Negation Aspiration vol. 213 / We Are The Sprocket Holes vol. 374

Sean, the first person Moyer contacted for the documentary, begins the film by saying (rather self-deprecatingly), “For context, I’m 5-foot 6-inches and live in a one-bedroom apartment with my mom.” He lists his height before telling anything else about himself, an insecurity that is generally associated with phrenological beliefs by incels and some other men on the internet about dating and attraction—namely, that height, race and bone structure determine men’s worth and desirability to women. Before Reddit boards like r/incel, r/foreveralone, and others, the /r9k/ board on 4chan was where, as Sean put it, “the most hopeless and miserable people congregate to flirt with their despair.” It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, to wallow in one’s own misery that nothing will get better, yet it provides a sense of community to express feelings that these young men don’t feel they can express in the real world.

Inside the Male-Dominated Meme Hijacked by Lib-Bashing Trumpsters