The influence of masculinists like Andrew Tate is a cause for concern in UK schools

His name became known worldwide after his stinging humiliation in front of Greta Thunberg, then his arrest in trial as part of the investigation targeting him for human trafficking. Andrew Tate, masculinist influencer now detained in Romania for a month, may have briefly been the laughingstock of the internet, still has a colossal disturbing force, as Michael Conroy worries with The Guardian.

According to Michael Conroy, founder of Men At Work, an anti-sexism charity that trains adults to respond to gender stereotypes in the UK, Andrew Tate’s influence is very much present in schoolyards and on kids who already have integrated some misogynistic biases: “Algorithms allow someone like Tate to be widely known to 14- to 18-year-olds. »

Boys fascinated by sexist and manly discourse

Note that Andrew Tate’s name appears in every institution where he has intervened with teachers. He claims students would make comments tainted by rape culture e blame the victim. Furthermore, it is also the teachers who would bear the cost of “microaggressions” by children in the classroom: this is the case, for example, of a teacher who discovered the words “MMAS” written on the back of a 10-year-old student’s homework. A reference to a macho meme, Make Me A Sandwich, that she was unaware of.

Boys and teenagers would therefore be particularly receptive to messages from charismatic influencers such as Andrew Tate, who trivialize or even value denigrating and violent behavior towards women, presenting this type of behavior as proof of their masculinity. Andrew Tate stirs up the imagination of a downgrading of men and sparks the idea that to become men one must also achieve a certain social success.

The assistant principal of a school in Southport explains: “Guys are drawn to him because he tells them he’s successful and rich. He sells them a lifestyle. When he mentions his hatred of women, some excuse it by saying that it’s all about creating a model of life you succeed in for yourself. »

The masculinist “radicalization” in schools?

It’s another sign of a knockback global vision of the feminist movement? Which in any case undermine the hopes of seeing the next generation more aware and less sexist. Today it is a question of not running away from the problem, but on the contrary of facing it. Because there is a gap between students and members of education teams, as the latter are not always very aware of what is happening on Instagram or TikTok and prefer to act as if it is only a very serious and anecdotal problem. Despising influencers’ speeches doesn’t solve anything, we need to open the dialogue. Michael Conroy is concerned about a real phenomenon of male radicalization online, as he explains to Daily mail :

“You can be very influential in your algorithmic sphere while most people on the street don’t know what it is. They are two worlds apart. But it’s problematic because it goes under the radar for a while, and because it’s not in the mainstream media, parents don’t see what their kids are imbibing. »

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