’re not talking about a single, coherent group. That was the point of my original comment: looksmaxxing isn’t inherently tied to incel ideology. In fact, it contradicts the most fatalistic version of it. Conflating them flattens out the distinctions between self-improvement, toxic ideology, and hopelessness - and I think that matters if we want to criticize these cultures without just throwing buzzwords around.

Yeah, my understanding is that the interpretation of the Qur’an and Hadiths doesn’t allow for the same kind of flexibility or reform that the Bible does, for example. Of course, that doesn’t mean someone can’t practice a non-fundamentalist version of Islam - and many do - but it’s much harder to justify when you're going against what’s considered the literal word of God.

Nazism wasn’t particularly pro- or anti-capitalist as an ideology. Free markets, international finance, and trade weren’t embraced, and private property and businesses were only allowed as long as they aligned with the goals of the state. The government largely dictated production and would nationalize, heavily fine, or even destroy companies that didn’t serve its interests.

Well, Islam is definitely up there - and you only need to look at the Middle East for evidence. What makes it particularly dangerous, in my view, is the doctrine itself - especially the parts concerning treatment of women, martyrdom and hatred of infidels.

I had a cat for 18 years and never got the impression that it would've been lonely in any sense. No doubt having a friend would probably be better but it's not one of those animals you absolutely must have atleast two of.

My house is from the 1950s and my truck from 2007. I also have a shemagh scarf I bought when I was about 13 - so around 20 years ago. I’ve got a Leatherman that’s about the same age, too. Then there are two military surplus jackets from Austria - one from 1996 and the other from the 1980s - though I haven’t owned them that long.

Looks dangerous as fuck but pretty cool!

You only ignore AI slop when you recognize it as such.

Setting a height preference to 6ft filters out around 80% of potential partners if you’re in the U.S. Now imagine how many of the remaining 20% actually match the rest of your criteria. And on top of that, the tiny fraction of a person left after all the filtering still also has to find you attractive.

If you want to date on hard mode - by all means.

In the case of being anti-abortion, we’re talking about people who believe in the biblical God - and they often point to chapters in the Bible to justify their stance. In most cases, it boils down to the belief that life begins at the moment of conception and that all life is sacred. There are also passages in the Bible that speak about God having plans for unborn children.

Whether they should or shouldn’t hold those beliefs is not an objective fact but a value judgment on your part - and either way, it’s entirely unrelated to what I was saying.