If you are at all present on the internet, you have most definitely heard about its latest phenomenon: Andrew Tate. In this article I’m not going to describe what he does– any basic Google search can provide that information. Instead, I direct this post to those who are already at least a little bit familiar with his current grasp on social media.

I have no doubt that any visitor to my site is already opposed to his points of view. They are blatantly misogynistic and actively harmful to women. Most of his publicity comes from the shock factor. I mean, who would actually agree with such ridiculously extreme views, right?! I believe that most people are only clicking repost to make a point about how ignorant and hateful he is. But my argument is that even that amount of publicity is dangerous.

For those who aren’t aware, Tate has been charged with human trafficking. His house was raided on April 11 by the Romanian police as part of an ongoing investigation of the accusation. (He started a business of hiring cam girls to fill his house and taking the money they earned, so… keep that in mind.) In case you thought that it was just words, no, he’s doing real serious harm too! What disgusts me is that every repost of his content is ultimately making this dangerous, hateful man more successful. It doesn’t matter the reasons why he’s viral.

You might read this and think that it’s old news by now. As I write this, it has been 2 days since Tate was banned from Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Yes, that is helping the Tate epidemic to a certain extent. But in my experience, most of his circulating content is his appearances on other people’s shows, reposts, or reactions. In other words, not being published by his own accounts. The public’s fascination with his open misogyny is still growing his fame, and he is still collecting money from his “wise as all mighty” online course, Hustlers University.

Another thing: a lot of young boys really are falling into his odious mindset. I’ve heard peers say things like “Okay but he kind of has a point here…” even if they would denounce his more extreme opinions. No, I’m not saying that this will directly translate to human trafficking and sexual assault, but rather it normalizes these points of view and desensitizes the world from even more backpedaling on social progress. Even sarcastically, it furthers a rhetoric that some boys are actually falling for. If you need to see proof of this, here you go. (Click here and here.)

The popular Youtube influencers Cody Ko and Noel Miller discussed the phenomenon on their joint podcast, the duo being some of the more progressive and level-headed men speaking about it on social media platforms. Even so, Noel’s reaction, and Cody’s less so, sparked controversy. Miller essentially said, “What’s the big deal?” while Ko provided the counterargument, lacking the seriousness and urgency that I feel we need to have. It worries me (and many others) that even these role model men, who are not sexist, do not understand the stakes. The most dangerous reaction we can have to Andrew Tate’s content is to brush off its impact. Despite all the criticism he receives, there are still countless impressionable people really basing their opinions off of him and the casualty in which everyone talks about it.

Hopefully my passionate concern makes more sense now; the issue is more than just easily dismissible words. I am sure that if everyone who agrees with this does their part in getting him out of the spotlight completely, his power and influence will quickly fade. As always, thanks for reading and I’d love to hear any and all responses.