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This is the second time that this article (from May 2019) has been on the front page of HN in the past 24 hours. Presumably this is due to the news about the A

This is the second time that this article (from May 2019) has been on the front page of HN in the past 24 hours. Presumably this is due to the news about the Army being on alert for Involuntary Celibates planning a mass shooting in US theaters for the screening of Joker. [1] [1] https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/army-warns-soldiers-about-incel-threat-joker-movie-report-83451 https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/army-warns-soldiers-a...

cwkoss 7y ago
Why are domestic threats related to incels relevant to the Army whatsoever? This should be entirely within FBI/law enforcement's purview. Are they worried they are coming from incel service members?
- ryanmarsh 7y ago
  As a former service member I can tell you the US Military is pretty much defined by involuntary celibacy. This is especially true in the lower ranks. If you know of an incel, please encourage them to sign up for the military. The structure, discipline, and sense of purpose the military gives you is the greatest inoculation of the anger that comes from involuntary celibacy in young men.
  - jacquesm 7y ago
    That sounds suspiciously like making things a lot worse. How about helping them connect with the rest of society instead of codifying their existence?
    - tenebrisalietum 7y ago
      Not sure how you got "codifying" from this. > The structure, discipline, and sense of purpose the military gives you is the greatest inoculation of the anger that comes from involuntary celibacy in young men. Incels typically feel inadequate. Structure, discipline, and sense of purpose can counter that.
      - lazyguy2 7y ago
        Encouraging people to enter the military to deal with mental issues doesn't seem like the best move. Suicide rates among soldiers is already high enough. If anything we should be encouraging people to leave the force and join back with the civilian population.
      - jacquesm 7y ago
        Taking care of the celibacy might be a quicker solution, and a longer lasting one too. The military is not an institution put together for social work.
  - djsumdog 7y ago
    What?! That's the opposite. Not to be crass, but people in uniform are the least likely to go periods without reciprocation from advances. Both being in uniform plus the fitness aspects of being in the military make officers and enlisted personal incredibly attractive. It may be anecdotal, but people I know in the military talk about how they often clean up any time they're in a bar.
    - defen 7y ago
      Right, so that would be a good thing if you're "involuntarily" celibate and that is causing you severe emotional distress. Just have to be careful not to marry the first girl you meet in a bar the first time you're on leave.
    - ryanmarsh 7y ago
      There are definitely guys that clean up when they're in a bar. After all, most soldiers are young, fit, and horny. They are, however, likely describing experiences when they aren't near the base, such as being home on leave, or on vacation. I'm sure you're aware of the propensity for some guys to exaggerate stories of conquest. When you're on base, or deployed, it's another story. There is a severe dearth of satisfactory partners. Bases grow small, civilians tell their daughters to avoid soldiers, available females line up for the top 10% of males and completely ignore the remaining 90%. The reality is most male soldiers are not having much sex. Now think of a deployment, sailors on a boat (where consensual sex with another service member can get you in trouble), or some mountain top in the middle of nowhere (the goats start to look cute). Those periods last a year or more, and can be very tough. Why do you think prostitution and strip clubs are so rampant around military bases? It's not because the guys are "cleaning up at the bar" I can tell you that. If you want to experience the tension created by a room full of drunk undersexed young incels in peak fitness take a trip to any bar outside a remote military base. It's frightening. Good thing they only take that aggression out on each other in a ritual of tribal fist fights and reconciliation by the base MP (military police). Better that than at home polishing their AR-15 while they watch Hentai. On base we keep the guns under lock and key.

cwkoss 7y ago

Why are domestic threats related to incels relevant to the Army whatsoever? This should be entirely within FBI/law enforcement's purview. Are they worried they are coming from incel service members?

ryanmarsh 7y ago
As a former service member I can tell you the US Military is pretty much defined by involuntary celibacy. This is especially true in the lower ranks. If you know of an incel, please encourage them to sign up for the military. The structure, discipline, and sense of purpose the military gives you is the greatest inoculation of the anger that comes from involuntary celibacy in young men.
- jacquesm 7y ago
  That sounds suspiciously like making things a lot worse. How about helping them connect with the rest of society instead of codifying their existence?
  - tenebrisalietum 7y ago
    Not sure how you got "codifying" from this. > The structure, discipline, and sense of purpose the military gives you is the greatest inoculation of the anger that comes from involuntary celibacy in young men. Incels typically feel inadequate. Structure, discipline, and sense of purpose can counter that.
    - lazyguy2 7y ago
      Encouraging people to enter the military to deal with mental issues doesn't seem like the best move. Suicide rates among soldiers is already high enough. If anything we should be encouraging people to leave the force and join back with the civilian population.
    - jacquesm 7y ago
      Taking care of the celibacy might be a quicker solution, and a longer lasting one too. The military is not an institution put together for social work.
- djsumdog 7y ago
  What?! That's the opposite. Not to be crass, but people in uniform are the least likely to go periods without reciprocation from advances. Both being in uniform plus the fitness aspects of being in the military make officers and enlisted personal incredibly attractive. It may be anecdotal, but people I know in the military talk about how they often clean up any time they're in a bar.
  - defen 7y ago
    Right, so that would be a good thing if you're "involuntarily" celibate and that is causing you severe emotional distress. Just have to be careful not to marry the first girl you meet in a bar the first time you're on leave.
  - ryanmarsh 7y ago
    There are definitely guys that clean up when they're in a bar. After all, most soldiers are young, fit, and horny. They are, however, likely describing experiences when they aren't near the base, such as being home on leave, or on vacation. I'm sure you're aware of the propensity for some guys to exaggerate stories of conquest. When you're on base, or deployed, it's another story. There is a severe dearth of satisfactory partners. Bases grow small, civilians tell their daughters to avoid soldiers, available females line up for the top 10% of males and completely ignore the remaining 90%. The reality is most male soldiers are not having much sex. Now think of a deployment, sailors on a boat (where consensual sex with another service member can get you in trouble), or some mountain top in the middle of nowhere (the goats start to look cute). Those periods last a year or more, and can be very tough. Why do you think prostitution and strip clubs are so rampant around military bases? It's not because the guys are "cleaning up at the bar" I can tell you that. If you want to experience the tension created by a room full of drunk undersexed young incels in peak fitness take a trip to any bar outside a remote military base. It's frightening. Good thing they only take that aggression out on each other in a ritual of tribal fist fights and reconciliation by the base MP (military police). Better that than at home polishing their AR-15 while they watch Hentai. On base we keep the guns under lock and key.