Writer: Li
Editor: Julia
Graphic: Kahyun
“Andrew Tate is a controversial ‘influencer’ who gives advice to young men and gives opinions people are scared to agree with or scared to say.” (ISM sophomore)
That is what some people in our community believe; Andrew Tate is a brave man, a wise man, a strong man. But in reality, he is a manipulator.
Andrew Tate, an influencer within the Manosphere (an online community of men who perpetuate anti-feminist/sexist beliefs), and his brother, Tristan, were recently arrested and detained on suspicion of human trafficking, rape, and forming an organized crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing and exploiting women—forcing them to create pornographic content. They have been in holding since late December 2022, and will remain in custody until the 27th of February. The Tate brothers have continued to claim innocence throughout their detention, but their past actions, particularly Andrew’s, say otherwise.
In 2017, Andrew and his brother Tristan moved to Romania. At that same time they released a video where Andrew reportedly hinted that a big reason for their move was Romania’s more relaxed sexual assault laws: “probably 40% of the reason” he said, according to International Business Times. Some people have interpreted this as him explaining that it is too easy to be wrongly accused of rape in America and other Western countries. But regardless of what he meant, Tate attempted to justify it by saying that he’s “not a rapist” he just likes “the idea of being able to do what (he) wants.” Which is quite frankly, terrifying. Tate has said many things akin to this, including the following statement, which was a single part of the many voice recordings sent to the police by one of three women who accused him of rape in 2015: “Am I a bad person? Because the more you didn’t like it, the more I enjoyed it,” referring to intercourse (or more accurately, rape).
Andrew Tate is not only a dangerous person, but he is a dangerous person with influence. As explained in this article by Mira, a fellow BT staff writer, Tate has a massive following, made up largely of young, impressionable boys and men, to whom he has been able to successfully sell extreme masculinity and misogyny in the form of a neatly wrapped package, titled, “how to be a man.” Through this, he teaches his followers how to double down on cliches of cartoonish manliness and supplant genuine emotions with misplaced male rage. Some examples of these problematic tips include: do not live with a woman, especially if she’s your partner, as it makes you look “weak” and “uncompetitive;” depression isn’t real – which can be translated to, “men don’t cry;” and finally, success is defined by how much power you have over other people. But, as Mr Jones, a teacher at ISM, explained, Tate’s main objective is to spread the message that “you need to get strong and healthy so that you can dominate women.” Tate claims that women are like children, or rather, property. A man’s property. And as such, he encourages that they be mocked and degraded. Additionally, in his view, women are lazy, stupid, and corrupted by sex. But not only are they corrupted by it, they must also take responsibility for when it is done to them without their consent. “If you put yourself in a position to be raped, you must bear some responsibility,” said the Manosphere influencer. This statement perpetuates the idea that rape victims somehow “asked for it,” especially when it concerns women and their choice of clothing. It can not be stressed enough that regardless of what someone wears or whatever behaviors may have seemed like an invitation, if something happens without their consent, it is not their fault. They are victims.
Tate Finances / Tik Tok
Despite having said such horrible things, Tate has still managed to garner so much positive attention. This is evident from the interviews conducted by BT with ISM students who are supporters of Tate. An ISM sophomore, who wishes to remain anonymous, stated that Tate’s content inspired him to stay active and healthy as well as explore different hobbies. Another sophomore similarly said that, “His ([Andrew Tate’s]) advice of working hard or not making excuses have really impacted me” and that “he [Tate] has influenced me to start going to the gym and working on myself.” But… how? How did Andrew Tate, a man accused of committing something as horrible as sexual assault, appeal to so many young people in a positive way? So, BT asked: what makes Andrew Tate appealing?
One of the interviewees explained his attraction to Tate’s platform saying, “I like his content because I find him funny and smart… he says things people are afraid to say and he isn’t scared of people getting angry at him. I agree with most of his opinions but some are a bit extreme. I think if people took time to watch his content instead of looking at clips that have been taken out of context they would agree.” Additionally, this student shared that, “I can never truly understand why people don’t like him, as I have heard the normal ‘he’s sexist’ or ‘he’s misogynistic’, but I have never heard someone back these claims,” -aside from Andrew Tate, the self proclaimed misogynist, himself.
During another interview, a student mentioned that he believed schools in the UK were beginning to have classes on Andrew Tate’s supposed talent as an influencer and his ability to inspire, when in reality, the classes are actually being taught “to re-educate teens brainwashed by Andrew Tate’s misogynistic content” (firstpost); a clear indication of how ill informed Tate’s audience is. Additionally, after being asked what he thought about Andrew Tate’s arrest, the student responded with a brief summary of Tate’s charges –acknowledging those of assault, fraud and sexual offense- after which he immediately expressed doubt concerning Tate’s guilt. Not only do Tate’s fans deny what he has done, they also defend it, “justifying” his actions and statements with claims such as “he is usually only joking,” (said by an ISM sophomore). Mr Jones, an ISM teacher, pointed out: “when a line is crossed, all of a sudden it’s a joke… if you think that’s funny, make your money by being a standup.”
While advice platforms aimed towards boys and men aren’t inherently harmful, Andrew Tate’s is. He has created a space for anti-women and anti-feminist ideologies to take root and grow. His audience is being fed an extremist and dangerous form of masculinity which not only harms them, but can be threatening to the people in their lives. Journalist Caitlin Cooper outlined this well when she wrote that “Tate is not empowering young men, he is radicalizing them,” when it comes to their outlook on masculinity. She explained, “Young men are learning that if they express emotion they are weak, if they do not have girlfriends they are failures, and if they do not receive female subservience they are not adequately reaping the benefits of manhood.” It is important to recognise that Andrew Tate has manipulated them; praying on their insecurities and fears. Particularly when it comes to the changing power imbalance between the gender binary.
There is an existing fear in some communities – such as Tate’s – that, as Mr. Jones describes, “men are being dominated by women,” and Tate has taken advantage of said fear within a “systematically undereducated youth.” Mr. Jones argues that this is a result of a “complete failure of the education system,” as young people have not been taught to navigate the dangers of the internet- such as the sexist rhetoric that is Andrew Tate’s platform.
Tate took advantage of young, impressionable minds in order to build a followership; proving the importance of media literacy and the ability to “detect BS when you see it,” as Mr. Jones so eloquently put it. Especially in an age where so much of our time is spent on a screen. This is a clear indication that in order to prevent people like Tate from ever garnering so much power and attention, we need to educate the audience before they become one.
A message for his supporters: Andrew Tate was never teaching you how to be an empowered man, he was teaching you how to hate women.
Works Cited
“Andrew Tate: Romania Court Extends Police Detention for Influencer and Brother.” BBC News, 20 Jan. 2023, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64347211. Accessed 29 Jan. 2023.
Jacob, Binitha. “Andrew Tate Detention: Timeline of the Influencer’s Human Trafficking Case.” International Business Times, 30 Dec. 2022, http://www.ibtimes.com/andrew-tate-detention-timeline-influencers-human-trafficking-case-3652242. Accessed 29 Jan. 2023.
Katz, Jackson. “How We Avoid the Rise of Another “Andrew Tate.”” Ms. Magazine, 9 Jan. 2023, msmagazine.com/2023/01/09/andrew-tate-boys-gender-masculinity/. Accessed 29 Jan. 2023.
Lawson, Robert. “Andrew Tate: How the “Manosphere” Influencer Is Selling Extreme Masculinity to Young Men.” The Conversation, theconversation.com/andrew-tate-how-the-manosphere-influencer-is-selling-extreme-masculinity-to-young-men-192564.
Nast, Condé. “Andrew Tate: A Timeline of Everything That’s Happened Leading up to His Arrest (and the Subsequent Investigation).” Glamour UK, 13 Jan. 2023, http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/andrew-tate-timeline.
“Seized Supercars and Bombshell Recordings: Where Is Andrew Tate’s Case Now? – National | Globalnews.ca.” Global News, globalnews.ca/news/9413085/andrew-tate-arrest-human-trafficking-supercars-romania/. Accessed 29 Jan. 2023.
“UK: Schools Developing Lessons to Re-Educate Teens Brainwashed by Andrew Tate’s Misogynistic Content.” Firstpost, 8 Jan. 2023, http://www.firstpost.com/world/uk-schools-developing-lessons-to-re-educate-teens-brainwashed-by-andrew-tates-misogynistic-content-11949582.html.