I wouldn’t consider it natural at all. It’s often a direct result of pushing a problematic image of what “real men” are like onto young men. The type of men that incels look up to embody a version of masculinity that is increasingly repellent to women and doesn’t offer as much to society. We don’t need rough, tough coal miners and manufacturers because those jobs are being automated away, we need service and healthcare workers with empathy and other qualities that people have arbitrarily decided aren’t masculine. Women are filling those jobs because they’re good at them and men aren’t nearly as likely to seek them out. And women having the means to provide for themselves means they can choose partners that actually respect them rather than having to settle for a “provider” whose only quality is financial contributions.
So young men internalize a version of masculinity that women don’t want or need and society rewards less and less, leading to them being isolated and feel they have less value. Young men + isolation + low self worth is the ultimate recipe for getting roped up into extremist views, hence why there’s so much overlap between incels and right wing extremist groups.
I think a lot of people do manage to recognize that their understanding of masculinity is flawed and do the work to figure out a healthier way to interpret their role in life/society, but the whole problem could be avoided entirely if they had a healthier view of masculinity from the get-go. I definitely don’t think it’s a problem that’s naturally occurring in men and could theoretically be improved on a large scale, but I dunno how we right the ship.
I wouldn’t consider it natural at all. It’s often a direct result of pushing a problematic image of what “real men” are like onto young men. The type of men that incels look up to embody a version of masculinity that is increasingly repellent to women and doesn’t offer as much to society. We don’t need rough, tough coal miners and manufacturers because those jobs are being automated away, we need service and healthcare workers with empathy and other qualities that people have arbitrarily decided aren’t masculine. Women are filling those jobs because they’re good at them and men aren’t nearly as likely to seek them out. And women having the means to provide for themselves means they can choose partners that actually respect them rather than having to settle for a “provider” whose only quality is financial contributions.
So young men internalize a version of masculinity that women don’t want or need and society rewards less and less, leading to them being isolated and feel they have less value. Young men + isolation + low self worth is the ultimate recipe for getting roped up into extremist views, hence why there’s so much overlap between incels and right wing extremist groups.
I think a lot of people do manage to recognize that their understanding of masculinity is flawed and do the work to figure out a healthier way to interpret their role in life/society, but the whole problem could be avoided entirely if they had a healthier view of masculinity from the get-go. I definitely don’t think it’s a problem that’s naturally occurring in men and could theoretically be improved on a large scale, but I dunno how we right the ship.