“Because They Are Women in a Man’s World”: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Incel Violent Extremists and the Stories They Tell

Abstract

This study is a critical discourse analysis of the misogynistic narratives shared by three incel violent extremists: Elliot Rodger, Alek Minassian, and Scott Beierle. Utilizing Kate Manne’s give/take model, which suggests a wider cultural pattern of misogyny serving to uphold patriarchy, this study finds that incel men expect women to provide feminine-coded services while men are entitled to assume masculine-coded privileges. Feminine-coded services that “she” is expected to provide to “him” are emotional, social, and reproductive. As incels assume masculine-coded privileges related to authority, power, and status, “she will give” and “he will take”; otherwise, “she will be punished.”