Australian teachers are outraged by male students voicing their support for controversial social media personalities in the classroom.
A teacher from Perth recently took to Reddit to ask, “The high school where I teach has seen a huge increase in guys who idolize Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate; how do schools approach this?’
Peterson is a Canadian academic, psychologist, author, and social commentator who has gained widespread attention for his divisive views on topics ranging from political correctness and freedom of speech to gender identity and racial privilege.
Andrew Tate is a former kickboxer turned influencer and online entrepreneur facing criminal charges in Romania on charges of organized crime, human trafficking and rape.
The 36-year-old, who has risen to fame on – and kicked off – every social media platform, shares his thoughts and advice on fitness, entrepreneurship, dating and personal development.
He often presents himself as an advocate for a self-reliant and “alpha” mentality, which promotes discipline, hard work, and self-improvement. He is also a self-proclaimed champion of misogyny and “toxic masculinity.”
The teacher’s question led to a deluge of responses from Redditors and a fiery debate.
On Tate, one teacher said, “I’d just say this is a conversation for another time, and they eventually got bored of bringing it up.”
“If they argued about that, I would say quietly that I’m sure they want privacy to discuss how they find supporting an accused criminal problematic. Most were silent about that.’
Jordan Peterson is a Canadian academic, psychologist, author and social commentator popular with the far right
Another teacher said, ‘Talk to them about it. I found that many liked the idea of saying something controversial more than the ideologies. When I questioned them about it, they quickly calmed down.’
“I saw a good point that there is no point in trying to go against the views, but instead reiterating that Andrew Tate and those who admire him are creating a world that is unsafe for women, and the women in their lives will act accordingly because they are now someone who makes the world less safe for them to exist in it.
“If they try to argue, wrap it up by saying we don’t have to discuss the ideology and we don’t have to agree with it.
“But the person shouldn’t be telling someone how to feel or act, and if they choose to follow Andrew Tate, then they’re also choosing to make the world less safe for their girlfriends, mothers, sisters, etc.” And they will treat those women accordingly as people who make their lives more unsafe.’
A third added: “My 15-year-old cousin idolizes a man who calls himself the alpha male. His parents allowed him in because it’s a “phase”.
Another said: ‘Was a problem last year especially among my seven year olds. Immature teenagers will always remain immature, the vast majority grow out of it.’
While a fourth added: “I noticed that many liked the idea of saying something controversial, rather than the ideologies.”
Some argued that while they did not necessarily support their views, they filled a gap for young boys.
“Children are bombarded with messages about women’s rights, minority rights, LBGT rights and Indigenous rights. None of these are bad, but can be overwhelming. We need to give them something other than these guys to hang on to,” someone said.
Another said: ‘Some teachers have extreme views and force them on children. When people stop telling young boys they’re the problem, they’ll stop looking for people like that.’
A third added, “With all the hatred thrown at men, and all the blame for all that is ‘patriarchy’, you really can’t understand why young, impressionable and vulnerable kids are looking for heroes wherever they can?”
Tate, 36, who has millions of followers on Twitter even though he is still banned from other platforms, and his brother Tristan were arrested in December 2022 in Bucharest, Romania, on suspicion of organized crime, human trafficking and rape.
Andrew Tate, 36, who has millions of followers on Twitter although he has been banned from other platforms, and his brother Tristan were arrested in Bucharest, Romania in December 2022
Romania’s Organized Crime and Terrorism Investigation Directorate said in a statement that it had identified six alleged victims in the human trafficking case.
The victims were allegedly subjected to ‘acts of physical violence and mental coercion’ and sexually exploited.
The agency alleged that the alleged victims were lured with pretenses of love and later intimidated, placed under surveillance, and subjected to other control tactics, while allegedly coerced into committing pornographic acts for the crime group’s financial gain.
Tate has denied all allegations, claiming they are part of a conspiracy to silence him.
According to a February 2023 article in The Guardian, Tate is popular among British teenage boys, who emulate his phrases and philosophies.
The newspaper reported that ‘virtually every parent in Britain’ had heard of him, and parents and teachers expressed concern that he influenced boys to engage in misogynistic or aggressive behaviour.
A 2023 survey conducted by Hope not Hate found that eight in ten British boys aged 16 to 17 had used Tate’s content.
And that 45 per cent of British men aged 16 – 24 had a positive view of him, compared to 1 per cent of British women aged 16 – 17.