Behind the Bastards

Part One: From Elliott Rodger to Clavicular: The Story of Incel Evolution

March 10, 2026

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  • The episode of Behind the Bastards, "Part One: From Elliott Rodger to Clavicular: The Story of Incel Evolution," traces a direct, confusing line from the violent origins of the incel subculture (marked by the 2014 Elliott Rodger spree) to the modern 'looks maxing' subculture exemplified by Clavicular. 
  • The original concept of 'involuntary celibate' (Invcel), coined by a Canadian student named Alana in 1997, was a supportive, mixed-gender forum that quickly became toxic and male-dominated, leading to the exclusion of women and the adoption of the term 'incel.' 
  • The evolution of pickup artistry (PUA) from Eric Weber's 1968 book (which acknowledged women's desires) to the 2005 'The Game' (which treated women as automatons to be hacked) provided the ideological framework necessary for the later development of incel theories based on objective ranking systems like the PSL scale and the Golden Ratio. 
  • The evolution of incel thought includes the concept of 'lookism'—ranking people based on physical features and Sexual Market Value (SMV)—which is heavily rooted in repurposed eugenics and race science, often leading to extreme racism. 
  • The incel community is divided between those who pursue 'looks maxing' (believing they can improve their situation through physical changes) and the 'blackpilled' faction, who believe they are inherently unattractive and see only suicide or mass murder as options. 
  • The community actively discourages hope and positive interactions; when one member shared a positive dating experience, they were immediately attacked by others who reinforced the narrative that escape from inceldom is impossible or a 'cope'. 

Segments

Podcast Technical Issues and Guest Introduction
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(00:00:05)
  • Key Takeaway: The recording of Behind the Bastards, “Part One: From Elliott Rodger to Clavicular: The Story of Incel Evolution,” suffered technical malfunctions, requiring the use of a lower-quality webcam.
  • Summary: The podcast opened with host Robert apologizing for a major technical malfunction affecting the video quality. Special guest Kat Abughazaleh joined the show, who is currently running for Congress in Illinois’ 9th District. Kat provided a brief campaign plug, noting her race is funded solely by small-dollar donations and she has not met with APAC.
Malort Anecdote and Memory Lane
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(00:02:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Robert and Kat shared a personal anecdote involving excessive consumption of Malort at an Onion launch party.
  • Summary: Robert and Kat reminisced about drinking multiple shots of Malort together at an Onion launch party, leading to one of them blacking out. The story involved introducing Sophie to Don Lemon using the phrase, “She’s the future.” The segment concluded with lighthearted banter about the intensity of the drink, described as ’liquid bandage’ or ‘spicy WD-40.’
Incel Evolution Topic Setup
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(00:07:23)
  • Key Takeaway: The core topic of the episode is tracing the direct line from the violent incel subculture, beginning with Elliott Rodger’s 2014 spree, to the modern, fame-gaining ’looks maxing’ subculture associated with Clavicular.
  • Summary: The hosts established that the episode will explain the evolution from the initial mass murder event associated with incels to the current internet phenomenon surrounding Clavicular. They noted that incel terminology has widely broken containment and entered mainstream internet slang, which is unusual for such an extreme subculture. The segment highlighted the absurdity of incel focus on hyper-masculine ideals versus what women actually desire, such as kindness and humor.
Viral Incel Terminology Post
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(00:12:37)
  • Key Takeaway: A viral Twitter post from February 6th, 2026, featuring impenetrable incel jargon like ‘mid-jester gooning’ and ‘Foids,’ helped spread these terms widely, even though the attached video offered no clarity.
  • Summary: A post by user Chromeheart600 went viral, using dense incel vernacular to describe an interaction involving Clavicular. The absurdity of the language compelled people to spread and mock it, inadvertently disseminating terms like ‘foids’ (dehumanizing term for women) and ‘gooning.’ The video attached showed Clavicular at a frat party, which the hosts interpreted as ‘jester gooning’—trying to attract women while being flustered.
Origin of Involuntary Celibate
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(00:19:11)
  • Key Takeaway: The term ‘involuntary celibate’ (Invcel) originated in 1997 with a young, lonely Canadian student named Alana who sought to create a supportive online space for people struggling with dating.
  • Summary: Alana, who identified as being on the LGBTQ spectrum, created the ‘Alana’s Involuntary Celibate Project’ website to commiserate with others. The original forum was mixed-gender and supportive, aiming to figure out how to change their situation, and Alana herself eventually left the community after finding relationships. An unnamed member suggested the abbreviation ‘incel’ because it flowed better than her preferred ‘Invcel.’
Rise of Pickup Artist Community
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(00:23:33)
  • Key Takeaway: The pickup artist (PUA) subculture, officially starting with Eric Weber’s 1968 book, shifted from acknowledging women’s wants to treating women as mindless automatons responsive only to specific inputs, a crucial precursor to incel ideology.
  • Summary: Weber’s 1968 book, ‘How to Pick Up Girls,’ surprisingly treated women as human beings whose desires mattered, contrasting sharply with later PUA tactics like ’negging’ and ‘peacocking’ detailed in Neil Strauss’s 2005 book, ‘The Game.’ This shift marked the first major change where women were viewed as enemies in a video game rather than individuals with agency.
PUA Hate Forum and Incel Ideology
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(00:38:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Disaffected members of the PUA community launched the ‘PUA hate’ forum (puahate.com) in 2009, which became a major hub where incel ideology, including the Alpha/Beta/Stacy/Chad hierarchy and the SMV concept, was formalized.
  • Summary: The PUA hate forum evolved into an extreme repository for misogynistic content, absorbing members from the concurrent Men’s Rights Activist (MRA) movement. Incel ideology solidified here, categorizing society into Alphas (Chads/Stacys), Betas, and the oppressed Incels, shifting blame for loneliness from personal failure to systemic unfairness. This ideology adopted the concept of ‘Sexual Market Value’ (SMV), derived from misinterpreting the Golden Ratio as the sole determinant of attractiveness.
The PSL Scale and Lookism
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(00:53:35)
  • Key Takeaway: The PSL scale (PUA hate, Slut hate, Lookism) was developed by incels to objectively rank attractiveness based on physical traits, asserting that low SMV due to features like a weak jaw means an individual is permanently incapable of finding love.
  • Summary: The PSL scale provided a pseudo-scientific method for rating attractiveness, reinforcing the belief that physical appearance is the only factor determining one’s worth and ability to find love. Lookism, one component of the scale, focuses on minute facial features, such as ’negative canthal tilt,’ which are deemed unmasculine and indicative of low SMV. This fatalistic view allows incels to avoid taking responsibility for their lack of romantic success.
Political Extremism and Government Role
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(00:57:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Far-right political thought, exemplified by figures like Nick Fuentes, advocates for government intervention to ensure every man obtains a female partner.
  • Summary: Discussions touched upon whether societal needs involve ensuring material needs or encouraging equality that includes men. This line of thinking is seen as evolving toward a Republican platform where the government guarantees men access to women. This ideology is framed as a dangerous progression from current incel complaints.
Lookism and Sexual Market Value
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(00:57:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Lookism is the term for ranking people based on nuanced facial features and assessing their Sexual Market Value (SMV), which incels believe women exploit more than men.
  • Summary: Incel theory posits that only extremely wealthy men can date outside their perceived SMV, leading to resentment that women have an unfair advantage in dating ‘up.’ This belief stems from incels’ lack of interaction with women who are frustrated by dating difficulties or reject transactional affection. They assume all attractive women are engaged in hypergamy.
Community Toxicity and Suicide
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(00:59:38)
  • Key Takeaway: The incel community actively destroys any hope for its members, often responding to positive news with immediate demoralization and encouraging self-harm or suicide.
  • Summary: The community’s response to a young member sharing a positive dating experience was to flood the post with messages like ‘Cope, she hates you’ and ‘You should just kill yourself.’ Researchers observing these forums note that the community views a member’s suicide as a ‘win’ because that person did not escape the ideology.
Evolutionary Justification and Objectification
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(01:03:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Incel ideology uses evolutionary justification, claiming women are programmed to seek the strongest provider while feeling no emotional attachment before having children.
  • Summary: This belief system suggests women lack souls until they have children, leading them to sleep around with ‘Chads’ before settling for a ‘beta with cash.’ This framework is used to rationalize their hatred and objectification of women, contrasting sharply with the low bar men set for themselves regarding basic hygiene and consideration.
Lookism, Eugenics, and Race Science
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(01:09:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Lookism and incel thought are heavily rooted in eugenics and race science, establishing the ‘blonde, square-jawed Aryan man’ as the peak standard of attractiveness.
  • Summary: This framework leads to subsets of incels, particularly young Asian men, believing they are inherently unattractive within this system. This race science leads to the observation that high SMV Asian women date white men, who are deemed the highest SMV group by these repurposed Nazi standards.
Blackpill vs. Looks Maxing
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(01:11:09)
  • Key Takeaway: The incel community splits into ’looks maxers,’ who pursue physical improvement, and the ‘blackpilled,’ who accept their inherent unattractiveness and see no path but suicide or mass murder.
  • Summary: Looks maxing, associated with Clavicular, is considered the ‘objectively healthier’ strain because it maintains the belief that improvement is possible through diet, exercise, or surgery. The blackpilled segment denies any hope of improving their Physical Sexual Market Value (PSL score), leaving them with only two options: suicide or ‘going ER’ (Elliot Rodger reference).
Dating Realities vs. Incel Demands
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(01:06:50)
  • Key Takeaway: In reality, desirable masculine traits center on skill, security, hygiene, and consideration, contrasting sharply with the rigid, superficial demands incels place on women.
  • Summary: Practical attractive qualities include knowing how to cook well, being able to fix things, and demonstrating basic hygiene like washing hands and clipping nails. The bar for men is described as extremely low, often equating a good partner to a considerate roommate who performs chores without being asked, such as taking out the trash.