I remember when famed independent Seattle record company Sub Pop tricked The New York Times with a supposed “grunge lexicon.” You can still read the 1992 article. It’s hilarious. If you’re into that era of music, you know what I’m talking about.
But I’m not here to dive into music, even though that’d be fun.
I bring up Sub Pop because I think of that trick when I read stories about the FBI, any government agency, or official warning people about the dangerous lexicon.
The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project received FBI documents listing words associated with violent extremism.
You know what makes the situation even creepier? It’s all very…sexual. The FBI targets “incels,” people who are “involuntary celibate” and want to “commit violence in support of their beliefs that society unjustly denies them sexual or romantic attention, to which they believe they are entitled.
What. The. Heck.
Most words or phrases are ones we hear every day:
The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project said it used a Freedom of Information Act request to expose FBI documents that include glossaries showing that common internet slang has been flagged as an indication of “Involuntary Celibate Violent Extremism” or “Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism.”Part of the document refers specifically to “incels,” or those “involuntary celibate,” whom the “threat overview” describes as possibly seeking to “commit violence in support of their beliefs that society unjustly denies them sexual or romantic attention, to which they believe they are entitled.”The assessment notes, “While most incels do not engage in violence,” some have been involved in “at least five lethal attacks in the United States and Canada.”Many of the terms mentioned in the FBI’s list of incel terminology are either widely used across the internet or innocuous in nature.The one term in the glossary is “Red Pill,” which comes from the 1999 film “The Matrix” and has been used a metaphor for seeing hidden or politically incorrect truths about the modern world, particularly when it comes to politics or dating.
But then there are words and phrases that make no sense:
The list also included the term “Looksmaxxing” which is defined in the document as the “process of self-improvement with the intent to become more attractive.”—The list also includes the term “LARPing,” which was originally used to describe people engaged in live-action roleplay, often as characters in high-fantasy settings.
It would suck if your name is Chad because it’s on the list. The FBI claims it’s a “Race-specific term used to describe idealized version of a male, who is successful at gaining sexual and romantic attention from women. Incels unsuccessfully compete against Chad for attention.”
Then there’s Stacy: “Idealized version of a female, who is very successful at gaining sexual and romantic attention from men. Chooses Chad over incels.”
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