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[–] 14 points 2 months ago

I'm not fussed about that word in particular. It's been slang for "basement dweller" since the movie C.H.U.D. came out in the 80s, and I feel like each generation attaches new meanings to it.

IME, it's one of those slang words that has found purchase more in online conversation than offline, which I think makes it a signifier of being "internet fluent" among people who find pride themselves on being knowledgeable about the internet. Combine that with it's origin as a description of underground creatures despised by the broader society, and I think it makes sense that it would resonate with internet communities that self describe as losers e.g. 4chan, incels, femcels.

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