Andrew Tate and His Boys: An Educators Guide
If you are a middle or high school educator, you need to know about Andrew Tate. He has been influencing our youth, and it isn't good.
So who is Andrew Tate?
Andrew Tate is a former kickboxer who appeared on UK's Big Brother in 2016. After a video leaked of him assaulting a woman with a belt, he was removed from Big Brother. Since then he has started several businesses, including a fan cam service and, most recently, Hustler University, which sells a very specific lifestyle to young men and teenage boys. He has built an online following on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and his podcast ‘Tate Speech.’ He has also appeared as a guest on many other channels and podcasts such as “The Alex Jones Show,” and invited people like the alt-right personality Mike Cernovich onto his own podcast.
In August he was banned from Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook. He has since the ban made a video explaining himself, and deleted his Twitch profile.
What is Andrew Tate’s content?
In his interviews, videos, and ‘classes,’ Tate espouses horrifically misogynistic views, but the problem is, he also says some pretty basic life skills to promote a healthy life. He talks about depression, vaping, and even loneliness–things which young boys say they don’t hear enough about. He then skillfully mixes his own misogynistic and highly political views into this messaging. Some of the horrific things he says:
“Why would you be with a woman who's not a virgin anyway (sic)? She is used goods. Second hand.”
“If you put yourself in a position to be r**d, you must bear some responsibility.”
“I think the women belong to the man.”
“If I were to get on a plane, and that plane was to fly into the eye of a hurricane [and] there was a 50% chance of it crashing, I’d want a male pilot because I think that males are better under stress and under pressure.”
If a woman cheats on him: “It’s bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her up by the neck.”
What students have been saying
In the past weeks, I have heard students talk about Andrew Tate. I naively thought every student with a good education would openly see through his tactics. I was wrong. Some of the young, intelligent men ages 13-17 would defend him with arguments which did not stand. I was floored at the number of boys who seemed almost obsessed with his Bugattis, his money and fame, and the outlandish things he says. I was also shocked to find a small number of women who agreed with him.
The boys said things like:
"I don't agree with his sexist comments, but he defends us, men."
"No one is taking care of our mental health, and he does. He told us not to vape. You see he is a good guy."
"Men are lonely; he gets us. Okay, some stuff is bad, but honestly, he is right; women can't drive."
"Do you know he gives money to charity? He can't be bad. He opened a dog shelter and an orphanage. He is Top G."
Some young women who defended him said things like:
“My Dad is a better driver than my mom and I don’t think women know how to drive as well as men.”
“Men can’t care for children. He is right about that.”
“No way does a woman deal better with stress, so it is normal he only wants male pilots in his planes.”
“Men do like young women better, and you know your man will leave you for a younger woman at some stage.”
“If he is paying the women, they do kind of belong to him. He does say they can leave.”
The do's and don't of dealing with someone like Andrew Tate in the classroom.
Do:
Educate yourself and be prepared if his name is mentioned in a class.
Don't:
Simply tell them it is inappropriate, and they must stop talking about him closing the topic. Shushing students is sticking your head in the sand.
Do:
Listen to your students if he comes up, and find non-judgemental ways to show them the harm he is doing and how he is tricking them. Some students have expressed they feel judged for their opinions. Giving a safe space to discuss online issues means we must be open to listening to their points of view.
You can add classes on the following topics to help nudge students in the right direction:
Add some of his false comments and misinformation into a lesson on fake news as one example of many.
Speak about loneliness without mentioning Tate. Make it clear that loneliness affects both genders and give guidelines on how to tackle loneliness.
In a math or science class talk about statistics, their importance and why they are used. As one of many examples you can talk about how health insurances use statistics to form their prices. For example women are better drivers. This debunks one of his claims and at the same time teaches the importance of statistics which he claims is not needed. It’s also important to discuss how ‘statistics’ originate. Take some time to discuss sample sizes, focus groups, and researcher biases: how they can affect the end result of a statistic, and shape what we see as facts.
In a history class, discuss the nuances of our ‘heroes and villains.’ some famous figures who have done amazing things for humanity, but who also have done bad things that might have been overlooked at the time. You don’t have to mention Tate in this lesson, but his ‘good acts’ are one of the top arguments young people use to defend him.
Give a lesson on mind tricks and influence, linking his tactics among other online tricks, scams and schemes. For example, Tate constantly repeats his misinformation–often more than seven times. This has been proven to trick people into believing a statement.
Don’t
Give a class simply on how bad Andrew Tate is. Those who love him call him Top G, (Top Gangster), or God. You will have students who will also tell you they love him, and bring up all the arguments from his YouTube videos just for fun. This is part of the streaming culture, and they will find this funny.
There are four categories of students;
those who love Andrew Tate and are indoctrinated, (a few per class)
those who like him but see the bad stuff, (quite a few)
those who don’t care, (quite a few)
and those who hate him. (many of the girls)
Do:
If a debate starts, play the role of moderator. Your aim should be to bring the groups closer together, not pit them against each other. Students need to learn, to accept that others might not see the world the way they do.
What you must not forget
Do not judge those who have been misled. These young men are not bad; they were tricked. I would go as far as to say they are often broken-hearted and lonely, a bit lost and in need. It is our job to help them back on track. Making them feel bad will shut them down. You might not want to mention his name, but if you do venture into a conversation, let the students talk while asking them open-ended questions. My conversations were frightening, enlightening, engaging, necessary, and the student voice was key. I was their guide and always non-judgemental as I showed them how they had been tricked and yet, I had students who were ‘Top G’ fans who reminded me of the political conversations of the last 6 years and how polarized and difficult those conversations are.
Your homework will be ongoing
The first time I talked about Andrew Tate, I thought I was prepared. I read blogs and newspaper articles, watched TikTok and YouTube videos. When the students started talking I quickly realized I needed more information. I paused, let the students educate me and give me homework. I went home, watched all the suggested videos with a notebook in hand, finding misinformation and noting his tactics. Then the conversations continued.
My biggest takeaway
Many boys feel we, the adults, are not meeting their needs. They are lonely and also struggling with mental health issues. This Andrew Tate clip about loneliness is particularly loved by young teens. These young men are vulnerable to male influencers. A comment I heard more than once:
“Who am I supposed to look up to? Who is helping me deal with the world today? Who understands how hard it is to be a man, and cares about us? Top G is there for us.”
These boys feel that they do not have enough male role models listening to their struggles and educating them in how to cope in today's world. School counselors and tutors should brainstorm and develop ways to meet their needs because many other male influencers are just waiting to take Andrew Tate's throne as the king of misogyny.
NEW BLOG POST WITH LESSON IDEAS AS A FOLLOW UP POST HERE
NEW POST PUBLISHED ON APRIL 17TH: Help MY CHILD LOVES ANDREW TATE. CLICK TO READ.
–Allison Ochs, social pedagogue/worker, author, mother of three, wife
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