FBI Document Chill Free Speech and Associate basic terms like ‘Red Pill’ with ‘extremism’

This article covers what an FBI document says about common internet terms. New documents released Monday warned about common internet lingo. The FBI is associating this lingo with “Violent Extremism,” seemingly chilling free speech.

What the FBI document says about internet terms

The FBI has a list of terms associated with “Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism” (RMVE). The list has a mix of extreme terms and innocuous (not harmful) ones.

The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project said it used a Freedom of Information Act request to expose FBI documents. Also, the documents include glossaries. Next, the glossaries show that common internet slang has been flagged as an indication of “Involuntary Celibate Violent Extremism” or “Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism.”

Part of the FBI document refers specifically to “incels,” or those “involuntary celibate.” The “threat overview” describes them as possibly seeking to “commit violence in support of their beliefs that society unjustly denies them sexual or romantic attention, to which they believe they are entitled.”

The assessment notes, “While most incels do not engage in violence,” some have taken part in “at least five lethal attacks in the United States and Canada.”

Many of the terms in the FBI’s list of incel terminology are either widely used across the internet or innocuous in nature.

The “Red Pill” definition in the FBI document

The one term in the glossary is “Red Pill.” It comes from the 1999 film “The Matrix.” Also, people have used it as a metaphor for seeing conspiracies, corruption, and/or hidden or politically incorrect truths about the world.

The FBI list of key terms defines it as “a belief shared by many online communities that society is corrupt, and that the believer is a victim of this corruption.”

This is a basic expression and a protected right to freedom of speech. However, it has an association with ‘extremism.”

Other terms in the FBI document

Many of the terms listed focus on self-improvement or the struggle to reckon with the marketplace of modern dating.

The glossary defines the term “Chad” as a “Race -specific term used to describe the idealized version of a male, who is very successful at getting sexual and romantic attention from women.” Later, it notes, “incels unsuccessfully compete against Chads for attention.”

The list also included the term “Looksmaxxing.” Also, the document defines it as the “process of self-improvement with the intent to become more attractive.”

Many terms relate to self-pity rather than violence. For example, people say “It’s Over” to convey “the hopelessness of being an incel.” In addition, others refer to a “heightcel” or “baldcel” to define people with short stature or baldness, respectively.

“Red Pill” also appears in this list, but with a different description: “In the context of RMVE ideology, taking the red pill or becoming ‘redpilled’ indicates the adoption of racist, anti-Semitic, or fascist beliefs.”

More terms in the FBI document glossary

The FBI defines “Based” as a word used to “refer to someone who has been converted to racist ideology, or as a way of indicating ideological agreement.” Also, in regular parlance, based is a context-specific word coined by rapper Lil B. As KnowYourMeme describes, it can mean anything ranging from “something that is ‘agreeable’ and ‘cool,’” to something “considered anti-woke.”

The list also includes the term “LARPing.” Finally, it originally described people engaged in live-action roleplay, often as characters in high-fantasy settings.

In a political context, people can use the term for those with an impractical or improbable political vision, such as imagining a monarchist future for the United States.

The FBI glossary says people use the term to “deride individuals accused of not being as extreme, or in possession of skills or other valued characteristics they claim to have.”

Learn more about the “red pill” phrase on Wikipedia.

Key takeaways

• The FBI document includes glossaries that flag common internet slang as extremism-related.
• The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project used a Freedom of Information Act request to expose it.
• The FBI list has a mix of extreme terms and innocuous ones.
• The glossary defines “Red Pill,” “Based,” “Chad,” “Looksmaxxing” and “LARPing.”

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• Lt General Thomas Mclnerney Speaks on Corruption, Voter Fraud, Censorship covers censorship.
• What is a SLAPP? explains lawsuits meant to censor, intimidate, and silence critics.
• Federal Digital Platform Commission covers a bill about tracking users online.