By Virgil Smithey
Elm Staff Writer
According to a recent NBC article, Nick Fuentes, a 26-year-old far-right podcaster, was arrested for battery following his controversial post to X where he wrote “Your body, my choice. Forever.”
Fuentes claimed that his “political joke” resulted in threats to his safety after his address was released on social media. The woman, Marla Rose, recorded herself knocking on Fuentes door when he allegedly pushed her down and maced her.
Although these views have existed for years, now that President Donald Trump is back in office, people have become more outspoken about their beliefs and have started acting out more on their impulses. At this rate, it is rapidly growing into a serious issue.
According to previous Elm coverage, the brazen misogyny shared by political leaders such as President Trump have isolated and emboldened young men in their sexist beliefs by associating with popular right wing influencers.
The adoption of the term “red pill” by far right influencers has given a concrete name to this ideology and content.
According to Forbes, the term “red pill” originated from the 1999 film “The Matrix,” in which the main protagonist, Neo, was offered the choice between a red pill and a blue pill.
The red pill is meant to help the main protagonist understand the realities of the real world, and the blue pill lets you remain in the world you are in now: happy and oblivious. This representation has slowly become a metaphor for women’s rights.
According to an article from the EU Disinformation Lab, the rise in misinformation and disinformation surrounding women’s rights has gravely contributed to incidents of harassment and abuse. Misogynistic narratives push negative representation and stereotypes, depicting women in harmful lights to further social and political agendas.
These actions used to take place online, but recent studies have shown that things have unfortunately started to become physical ever since the election, raising more fear for the future of women.
According to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, there have been reports of women getting harassed on their social media, specifically women on TikTok. Women have been reporting crude and misogynistic comments, repeating the phrase, “Your body, my choice.”
According to ISD, men with misogynistic views have been getting bolder and more confident in their behavior, going as far as to publicly announce their horrendous excitement about women getting raped, posting on X calling for “rape squads” and threats of other sexual assaults with some posts reaching 18,000 views.
The phrase has also made its way into the classroom.
According to ISD, many young girls have come forward to share their experiences of harassment, expressing the trend of young boys repeating the phrase and making threats poorly disguised as jokes.
Communities both online and in person have become desensitized to the constant threats of violence. Women and young girls have faced constant harassment, doubt, and abuse.
Unless those expressing misogyny and violence toward women are held accountable for their actions, both on and offline, many young girls will continue to be subjected to this rhetoric.
Fuentes’ arrest hopefully sets an example for others invested in the world of red pill content, dissuading them with the knowledge that they will be held accountable for their actions.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Photo Caption: Red-pill influencer Nick Fuentes, who said “your body, my choice,” was arrested.