Content warning: This article contains references to sexual assault and may be triggering for some readers.
Andrew Tate is nothing special or new. He has the deluded confidence of a Trump. He has the following of a Trump. He has been accused of sexually assaulting other humans like Trump has. He’s like Hemmingway without any self-reflection or writing skills. He spouts Joe Rogan talking points and smokes cigars like him too. Tate is just another man who’s willing to sit on a throne of misinformation, insecure men, and subpar charisma.
Nevertheless, none of these facts have stopped him from becoming popular. He’s currently adored by lots and lots of men across the globe. You can’t throw a stick on Youtube, TikTok, or Instagram without hitting his buffoonery.
Moreover, if you have a Tate stan in your life, it might be difficult to get them to listen to any other perspective regarding this man. This is for a myriad of reasons. Firstly, they feel empowered when he degrades women, it gives them a small sense of control on a planet that’s falling apart. Second of all, through Hustler’s University, a multilevel marketing scheme, and streaming, he’s fostered a community of people who don’t feel like they belong anywhere else. Finally, he grabs men by their deepest fears and tells them that they’re right.
Seriously, how can you engage with someone who’s so entrenched in Tate’s culture? How can you have a convo with a Tate simp if there’s a huge chasm between the two of you?
Whelp, I’m here to tell you that it can be done. Additionally, there’s a way of effectively reaching such folks. But I won’t keep you in suspense, here’s my advice for chatting with a Tate follower:
Spoiler Alert — Tate Is a Really Cringey Dude
If you start your convo with a Tate simp by mentioning the fact that this man’s a misogynist or problematic, then you’ve immediately seceded a lot of power. Everyone knows that Tate thinks women are beneath him. In fact, Tate gets his status and fame for saying such vile stuff. So, if you say, “Andrew Tate is a misogynist,” they’ll hear, “Andrew Tate is a dude that’s spitting fire and isn’t afraid of speaking the truth.”
However, if you instead start your chat by saying that Tate is cringe, you might get the upper hand.
Here, let me explain why this is the case. Cultural commentator and YouTuber Natalie Wynn has deradicalized a lot of men from being on the far-right or hating women. She recommends that an effective way of dismantling the status of people like Tate is by lolcowing them. “Lolcow is old 4chan lingo,” explains Wynn in her video called Cringe. “It means a person whose unintentionally eccentric or foolish behaviour can be milked for LOLs. Milking in this context can mean simply watching the lolcow’s behaviour and laughing at them.”
Now, what’s so effective about lolcowing Tate? Well, they have done a lot of unintentionally eccentric or foolish behaviour that can be milked for the LOLs. So, instead of getting on the moral high ground while talking with a Tate stan, you can encourage them to laugh at this cringey guy alongside you. Tate simps want to be like him because they want status, so they might flip if they realise that stanning him will make them the subject of ridicule. Also, these dudes like edgy humour, and what’s edgier than laughing at someone for failing to know who they are?
But there is a problem with this plan. If you don’t know about the cringey stuff Tate has done, you cannot cringe at him. Fortunately though, I’d be thrilled to take you on a museum tour of Tate’s biggest failures.
Related: Andrew Tate Has Finally Been Deplatformed and It’s Working
Related: Who Is the Fake Trillionaire Andrew Tate and Why Is He Everywhere?
The Times That Tate Deliciously Crumpled In Half
One of my favourite videos making fun of Tate is by a YouTuber called Danny Gonzalez. In a vid called Terrifying Alpha Male Club, Gonzalez reviews an ad that Tate commissioned. During Tate’s ad, between promoting his lifestyle of cigars and alleged private jets, he cuts to a man making flames come out of his hand. We are suddenly in a very cheap X-Men fan film. Gonzalez then jokes that while Tate’s business is trash, it also creates some very powerful wizards.
In another clip, this time by the political Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, Tate agrees to debate him. Piker then subsequently humiliates Tate. During this chat, Piker makes fun of Tate for believing that women drivers aren’t as good as male drivers. Instead of getting outraged at Tate’s claims, Piker laughs in his face, highlighting how cringey such an opinion is. This causes Tate to take off his headphone and have a minor temper tantrum. Tate later kicks Piker off the call because he lampoons Hustler’s University for being a scam. This video demonstrates that Tate is a coward that can’t take the heat.
There are plenty of other aspects of Tate that are worthy of ridicule. Like the fact that he wears his sunglasses inside like a 15-year-old or that he lies about being a trillionaire. So, hopefully, all of these points are enough ammunition for any conversation that you have with a Tate simp.
What To Do In the Aftermath
If you have successfully made a Tate stan cringe and become less of a Tate stan, you might have an opportunity to mention the fact that his misogynistic ideas are dangerous. After all, their defences may have come down and they might not want to be cringey like Tate. Now, you may not get through to them, but it could be worth a shot. Tate’s target demographic is lost men who are searching for community and purpose. You could potentially direct their compass in a bit more hopeful direction.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a sexual assault, please contact the Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence National Help Line on 1800 Respect (1800 737 732) or head to The Australian Human Rights Commission for a list of state by state resources.
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