Andrew Tate – King of Toxic Masculinity
Andrew Tate is a controversial online guru who promotes misogynistic, anti-women beliefs. His views are particularly harmful to young men and his content has drawn the ire of a number of social commentators. In particular, his videos on TikTok have exploded in popularity and become viral, with millions of views. Despite being banned from many popular social media sites, Tate has built a strong online following and remains a prominent presence.
Tate’s content has also drawn the ire of climate activist Greta Thunberg. In a tweet, Thunberg wrote, “I’ve got something to say to Andrew Tate. He’s the king of toxic masculinity. I think he’s a loser, and he has a lot of nefarious intentions.” Tate responded by posting a whiny video and calling Thunberg “a small dick energy.”
Tate, whose Twitter account was suspended five years ago for promoting misogynistic beliefs, was recently reinstated by Twitter founder Elon Musk. But the move did little to address the larger concerns about his content. Rather, it only served to highlight the inflammatory nature of his statements.
As the debate over his content raged, a number of commentators pointed to his success as a ‘truth teller’ and said that he was pandering to disaffected men. These comments echoed what social commentators have been saying for years: that men’s social media profiles are often a reflection of their real-life behavior. Rather than being a tool for self-expression, they are often used to inflame a public debate.
While it is true that many social commentators have seized on the popularity of his content and made it the centerpiece of their own arguments, they are also failing to recognize the nuances of his message. His message focuses on the belief that the modern world is similar to the Matrix. This belief is based on the theories of philosophers such as Jean Baudrillard and a series of science fiction movies. According to his theory, people have the choice to take a red pill or a blue pill, a decision that can be affected by their own actions.
Despite his inflammatory views, Tate has a dedicated following of over 4 million followers on Instagram and almost 1 million subscribers on his YouTube channel. Many of his followers are millennials. It is this demographic that has fueled his online influence.
Although Tate has been able to build a large and devoted following, his career has been marred by a number of troubling incidents. The most notable of these came in December, when he and his brother Tristan were detained in Romania on suspicion of forming an organized crime group. On December 30, prosecutors questioned the Tate brothers in relation to an alleged rape. Ultimately, both were remanded in custody.
Following the arrest, a number of other controversial comments were made. For example, Tate claimed that men looking at women isn’t harassment. Similarly, he claimed that men can whistle at women. He also braggingly boasted about how much carbon dioxide his luxury cars emit.
