The Dangerous World of Andrew Tate

Photo sourced from Twitter.

Peyton Impola

Andrew Tate believes that women belong in the household. He believes that women are the property of men. He proclaims that rape victims “bear some responsibility” in their attacks. No matter your political beliefs, it should be easy to discern that Tate is a violent misogynist, and that his views are incredibly harmful–not only for women, but for young impressionable boys. 

Unfortunately, that is not the case. 

Today, Tate has been detained in Romania, and is facing human trafficking charges. These dark and shocking allegations, however, have done little to deter his rampant fanbase. In January, a mob of Andrew Tate fans rallied in Athens, protesting what they believe to be his wrongful imprisonment. The protest seems to be in response to the Romanian government’s recent denial of Tate’s appeal for release. This protest only highlights the dark realities of Tate’s fan base. The fact that a man with such archaic and violent beliefs has such a large following is downright disturbing. But where exactly did Andrew Tate come from?

Tate amassed a social media following shortly after his appearance on the reality television program Big Brother. He was removed from the show after footage of him attacking a woman surfaced, in a video that Tate maintained was edited.  On his social media platform, Tate admits that he is a misogynist–it is a title he seems to be proud of.  The influencer consistently spouts a violently misogynistic rhetoric, which is extremely dangerous. Tate has been banned from numerous social media platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. 

In January, Tate was arrested in Romania, and charged with human trafficking. The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, an anti-organized crime agency, released a statement identifying six victims in a human trafficking case. The statement also said that the victims were subjected to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion” and were sexually exploited by Tate and his co-defendants. For his part, Andrew Tate maintains his innocence, and continues to tweet from prison. Tate is not just an edgy influencer, spewing inflammatory words in order to get attention. He is a violent, exploitive man, who truly believes in misogyny and toxic masculinity. 

Tate’s following is largely made up of young boys and men. When a man like Tate is able to draw in a vulnerable audience, there are dire repercussions. Teachers across the globe have reported that they can observe the impact of Tate’s influence in pre-teen and teenage boys. There are children spouting Tate’s message, and some going as far as to track Tate’s progress through the criminal justice system.  It’s frightening to know that there is a generation of boys growing up and believing that women are inferior to men, and that violence against women is acceptable. 

Both parents and teachers across the globe have begun to push back against toxic masculinity and Andrew Tate. Their intentions are pure–hoping to educate the youth about the dangers of misogyny. Unfortunately, these actions have often had unforeseen consequences. Young men and boys who were previously unaware of Tate have now been exposed to him–and become his followers. There is no clear solution to this issue, but what is known is that young boys are being indoctrinated, and it is imperative that something be done to end this phenomenon. 

At the end of the day, Andrew Tate only holds power when people feed into his message.  It is critical that as members of society, we reject toxic masculinity and violent misogyny. We must make it overwhelmingly clear that this world has no place for hatred. It is our duty as well informed citizens to hold men like Andrew Tate–and those who support him–accountable for their hateful actions and words. 

Sources: 

Inside the violent, misogynistic world of TikTok’s new star

Who is Andrew Tate? The self-proclaimed misogynist influencer 

Andrew Tate Fans Rally in Athens Amid Human Trafficking Investigation 

Andrew Tate loses appeal against 30 day detention in Romania