In addition to the representation of cyberbullying and the online adicalization of a 13-year-old, the series shocked with a scene that addresses the hidden symbolism behind well-known emojis.
What are incels?
“Incel” stands for “Involuntary Celibate” and refers to a group of predominantly heterosexual men who, according to their own statements, involuntarily live in celibacy. Especially for lonely young men, the Incel Community delivers supposedly simple answers to difficult emotional and intimate questions.
On the one hand, they are responsible for genetic factors such as weight, height or bald head. On the other hand, they are convinced that evolutionary characteristics influence their ability to enter into romantic or sexual relationships. Incels believe that women are predestined through evolution to proceed more selectively when choosing a partner: they would deliberately only choose the most conventionally attractive men, reject less attractive men and prefer to stay single if no suitable partner is available.
The 80/20 rule
In her view, this process has developed with the promotion of rights, independence and sexual freedom of women at the expense of men: 80 percent of women now have the opportunity to enter into a relationship with 20 percent of very attractive men. Incels are one thing above all on their own physical inadequacies and the supposedly better position of women on the relationship market: frustrated. In their frustration, they indulge in hatred of women, women’s and queer-hostile theories and fantasies of violence.
Also read: “Adolescence”: British thriller series grows to the Netflix hit
The American influencer Andrew Tate – who is accused of human trafficking and sexual abuse, has become a symbol of the so -called manosphere. The name includes various online communities that are critical of modern feminism and are propagated within which Misogyne theories. Both the act and the manosphere are expressly mentioned in “Adolescence”, whereby Tate is highlighted as an example of an influencing factor that drives the digital radicalization of young people.
Hidden emoji codes
Incel subculture was created in the USA and exchanged primarily through social media. From Beckys and Betas to the blue to the red pill: Incel communities have a rich vocabulary. A scene in “Adolescence” in particular also illustrates the importance of emojis. The kidney bean, the red 100 symbol, the pill or the dynamite: characters that are all more or less familiar and not dangerous per se. In most cases, they are harmless in the respective usage context. According to Saferternet.at, you should be aware that problematic messages can also hide behind emojis.
That mean the emojis from the series “Adolescence”
- 💯rotes 100 symbol: a reference to the reading of the 80/20 rule described above (also called Pareto principle). In this specific context, it symbolizes the belief that only 20 percent of men get the undivided attention of 80 percent of women.
- 💊 🔴🔵 The pill: The red and the blue pill represent a choice between reality and illusion, based on the film “Matrix” from 1999. “The Red Pill swallow” in the Incel jargon for recognizing the supposedly “hard” reality in which women stand better in social life than men.
- 🧨 The fireworks or the explosion: Both emojis stand for an incel. The young protagonist in “Adolescence” describes them as “exploding red pill”.
- 🫘 The kidney bean: also stands for an incel, is often used by incels for self-identification.
Source: Nachrichten
