Emory Andrew Tate was born on December 14th, 1986, in Washington, D.C., but he was raised in Luton, England, by his mother and father. He grew up to become a professional kickboxer who later started a podcast called “TateSpeech” and a program called “Hustlers University,” where he and dozens of “experts” teach their subscribers how to become as wealthy as they are. Tate’s videos recently went viral on TikTok. But what exactly caused this to happen? 

His Sudden Rise to Fame 

   Andrew Tate first started his controversial career in 2016 when he got kicked off a famous reality show in the UK called “Big Brother.” According to the article “How Andrew Tate Went from Sports Star to a Dangerous Internet Idol for Young Men,” published by Your Tango, a website that focuses on emotional wellness and self-empowerment, “His appearance was cut short after a video surfaced on the Internet which depicted him beating his ex-girlfriend with a belt.” However, he denied the video being true, claiming it was staged and that her laughing was cut from the video. Then, various clips of Tate from multiple podcasts, and his own, started circulating on TikTok, giving him a lot of publicity, both good and bad. The specific snippets going viral were all about men being superior to women, plain misogyny.  

His Words 

   According to these videos, Andrew Tate strongly believes that women are to be owned by men, that women are less than men, and that they belong in the house. You would assume most people wouldn’t agree with these statements. However, according to the article “Inside the violent, misogynistic world of TikTok’s new star, Andrew Tate” published by The Guardian, “Videos of him have been watched 11.6 billion times” on TikTok and he now has over 127,000 monthly subscribers on Hustlers University paying nearly $50 a month.  

   Despite those many followers, there are also a lot of people who disagree with his statements. Junior Yasmine Chavarria says she doesn’t support Andrew Tate because, “Everyone should be treated equally no matter their race, sexuality, gender, etc.” and “Women should not be owned and treated like animals; they are human and should be treated as such.” 

His Effects on Young Minds 

   Many believe that Andrew Tate’s words have a great effect on young, impressionable boys’ minds, raising the question, if children should be watching his videos at all?  

   Freshman Angelica Pulicari says, “Children are already heavily influenced by outdated standards and cultures. I can’t imagine how it’ll make a young girl feel to be told she’s not her own person.”  

   However, sophomore Logan Martins believes children should have access to Tate’s videos because “everyone has the right to see what they want, even children. What they choose to listen/believe in is up to them.”  

   Similarly, sophomore Lucas Arriaza says children should have access to his videos because “It helps them develop a sense of recognizing bad choices at a young age… they can decide to make the right choice by ignoring what he says and acknowledging that there are people like that in the real world and you just have to turn a blind eye.” 

   However, in my view, when young boys hear Tate’s words over and over and see all the support he’s receiving, they are going to believe that what he’s saying is true, which then results in these young boys mistreating their moms, teachers, sisters, etc. According to the article “Teacher claims 11-year-old boys are telling girls they are ‘fat’ because of Andrew Tate” published on Indy 100, a publication owned by the Independent newspaper, there have been many concerns on how Tate’s videos have been influencing young minds. There have been warnings “coming from teachers who say they are already seeing boys as young as 11 emulating him.” 

Where Did He Go? 

   After a while of Andrew Tate’s name being everywhere, it suddenly wasn’t. In mid-August, Meta, the owner of Instagram and Facebook, decided to remove Tate’s account from their platforms permanently. According to the article “Andrew Tate banned from YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram” published on NBC News, Tate violated the company’s guidelines on “dangerous organizations and individuals.” His removal did not end there. A few days later, TikTok decided to remove his page and any videos of his being reposted. Then, YouTube banned various channels associated with Tate, such as “Tatespeech.” 

   His banning from social media brought a lot of controversy. Sophomore Aaron Rodriguez feels that Andrew Tate doesn’t “deserve a platform to be misogynistic.” Still, there are people who believe he shouldn’t have been removed because they feel that people should have their freedom of speech, and banning Tate takes that freedom away from him.  

   Despite TikTok banning Andrew Tate, and all videos of him, one TikToker managed to post a video of him. According to the article “Andrew Tate resurfaces on TikTok and confirms he has a new social media account,” published on Indy 100, the video shows Tate, on a yacht, in Croatia, speaking to a crowd of his fans. He tells them that he’s made a social media account on Rumble, “a social media app best known for appealing to right-wing and conservative users.”  

   Sophomore Alex Meza thinks Andrew Tate should be banned on Rumble because, “His words should not be spread around.”   

Is it all an Act? 

   There has always been speculation that Andrew Tate doesn’t really mean or believe in the things he says and only does it to get fame and attention. Is this really the case though? In an article titled “Is Andrew Tate acting? Decoding the content creator’s controversial persona” published by SK Pop, a global sports content platform, it says, Tate confirmed that “He is not putting up an act and stands by whatever he posts on his social media handles.” 

   Nonetheless, people still believe Tate is putting on a facade. Mr. Jimenez, an English and creative writing teacher at Miami High, feels that Tate is “targeting people who believe in what he’s saying” but he himself doesn’t believe it.  Some people “realize there’s an audience for this and that they can make a lot of money.” Mr. Jimenez says the people who do this don’t care what the outcome is; they’re only in it for money and attention. 

The Allegations 

   Andrew Tate has made many comments over the years that don’t help his case. According to the article “A timeline of every single messed up thing Andrew Tate has done to date” published by The Tab, a website where journalists speak on controversial topics, aimed at the younger generation, Tate has tweeted various statements where he essentially blames women for their own sexual assault. “If you put yourself in a position to be raped, you must bear some responsibility,” he has said. Tate also says part of the reason he moved to Romania was because “it is easier to get off on rape charges.” He then goes on to say “I’m not a rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free.” 

    The Tab article reported, “Tate’s home in Romania was raided under an investigation of human trafficking.” Be that as it may, no one was arrested that day. Tate claims the police were only called because a jealous boyfriend called, and the woman tried covering for herself.  

Final Message 

  On Tuesday, August 23rd, Andrew Tate posted his “Final Message” on YouTube. In an article titled “Andrew Tate issues final ‘final message’ to viewers after ban from various social media platforms” published by NBC News, it states that his video consisted of Tate attempting to make himself the victim in this whole situation. He says his words were “taken out of context” and he was “vilified.” 

   Junior Melissa Perez believes Tate’s final message was him trying to get people to forgive him when, in reality, he doesn’t care and isn’t sorry. “It was still damaging for so many people, even if it was just a joke,” she said. 

Quotes from Andrew Tate’s Videos 

• “I have everything every man has ever dreamed of. I got a big mansion, I got super cars, I can live anywhere I want, I got unlimited women, I go where I want… I do anything I want all the time. So, I’m an amazing role model.” 

• “I realized yesterday that nothing is stopping me from becoming Batman. Nothing. I have a bat cave. I have an Alfred. I have a Batmobile, a Bugatti. I can fight.” 

• “I will not have nerds as children. I refuse to have a nerd carry the name Tate. If my son is a nerd, one of us has to die, him or me, and I’ll challenge him to mortal combat.” 

• “I will never apologize because I don’t make mistakes.” 

• “I was getting on a plane, and I could see through the cockpit that a female was the pilot, and I took a picture and I said, ‘most women I know can’t even park a car, why is a woman flying my plane?’ and they banned me.” 

• “Depression is not real.” 

Source: https://www.downtimebros.com/andrew-tate-quotes-50-most-outrageous-and-controversial/