I accepted long ago that I wasn’t ever going to find myself a partner, or
even just a warm body for the night. I was doomed from the start, and I’ve
been branded an incel because of it. It’s true that I’m what one might call
a virgin—though, that is an outdated term—and it’s true that it’s not by
choice, but that doesn’t mean that I blame others for my situation. This is
all me, and I take ownership of it. I wish there was a term for people like
me. Since that word has been attributed to terrorists, rapists, and
mysoginists, I’ve tried to just call myself a loser. It’s not a particularly
favorable term either, but at least it distances me from those violent and
aggressive men who believe the world, and its women, owe them something. I
am a socially awkward extrovert. Yes, you read that right. I love putting
myself out there, and meeting new people. I’m just incredibly bad at it.
I’ve tried to take seminars, and watch tutorials, but none of them has
worked. Many of them come off just as angry and entitled as the incel
movement. I don’t know how to talk to others, no matter how badly I want to,
or how hard I try. I keep saying the wrong things, and making myself look
like an idiot. I always look weird, and make people uncomfortable. So what
exactly is my problem, and is there anything I can do to fix it? I don’t
think so, but even if I were better at communicating with people, I’ve
realized that it doesn’t really matter. I’m traditionally unattractive.
Yeah, I may be able to alleviate that a little with better hair, and hipper
clothes. I may even be able to learn to express myself appropriately. That’s
just the first filter, though. There are plenty of people in this world who
are willing to look past looks, or are just as awkward as me, and could
probably deal with it. But they won’t get past my other filters.
What is a filter? Well, people use them all the time when forming
relationships. They don’t walk around with a sign hanging from their necks
that announce that they’re available, and then just accept the first person
who responds positively. Once they find someone they’re attracted to in some
manner, they look for common ground. What do they both like to do, or what
aspects of their personalities complement each other? Do they get along, or
do they have too many differences? If those incompatibilities add up and
overweigh the things they like about each other, the relationship either
ends healthily, or becomes toxic. Unfortunately for me, those
incompatibilities are pretty much guaranteed to be there from the start. The
biggest filter is drug use. I can’t be with someone who does recreational
drugs, including alcohol. I can’t stand drunks, and while I support
recovering addicts, I still can’t relate to them, and I don’t know how to
help them. That right there wipes most people off the board. Some people are
sober because of religion, but I’m a staunch atheist, so that wipes off most
of who’s left, because I can’t stand those people either. I would have to
find a nonreligious teetotaler who likes to dance all night, and even listen
to techno off the dance floor. That person just doesn’t exist, especially
not when you account for other filters, like gender, relative age, and
sexuality. Because the most important filter—the only one that’s necessary
for me to remain alone—is other people’s filters. I may find the perfect
girl, but if she doesn’t like me, it can’t go anywhere. It won’t even begin.
That’s what truly keeps me from finding a soulmate. I don’t want to be with
someone who would want to be with someone like me.
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