By David Futrelle
So this is a thing that exists. Take a moment to soak it in. It’s perfectly fine if you react like this:
The good news? It’s probably a joke — a pitch-perfect parody of incel logic rather than an example of it. At least that’s my guess. The meme (a version of the “ideal girlfriend” meme) seems to have originated on 4chan — the reference to “anon” is a bit of a giveaway — and has made it to Reddit and Twitter as well.
So far the reaction on Braincels, the main incel subreddit, has been a bit muted; some of the regulars are befuddled by it, others see it, as they see every bit of “evidence” that life sucks for them, as “suicide fuel.” Though they may be joking when they say that too.
I haven’t seen it show up on Incels.me — at least not yet.
Weirdly, the meme got a much more enthusiastic hearing in the ProLife subreddit.
“Not gonna lie, this got my all teary-eyed,” admitted someone called TheEmeraldCrusader.
“I’ve seen this popping up in some sections of social media that are probably less-visited by people in this sub,” wrote Yesofcoursenaturally,
and it’s been getting a good chunk of positive feedback.
Obviously there’s a layer of (dark) humor to it. But really, this is making some people think more about the issue in a good, if hard to describe way.
OnAllLevelsIAmBoJack agreed:
Anything that gets people talking about it, honestly. The government has “made up its mind” in my country. Anyone who dissents is considered a misogynist by default… That’s why it’s critical women share things like this
EpistemicClosure thought it might be an effective recruiting tool:
This will be good for attracting “incels” into the pro-life movement. They already lean sympathetic too, so it’s very fertile ground.
But not everyone on the subreddit was thrilled by the prospect of incels joining their movement.
“We don’t want them!” declared leathercanid.
“Yeah I don’t know if men who believe they’re entitled to sex and angry that they aren’t getting it are ones to seek out for a pro-life cause,” justtotossit suggested, noting that women tend to be “even pickier” when sex could easily lead to an un-terminatable pregnancy.
Incels don’t care about that. They don’t think they’re ever going to have sex anyway. They’re happy to support anything that hurts women, even if it (theoretically) hurts them too.
H/T — This tweet from @BenIsYourHero that alerted me to the existence of this thing.
All I can say is, “Ew!”
Guess what? It’s still misogynistic horseshit when women post anti-choice garbage.
@Kate: Yup! Women who agree with sexist bullshit doesn’t make it not sexist bullshit. Internalized misogyny is a thing.
Welp, I’m now officially fired up for this weekend’s PP Greeter (they don’t use the term ‘escort’ for the volunteers) shift. Thanks, David!
But… slightly more than half of all births are to baby boys. If abortion were banned, then the can’t-get-laids would have *even more* competition for wimminz’ attentionz.
@Paradoxical Intention
I struggle with that so much in my life…that is trying to sort of what’s internalized misogyny and internalized sexism from what is who I am and who I want to be. And I’m not sure I can. I cry about it sometimes but other times I try to be like Artemis and be brave.
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I just thought it was cutesy image with the twins thing, and then I saw the “aborted girlfriend title” and the rest of it and ahhhhhhhhh
I’m trying to think of a reaction to this that isn’t tasteless or incoherent. I got nothing.
Excuse me, I need some brain bleach.
“On all levels I am Bojack”
Except, I imagine, on the level “actually achieved something one in their life”.
“Meow me Obi-Wan Kenobi, meow my only meow!”
Being pro-choice = pro murder
Being a member of a subculture that celebrates mass murder = obvious pro-life ally
If anyone still thinks anti-choicers are just concerned about the lives of babies rather than punishing and control women’s bodies, well, they’re probably the same people who think Trump is honest. Beyond help or hope.
So the meme, I use that word lightly, is about a girl who was aborted as a fetus. Hence she can’t be an incel’s girlfriend? The hamster in my skull hasn’t got the wheel up to speed yet.
Ugh. Are these dorkuses even aware that sex-selective abortion is not a thing, outside of maybe India and China?
Also, what proof on Earth is there that they’d have a girlfriend if some woman they never met was denied an abortion?
Dudes, THIS is why you’re girlfriendless. You’re idiots about absolutely EVERYTHING to do with sex! And if you think denying women abortion is gonna get you girlfriends (let alone ones who’ll live to serve you), you’re (a) incredibly grotesque, and (b) dead wrong.
By their own logic, this poorly drawn girl would have been out riding the cock carousel with all the aborted, poorly drawn chads and tyrones.
@Gijoel Pretty much. This meme is probably a joke, but apparently there is a subset that resent women who have had abortions for not potentially providing them with girlfriends because it’s hard for them to not despise women in every single context at all times ever, even to the point of basically embracing Calvinistic predestination lol.
What the hell is this? If women outnumbered men ten to one, these so-called Incels would still be alone.
Kinda funny the pro-life crowd don’t seem to want their support. I thought they’d take anyone.
It takes a bit of mental contortion but I think this comes down to, the reason I am a rage-filled dude constantly cursing the world that I don’t get everything I want – or apparently even know how to feed myself – is because some woman I’ve never met didn’t want to be pregnant.
Because of course whatever that fetus turned out to be would have been sweet, pretty, a perfect ten, a great cook, and entirely attuned to doing my will, and nothing else.
Or, shorter version, the only decent woman is the one I just made up who by definition has never lived.
All the actually existing women are bad and are preventing me having that non-existent one.
It’s been tricky, but I think I’ve cracked the code.
This is of a kind with the anti-abortion argument, “but what if you just aborted the next Einstein/the person who’s going to cure cancer/the next Beethoven?”
But, y’know, more selfish. As one would expect from the incel crowd.
Abortion might just as easily have eliminated the eeeevil gold digging harpy that was destined to grow up to rake them over the coals in divorce court and make off with all their hard earned apex $$$.
Or the baby who would one day grow up to be a Safeway cashier and take out a restraining order against them.
Or any one of the 99.999% of women who they never even approach, who invariably disappoint and anger them from afar.
It’s the flip side to the “you just aborted Beethoven” fallacy.
But one thing they can agree on is that my body isn’t mine. Jerks.
Incels are definitely anti-choice because they think I’m not allowed to choose who I have sex with… or even whom I talk to.
In the end it’s always always always my body isn’t really mine. Well yes it is assholes and here it is and here I am!
Please talk about Roosh and his failed flight to UK, and/or Heartsite talking about mind control by magnets
Yeah, if only that fetus could have been born. Then she would have saved some incel’s sorry ass by cooking him dinner and providing him with sex and sympathy. With no effort on his part, he would have become A Better Man. But because some woman wanted to abort the fetus forced on her by her rapist or leave her battering husband or delay childbearing until after she got her PhD or after she got off welfare or after she turned 21, some incel somewhere isn’t getting laid.
When will women start putting incels first!
I couldn’t help myself.
Mind control by magnets?
BRB, whipping up a solenoid that will shut down Shartiste’s testicles once and for all.