A series of viral YouTube videos have documented a self-identifying “incel” being thrown out of a gym for sexually harassing women.
In the first video, which has gathered more than 16,000 views, the man films himself walking up to a woman in the gym, before saying, “You’ve got a nice body. Do you want to go for a massage after this?”
When she declines his invitation, he says, “C’mon, man, this is f****** bulls***t.”
The term “incel” refers to someone who is involuntarily celibate and has been adopted by sexist men’s rights groups. The Anti Defamation League defines incels as “heterosexual men who blame women and society for their lack of romantic success.”
The video then cuts to the man swearing at a gym staff member, who is requesting he leaves the premises.
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He fights back, saying, “If I was a female you wouldn’t treat me like this. If I was a hot b**** you wouldn’t treat me like this ... You only like hot whores, huh?”
In the second video, the same man is seen trying to enter the gym again, and he is upset to discover his gym membership has been cancelled by management.
He says, “This motherf***** says my f****** membership’s been revoked because I hit on a b**** the other day.”
It is believed that the owner of the channel “Jay Rockerfeller” is the man in the video, though it’s unclear if that is the man’s legal name. His channel is littered with videos of him engaging in similar behaviours.
“I go up to girls and none of them wanna f*** with me,” he says in a video titled ‘Reality Strategy, Phraseology Foundation, Self- Sabotage, NEET ARMY’.
One of the most well known incels was Elliot Rodger, who in 2014 went on a deadly mass shooting spree in Isla Vista, California, killing six people and injuring 14, before dying by suicide.
Prior this act of violence, which The Hague labelled a “an act of misogynist terrorism”, Rodger uploaded a video to YouTube titled “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution”, where he outlined his beliefs that women had wronged him because they wouldn’t have sex with him. He also outlined his feelings in a written manifesto.
A number of the “Jay Rockerfeller” videos depict the man in the videos harassing other people, both men and women. In one video titled “Black Pill IN ACTION!! MISANDRY!!!”, he is seen standing waiting for an elevator, and is seen hurling insults at a man alongside him.
The Independent reached out to Google, YouTube’s parent company, for comment on how these videos do not violate their harassment policy.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
