U.K. Prime Minister #KierStarmer has announced a ‘new threat’ of terror to society, and yes, it’s the same villain as always – young, lonely, misfit men, living at home, being indoctrinated online. Sound familiar? Is this the same repackaged “incel” conversation we seem to have on repeat? One that confuses the extreme actions of extraordinarily mentally unwell, evil men, urgently in need mental health interventions, with a so called “far right” terror threat? Our knee jerk response to see these actions as those of a ‘terrorist’ is understandable. But is it true… or even helpful? Last year, the biggest research of its kind, and the leading experts in the world, including the UK’s own commissioner for countering extremism, said we fundamentally misunderstand the ‘incel crisis’. Reframing it not as a phenomenon to be solved through terrorist interventions, but with those of mental health support and outreach. Because, despite what our sanitised, podcast friendly view of ‘mental health’ tells us, the ugly truth is that such support is not just for those who we like, but those who we don’t. Those who commit heinous, unspeakable acts, are more in need of mental lethal support than anyone; and refusing to provide these solutions, and to instead wait for its tragic consequences; neglects the core issues, and intervenes far too late. So, is Prime Minister Starmer right to make these sweeping accusations, labelling these young misfit men as ‘a new threat’ of terror? Or is he making the same mistake as before? And more so… Does stoking fear, and creating a cultural panic around this group only serve to alienate them more, pushing them deeper into the shadows of the online world, and further in the clutches of those looking to radicalise them? So will we talk about these people for who they are, and what they need, or will we just stoke fear instead? What do you think… ~ Images by Rhett Noonan, Andrej Lisakov. #mentalhealth #mensmentalhealth

2025-01-27