Why You Should Stop Listening to Andrew Tate
Under the influence of Andrew Tate, some boys can be led down the wrong path. (Graphic by Greta Giuliano)
Misogynist. Abuser. Scammer. Alpha male. The perfect man.
All of these words have been used to describe Andrew Tate, an International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) kickboxing champion. But more recently, he has gained an immense amount of attention online because of his outspoken opinions and his controversial actions.
Tate voices his opinions on podcasts with self-proclaimed alpha males, such as Alex Jones and Logan Paul. On these podcasts, he shares his radical opinions, making claims like women are owned by their boyfriends and that the boyfriend deserves a cut of the money that the woman makes using platforms like OnlyFans.
Some of the claims he makes include things like men are allowed to cheat in a relationship but women aren’t, women shouldn’t be allowed to drive, a woman who sees herself as equal to him is not worthy of a relationship with him, and the most important thing a woman can do is have kids. And, unfortunately, the list goes on.
It seems as though one of his core beliefs is that men are the superior sex and they should be able to get whatever they want from women. This is an old-fashioned view that should not still be prevalent in 2022. We should know by now that women are strong and independent and don’t need to submit to men.
Besides spreading his extremely misogynistic opinions online, he has also been involved in several scandals. While he has openly admitted to abusing women online, he has also been the subject of a human trafficking investigation. There were reports of a woman being held against her will in his house, which was raided by authorities according to Forbes.
But his wrongdoings span past critiquing gender roles. He runs an “online money-focused community” called Hustler’s University.
Hustler’s University is a network of Discord servers created by Tate that promises financial freedom and to help people “go against the system.” Memberships cost $50 a month, but most of the entrepreneurial advice on it you could find anywhere on the internet for free. Furthermore, users can earn money when people enroll through their affiliate link, much like a pyramid scheme.
Scandals and misogynistic opinions aside, the scariest thing about Andrew Tate is the effect he has on his followers, which are mainly young men. In their teen years, boys are very impressionable and need a strong role model, according to Psychology Today. Someone like Tate who has the “ideal” life to them — fast cars, lots of money, girls — is someone they listen to and influence their opinions.
Having someone like Andrew Tate be that figure in their life is not only harmful to them, but those they interact with as well. If they follow Tate’s advice about relationships, they may end up harming the other person involved, all because they saw a role model in Tate. We should know by now that women are strong and independent and don’t need to submit to men.
When talking about a man’s role in a relationship, he said, “If a man has a serious issue in his life, he can’t go to a woman. If a man goes to a woman with his issue, it’s not a serious issue.”
He is essentially saying men can’t confide in their girlfriends, which could very well result in an unhealthy relationship.
Some might make the argument that nothing he says is what he truly believes and he’s just saying these things to get reactions. While that may be the case, there is still a small subset of people who take what he says to heart. Some boys still see him as a role model who shares their aspirations, which are typically to be rich and have power over women.
Andrew Tate is not the first person to blow up on the internet for all the wrong reasons. Other people like Trisha Paytas and Jeffree Star, have both made racist and offensive comments in the past and gained a large amount of fame because of it. Whether or not they deserve it, people who say controversial and outrageous things are often thrust into internet fame. This is mainly due to the shock value of the things they say, and even if it’s negative, they’re still popular.
When it comes to people like Tate, the internet doesn’t always handle things in a mature way. They give these types of people attention, which in turn fuels more of their outrageous behavior. As the average person, you can help remedy this by simply not interacting with them. Scroll past, block them, whatever you need to do to avoid them and their content.
I think Andrew Tate is one of the worst things to happen to the internet in recent times and as a woman, I worry for this generation of boys. While I do want to acknowledge that not all boys think like Andrew Tate and are respectful and decent, others are taking inspiration from a man who has such outdated views of women that they can cause problems for everyone. Women are and always have been strong and independent, so the next time you see an Andrew Tate video, I implore you to scroll past it.
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