The red pill is the most basic of pills, and it can refer to almost any kind of political awakening (and does not necessarily indicate a move towards extremism). For the purposes of this explainer, we are examining the terminology primarily in its extremist context. It should also be noted that the term “redpilled” (it can be a noun, a verb and an adjective) can be completely innocuous. Note: Many of these pills have different meanings within different groups. What follows is a guide to the vast and confusing dispensary of virtual “pills” frequently referenced in extremist forums, chats and messages. Like many who find themselves drawn to fringe political ideas, Neo “feels something he can’t explain…that there’s something wrong with the world.” He is offered a choice: swallow the blue pill and remain in the world he knows, oblivious to the real truth, or take the red pill and finally see the *real* world.
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Most “pill” references harken back to the Red Pill, featured in the 1999 blockbuster movie “The Matrix,” in which Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, is offered a chance to see the world the way it really is. This primer is meant to explain the fringe internet’s conspiratorial obsession with “pills,” widely used as a shorthand to identify one’s progress through radicalization, or to put it another way: a handy guide to how committed you are to a particular extremist ideology. Not only are the references often utterly opaque, they can also be wildly offensive, counter-intuitive and/or essentially meaningless. It’s used for everything from explaining how far one might be willing to go in the name of an extremist cause to weeding out interlopers and spies.įor the novice forum browser and researcher, these linguistic codes can be baffling to navigate, and for good reason: much of it is designed to confuse the uninitiated. Earlier groups – and most subcultures in general - maintained their own language to establish and solidify a sense of group belonging, but for some of these more recently established groups, coded language is vital. This means group “belonging” is demarcated by language and nomenclature rather than the uniforms and marches that defined earlier extremist groups. From the incel movement to the alt right, many subcultures are born online, and members use the internet as their primary method of contact and radicalization.
This shorthand is critically important, as today’s extremist movements largely operate online.
While online posts about “pills” can help outside audiences gauge individuals’ states of mind, they are primarily used as a shorthand within extremist groups’ internal conversations. Are they just beginning to learn about an ideology, or have they progressed further to embrace a nihilistic, potentially violent mindset? These are not actual pharmaceuticals instead, each “pill” sends a message about a person’s level of dedication to an extremist ideology or cause. “Pills” feature prominently in the online chat rooms and forums dedicated to right-wing extremism.
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