The Tate Trials
January 25, 2023
He has been one of the most controversial, influential, and popular people on the internet in the last year and a half. Googled more than the President, Andrew Tate has amassed an extremely loyal fanbase while promoting a mindset that, to say the least, challenges the status quo.
Formerly a four-time world champion kickboxer, Tate turned into the quintessential social media “bad boy” along with his brother, Tristan Tate. The two rose to fame in 2021 and 2022, primarily because of their message. From what I have taken from it, his message seems to be to empower young men who feel lost in a sea of soft social media. Within the last year, especially on my Instagram feed, I have been shown images of men who do not align with the traditional competent and strong man. Instead, I was shown images and stories of boys dancing on TikTok, or men who encourage unhealthy habits, or men who don’t quite look like men. There was nothing of ideals, boundaries, and high standards. His image and brand was so contradictory to what was normally shown, that it was bound to explode into its own niche.
His ideas were so tendentious that he constantly seemed to be looking over his shoulder in fear of being wiped off the face of the planet. In many of his videos, he claimed that at his level of fame, there are three lives. The first ‘they’ (likely referring to the nameless and faceless elites) try to cancel you. Next, they put you in jail, often for something that you did not do. Finally, if all else fails, they kill you. He has stated in many videos that he “would never kill himself.” He is now down to his last life, as he was banned from the likes of social media in early 2022. This included bans on applications like Instagram, TikTok, and even Uber. As the rise of the concern with free speech escalated, he was eventually reinstated on his accounts.
His “second life” is in the hands of Romanian officials, as he is now, and has been for three weeks, behind bars in Romania. He was arrested on accounts of being a part of an organized crime group, human trafficking, and rape. The 36-year-old, who often refers to himself as the Top G, was arrested alongside his brother, and two other women held in the same case. This caused outrage on social media, among his loyal followers, and those who have always claimed that he was misogynistic. This arrest came suspiciously soon after a short, but heated Twitter exchange between the Top G and climate activist, Greta Thunberg, erupted. It was days after the exchange that Tate was arrested from his Bucharest home, put behind bars, and had 11 supercars seized alongside all technology in his home. He is to be held in custody until February 27th, awaiting a trial. There have also been talks of Tate being taken to the hospital for something to do with his lungs, but nothing is clear quite yet. His Twitter account remains active, likely from his cousin, and often filmer/sidekick, Luc.
I chose to make this an opinion piece rather than one of just news. I tend to take everything that I consume on social media with a grain of salt. I never believe anything, or take any information away from a post or a page, unless I see it having an application in my life. Many of the accounts that I previously followed (and recently blocked), promoted things that were not good for my mental health. I found myself in feedback loops of pointless garbage, not seeing time pass right under my nose. I was force-fed images of women in scanty clothing, often as advertisements on popular pages. I was shown those with questionable gender and/or unhealthy body standards being encouraged. I was told that men are the backbone of all western problems. I was confused.
Despite the truth being difficult to hear, especially for those with a liberal temperament, men built nearly everything around us. They build our roads, our buildings, our machines that help us build the buildings. They plow the roads, install the plumbing, and take out the trash. They support the infrastructure of this beautiful, yet fragmented country. This is not to say that there are no women working in these areas, but they are certainly outnumbered strictly due to the question: Who in their right mind would want to do anything that labor intensive? Men. To support their families. This is not to say that there have not been problems. This is not to say that women do not deserve the same opportunities as men. However, it is to say that men have a place in this world. We should not be ashamed of our ambition, in fear of being labeled a bigot, or having a “toxic masculinity.” Sure this may exist, but certainly does not exist among all men. Certainly not among the men who get out of bed in the morning for the sole purpose to collect your garbage off of the street that they plowed. Again, this is not to say that there are no women in these professions because there are. My utmost respect goes to those who bear the weight of our infrastructure on their shoulders. From what I can see, men and women are both equally needed. However, this does not mean equality amongst all professions. It also does not mean that anyone should be withheld from participation in any given endeavor, but they should always expect competition.
What does all of this have to do with the Tate brothers? It has to do with the suppression of the most formidable group in society: young men. We should be empowered, encouraged, strengthened, and hardened. Life is often unbearably difficult. So get out of bed anyways. Go to the gym anyways. Pursue the money, the status, and the connections. Do everything to the best of your ability. Become articulate. Earn your respect. Carry yourself with confidence, but also be generous and kind. Remember your manners. Honor your ancestors. Similar to Jordan Peterson’s idea, be dangerous but know how to control it. As a young man, these are the messages that I have received from the Tate brothers. Does that really sound bigoted to you?
