Forthcoming RTÉ Documentary on One goes deep inside the shadowy world of Incel culture in Ireland
A gripping new radio documentary will explore the shadowy world of Incel culture in Ireland. RTÉ Documentary on One: Invisible Men - Ireland's Incels is scheduled to air on October 26th, following an in-depth investigation into the Incel community in Ireland.
The term 'Incel' stands for 'involuntary celibate', often describing young men whose sexual frustrations, exacerbated by emotional instability or mental health issues, can lead to dangerous misogyny. The radio documentary features candid interviews with members of this hidden group, along with insights from a prominent Irish female journalist who has faced threats of violence.
“Invisible Men - Ireland’s Incels” is voiced and produced by documentary maker Alan Bradley. Speaking ahead of the the documentary’s broadcast Bradley described:
“In Ireland, Incels are generally young men who feel rejected by women, which can lead to significant frustration. This group has developed its own unique vocabulary and a distorted world view, online. They often share hateful and violent content, including calls for the legalisation of rape and disturbing videos of abuse, which are presented under the guise of gallows humor.”
The documentary reveals that the men involved are are not just misogynistic, but often exhibit their own intense self-hatred and suicidal ideation explains Bradley:
“What we found disturbing, in creating the documentary, is that many of the young men we spoke to expressed suicidal feelings, they express a mix of anger towards women and profound inner despair”.
Ireland’s Incel community are typically men aged 17 to 39. However, the documentary has discovered that they do not fit into the social stereotypes that one might expect:
“What’s quite incredible is that they come from all walks of life, they are not just socially isolated men”, explains Bradley. “For many it’s a secret they have never confessed to anyone, they hold down jobs, have a network of people around them yet still feel disconnected to the real world and drawn into the comfort the incel community grants them. They are men we all know but perhaps don't suspect, they are our brothers, uncles, kids, work colleagues, team mates”.
The groundbreaking radio documentary includes testimonies from leading experts who study online extremism as well as people have experienced the real world consequences of Incel culture:
“We spoke to a female Irish journalist who lives in constant fear that the threats she receives online will turn into real world violence. We also have a young teen from Dublin that believes the older generation are unaware how rampant the problem is in schools and how social media algorithms are pushing incel ideology into their feeds. The documentary does not have the solutions to the problem but it does explore the underlying issues that are leading to young men feeling this way... we need to move forward with empathy as difficult and unpalatable as that may be.”
RTÉ Documentary on One: Invisible Men - Ireland's Incels will be broadcast on Saturday 26th October at 2pm and will be available on all podcast streaming services.
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