Andrew Tate, a well-known influencer on TikTok, has gained significant traction with audiences of young men whose ages range from primary to post-secondary. He often choses videos of himself discussing controversial topics to generate views on social media, and his viewers are presented with fantasies of what an “ideal” and “successful” life can be. Tate’s version of an ideal, successful life is one that promotes male supremacy and female inferiority, including the subjugation of women. The premise of much of his content revolves around the idea that men and their behaviours should be aggressive, misogynist, derogatory, and violent. For instance, Tate views women as the property of men and he says that women bear responsibility for their attacks in rape cases.
Tate has a huge audience. Based off views and subscriptions to his TikTok channel, Tate was a leading name in Summer 2022. Tate’s apparent abundant wealth and willingness to share instructions on how to accumulate such wealth gives young men and boys an economic incentive to listen to him. Hustler University, an online learning platform developed by Tate, invites people to pay for a subscription so they can learn how to mirror Tate’s wealthy lifestyle. His global mentorship program further entices individuals to absorb and repeat his behaviours in public spaces such as schools.
Tate’s Influence in Educational Settings
As a teacher who has taught across Canada, I have seen how toxic masculine behaviour allow young boys to distance themselves from others. It is common to see young men and boys practice the expressions and behaviours of what men are supposedly meant to express in a public setting. These behaviours and expressions are encouraged and enhanced by individuals such as Tate. These expressions usually resemble holding athletic and physical strength as superior and promoting patriarchal social systems.
Many teachers have daily discussions with students about problem solving with others and finding commonality that creates community-based learning. Students who practice toxic masculinity may to so it to receive attention from their classmates or exercise dominance over others. It is critical that teachers promote expectations in their classrooms and hold student to certain expectations for their social interactions at school. One example of this is the English Montreal School Board currently enacting a district wide initiative to envelop kindness and respect into the classrooms and school-based activities.
Pathways for Educators to Take
Teachers must acknowledge that many young boys and men are impressionable and drawn in by influencers like Andrew Tate, which can result in them perpetuating toxic masculinity in their own lives. Toxic masculinity emphasizes aggression and dominance so that young men and boys feel the need to mirror what they see online. To counteract such aggression, teachers in primary and secondary schools can use Tate and others as examples of inappropriate conduct, thereby targeting harmful behaviours and toxic expressions of masculinity while promoting equity and empathy in their classrooms. For example, last year at the Academy Awards, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock across the face on live television. This incident is a good case study to use with students that calls attention to violent, inappropriate interactions and fosters discussion about healthy masculine behaviours. As such, educators can teach their students about Critical Positive Masculinity Theory, where empathy and inclusivity are cornerstone practices. This framework states that men should express emotions to others and be able to conduct themselves in a way that does not belittle or bully others.
Teachers have other opportunities to counteract toxic masculinity, including by using the cross-curricular competencies set out by the Quebec Education Program. These competencies encourage students to exercise critical judgement, adopt effective work methods, and communicate appropriately. Subjects in the humanities offer space for teachers to critique and renounce Tate’s behaviours. Using Ethics and Religious Culture as an example, one of the curricular competences mandates that students must understand that everyone in society deserves to be equal regarding their rights and dignity. Teachers in Quebec can discuss critical positive masculinity theory while adapting it to suit the needs and discussions of the grade level.
One exercise that I have found to be effective is to have classroom discussions about healthy ways to express thoughts to others in the community. For this discussion, you can have students come up to the board and write examples of situations and describe how they would express how they are feeling. This creates a visual mind map of human interactions that allows students to walk away from this exercise with a renewed sense of how they are connected to their community. Overall, this activity can help subvert stereotypes and assumptions that students may make or hold about one another.
Conclusion
Although facing incarceration in Romania, Andrew Tate has left a harmful legacy because misogyny, sexism, and violence towards women have become dominant ideologies that are present amongst young men and boys in today’s classrooms. Teachers are facing a new challenge that must be addressed: that of online social platforms and how they impact students. Now more than ever, educators must challenge toxic masculinity within their classrooms and work to evoke positive change for future generations. As an initial step, using cross curricular competencies set out by the Quebec Education Plan is one way for teachers to create lesson plans that address problematic forms of masculinity and encourage positive ones. By promoting positive and healthy forms of masculinity, teachers can educate students and help make classrooms and society safer for everyone.
