Incels are a disturbing, often dangerous group of 'involuntary celibates' who come together online to adhere to truly sinister ideology.
Now, a former incel has lifted the lid on this online underworld, explaining that he fell into its teachings during 2020.
For those unfamiliar with the term, an incel is an involuntary celibate - that is, someone who would like to have sex but is unable to find a partner to do it with.
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Riley Drapp, 23, is of the opinion that young men aren't getting enough support when it comes to processing their sexualities and relationship problems and this is creating more incels.
Drapp's comments come in the wake of some major incel atrocities including the mass shooting carried out by self-confessed incel Jake Davison, 22, in 2021, who killed five people including his own mother before taking his own life.
Drapp said: "I think the incels featured on the news are the one per cent - those are a completely different breed. Most incels are the ones with sexual struggle.
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"I was in a properly dark period in my life. I dropped out of college I didn't have a job and I didn't do well financially.
"I was right about to turn 21 and then the pandemic happened, so I couldn't go out to a bar or anything so that was kind of sad.
"I didn't really have many friends. I just felt like my life wasn't really going anywhere.
"All I would do all day is stay eternally online on social media, maybe playing a game or two here or there but I realised it really didn't help."
Discussing his experience of life as an incel, he said that the men who were a part of the community tended to be aged between 18 and 25 and had a 'warped perception' on life.
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This involved seeing the world through the lens of different coloured pills, which saw Drapp relate most to the black pill - it dictated that he would always be sad and unattractive.
The community also has a lot of its own terminology - including words like 'chad' which are used to describe men that are conventionally attractive and successful with women.
Another popular term is 'go ER', which refers to perhaps the most notorious incel Elliot Rodger, who murdered six people in 2014.
Drapp said: "One time my parents had a neighbourhood party and there was this one kid and he looked around 6ft 2 and he had his girlfriend there. He had a little bit of muscle and I was like 'oh this guy looks like a gigachad.'
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"I wanted to get those incel terms out of my head - the whole chad, the whole red pill, the whole black pill - all those really toxic terms just out of my head."
Drapp said that he was involved in the incel world for a year before he managed to find his way back to normality thanks to the MeToo movement which inspired him to change his ways.
"I wouldn't say I was ever at the extreme point, more so just a point of jealousy and a really low point in my life. I would never wish ill-will on anybody. I don't think I hated women and didn't feel animosity," Drapp said.
"Thankfully I lived with a very supportive family - I am very thankful for that. I sent them a little bit about this stuff and they were like 'yeah this is kind of disturbing you should probably not look at this'."
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Drapp is now hoping that by sharing his story, it will show people that incels can find their way out of the community's potentially dangerous ideologies, but more support is needed.
Topics: News