“You didn’t read yourself into this, you felt it”: Assessing the use of counter- and alternative narratives on support-focused incel subreddits Allysa Czerwinsky (University of Manchester) Abstract: Alongside growing discussions around misogynist incels, attention is increasingly being paid to issues of deradicalisation and factors behind exiting the community. Despite this, understanding pathways out of inceldom has proven difficult, as the community’s main forums offer limited opportunities for progressive discussion around exiting and ban participation from both former incels and non-incels. However, content from support-focused subreddits like r/IncelExit and the now-defunct r/IncelsWithoutHate can provide important insight into how conversations between self-identified incels and other users help counter the narratives embedded in the community’s guiding ideology, paving a way out for motivated community members. Through a mediated narrative analysis of text posts collected from r/IncelExit and r/IncelsWithoutHate, this paper assesses how counter- and alternative narratives impact discussions around exiting for self-identified incels. Specifically, I trace the narratives that promote progressive conversations between incels and others, highlighting the importance of validating and empathising with a person’s subjective circumstances while still engaging in critical discussions about the community’s guiding ideology. I highlight instances where counter- or alternative narratives were ineffective, stymying conversations and limiting opportunities to receive support. This research adds to the growing body of literature around exit trajectories for individuals involved in misogynist extremism, and offers key insights into effective narrative strategies that can be used to guide support and exit resources for motivated incels and others who subscribe to male supremacist ideologies
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