The Difficult Task of Defusing Misogynistic Influencers' Messages
(CNN) — Andrew Tate, the professional fighter-turned media personality who earned the ire and admiration of millions with his viral rants about male dominance, female submission and wealth, is everywhere these days.It doesn't matter that the so-called "alpha-male" podcaster, who openly advocates violence against women, has been banned from every major social media platform, or that he was kicked off the TV show "Big Brother" for violent and hateful behavior and had his house raided as part of an ongoing human trafficking investigation (he told Fox News' Tucker Carlson he was the victim of a swatting attempt).His ideas have already taken root in the minds of countless young men who see him as a role model of masculinity.
Before it was taken down, his TikTok account racked up about 11.6 billion views. Social media spaces dedicated to teaching have featured accounts of students as young as middle schoolers parroting his diatribes and harassing female classmates.
Rashes of sexual harassment in schools in the UK and Australia have also been blamed on Tate's influence.He's not the only one, either.
So-called male supremacist views have surged on TikTok and podcasting platforms, with personalities ranting about the rights of "high value" or "hypermasculine" men -- those that they define as wealthy, confident, influential, sexually dominant and entitled to subservience from women.If left unchecked, human rights groups and policy experts can point to what typically comes next.
