A Brief Overview of Intersections with Race and Class

Another component of the Black Pill is the claimed realities of racial hierarchy in the pursuit of sexual and romantic relationships. In misogynist incel communities, the acronym “JBW” (Just Be White) is a popular expression of white men’s perceived sexual advantages. Data released by dating websites and applications that point to a preference for white men over other ethnicities are pointed to as evidence of all women’s racism, another justification for dehumanizing women. A catch-all label, “ethniccels,” refers to non-white incels, with posts that aims to scientifically prove the undesirability of non-white men in the West and beyond. The “Scientific Blackpill” draws on studies that have shown how Black and Latino men are hypersexualized and viewed as hypermasculine, while Asian men are desexualized and seen as feminine/weak in Western countries. ¹ In incel communities, labels such as “rice-cel” (an East or Southeast Asian incel) or “currycel” (a South Asian incel) are used to refer to the struggles of these incels as unique, pointing out their physical undesirability and emasculation. The Santa Barbara perpetrator (who had a white father and Asian mother) is presented as evidence that Asian men are viewed as less attractive in Western countries and to claim that mixed race people (particularly men) are more mentally unstable as a result of this. These beliefs are presented as justification for the violent acts he committed, faulting women and a “degenerate society” that allowed for emasculation of Asian men and “race-mixing.” The perspectives on race both demonstrate the influence of white supremacist beliefs and are used as ground to further justify violence by non-white men.

A 2020 member survey of a misogynist incel forum found that the majority of respondents were young men under 25, living with their parents while working or attending school. The class dimension of incel communities has been a subject of speculation, particularly the use of the term NEET: “not in employment, education, or training.”² However, evidence to demonstrate that economic strain motivates incel misogyny and violence is lacking. The term NEET does not necessarily relate at all to sexual activity; men who do not identify as incel call themselves NEET on online forums like 4chan, and the majority of incels do work or attend school. Anecdotes describing being NEET in misogynist incel forums indicate it can be in part a choice to opt out from the economy as part of a Black Pill mentality, permitting young men with familial safety nets to choose not to pursue employment as irrelevant to their incel status. Similarly, the term “LDAR” can be less suggestive of suicidal ideation and more of refusing to take an active part in society in the face of perceived systemic injustice.

On the other hand, when considering the potential impact of economic status, higher class status may increase a sense of entitlement for those adhering to a red pill philosophy that views wealth as part of sexual market value. The Santa Barbara perpetrator described attending red carpet premieres thanks to his director father; his parents paid for his college tuition, rent, car, and a monthly allowance of 500 dollars, plus monetary gifts from grandparents, which he saved to buy the guns for his attack. (Given that he dropped out of school and did not work, he could be categorized as “NEET,” but this would certainly not imply his class privilege accurately.)³ He viewed women’s inattention even with his expensive car and designer clothes as part of the injustice against him, suggesting that money increased his expectation and feeling of entitlement.