i would claim that incels have existed in the past, but there wasn't a convenient way to gather and confide. With the advent of the internet and anonymity, it's easy to gather and confide.

I dont know if you would consider this self-reinforcing though. Saying that this group is self-reinforcing would imply that homosexuals gathering online to talk and confide are similarly self-reinforcing.

> Saying that this group is self-reinforcing would imply that homosexuals gathering online to talk and confide are similarly self-reinforcing.

It doesn’t imply that at all. Sexual attraction isn’t reinforced by being around a given orientation.

Go hang out with gay people exclusively for a few weeks and let me know if you find yourself attracted to the same sex.

> Sexual attraction isn’t reinforced by being around a given orientation.

exactly - and i'm saying that incels aren't self-reinforcing either.

I absolutely disagree. How do you support that conclusion?

What I’ve heard from incels makes it easy to understand why women would be uninterested. That worldview and subsequent outcome would seem to be reinforced by spending lots of time with people who reinforce the negativity.