By Christopher Heffron
Boys Like Me CBC Podcasts
O
ICONS
MUSIC
BOOKS
PODCAST TV & STREAMING
FILM
VIDEO
E-LEARNING & ONLINE
CNS PHOTO: THE CHOSEN
As a culture, we have only begun to scratch the surface of extremism along the digital landscape. In the wake of groups such as QAnon, we have found that online platforms can be breeding grounds for conspiracy theories and violence. Minassian, who wanted sex or something more lasting with women, clearly found an online community that authenticated his anger. His actions, however, were his own. CBC’s brisk, well-produced series explores gender norms and expectations, personal autonomy, and online extremism, which has become a rabbit hole for many disillusioned young people. And this podcast is important listening, especially for those who love members of the tech-savvy but highly imperiled Gen Z. In an early episode, Bateman illustrates how young men are losing themselves to dangerous online forums and that, in the wake of COVID-19, it’s getting worse: The pandemic has only deepened their sense of isolation. Minassian didn’t invent a trend here. He simply kept it going.
CNS PHOTO: SAUL PORTO/REUTERS; INSET: URBAZON/ISTOCK
The van that Alek Minassian used during his April 23, 2018, Toronto rampage was seized by Canadian police. Later found to be a member of the “incel” community (involuntary celibacy), Minassian was convicted of killing 11 and injuring 15.
PHOTO CREDIT HERE
n the afternoon of April 23, 2018, Alek Minassian got behind the wheel of a rented van and plowed through a bustling business district in Toronto. Targeting female pedestrians, the attack left 11 dead and 15 wounded. After his arrest, Minassian, who has Asperger’s syndrome, admitted to his involvement in the “incel” community (involuntary celibacy), an online subculture of men who are unable to attract women. He would later be convicted of first-degree murder in a Canadian court. Host Ellen Chloë Bateman takes a plunge into Minassian’s hate crime and what compelled him to do it in the powerful five-part podcast series Boys Like Me. The incel community, we’re learning, is mostly male, bitterly entitled, and often violently misogynistic. In forums such as 4chan, 8chan, and Reddit, they have found a community of other alienated self-loathers. In Minassian’s case, he saw himself as a foot soldier in the cause, and his crime was fueled by a disdain for women and the men who attract them. And this is hardly an isolated incident: The 2014 Isla Vista shootings were perpetrated by Elliot Rodger, a legend in the incel community. Other cases of incel-related violence have happened in Pittsburgh, Dallas, and Tallahassee. What makes Boys Like Me an impactful series is that one of its subjects, Evan Mead, knew Minassian in high school and has Asperger’s syndrome as well. Why didn’t Mead, who faces similar challenges, follow his former classmate’s lead? How did Minassian lose himself in an online world that validated his impulses? These aren’t simple questions— and Bateman wisely avoids answering them.
