A few weeks ago I started seeing a slew of commentary about this show Adolescence; crime, murder, and new trending content is usually not what I look into but when I saw that this was tackling incels and the idea of gendered violence I thought I’d give it a watch.
It was a really well-acted and cleverly made show – but I was mostly interested in how it called attention to the influencers polluting the minds and corroding the self-worth of young men, turning them towards feelings of hopelessness, and violence.
What I saw in discussions, professionals and parents groups was really surprising to me; that this was news to many people.
I’ve spent, and continue to spend, a lot of time online. I used to moderate a psychology special interest community online – a pretty large one, and we were frequently raided and harassed by incel and redpill groups, often after banning members of these groups for their often transphobic and homophobic, and always misogynistic ideals.
So I had to learn a lot about them, first to identify the threat they posed to the communities I was part of, and now as a therapist, continuing to apply those psychology models to learn about how we can recognise the beginnings of radicalisation by these hate groups.
As someone with younger brothers, and kids of my own, as a professional in the field, I’ve worked towards building an understanding of the voices and influences that seek to profit from mental harm and social disconnection.
I’m going to be presenting my findings from my psychology studies, my own investigations into these subcultures, and some of the ways parents and professionals can recognise the influence of these subcultures, and how to support those at risk of coercion by them.
I’m looking forward to presenting Language of Radicalisation on the 5th of May! You can sign up at the link below!
Events Link: https://events.humanitix.com/language-of-radicalisation-yhfwp3c2
Counselling with Mike 