4/08/2023

U.K. -SCHOOLS- UP : COMPREHENSION

 


Epping England : Taking on a misogynist. U.K. schools try to combat the growing social media influence of Andrew Tate.

As the seventh graders settled into a lecture hall at a school near London, the topic at hand was not  human rights, historical events or different religions.

''Andrew Tate,'' a teacher said, pointing to a photograph projected on the wall.

''What do you know about this man?''

Some boys giggled at the mention of Mr. Tate, a social media influencer known for his misogynistic comments. One boy said he liked Mr. Tate because '' he has a strong masculinity,'' fast cars and a fit body.

The teacher projected some of Mr. Tate's claims, among them that women who are raped should bear some responsibility. A few boys agreed.

'' He is wrong,'' said the teacher., Jake White. '' That is a load of rubbish.''

In schools across Britain, educators are mobilizing to fight back against Mr. Tate's messages, belatedly realizing the outsize influence he has among their students. A British American former kickboxer.

Mr. Tate gained a following of millions with videos glorifying wealth and a particularly virulent brand of male chauvinism, before being barred last summer from many mainstream social media sites. 

In December, Mr. Tate, 36, and his brother and business partner, Tristan.were arrested in Romania on charges including rape and human trafficking. Their lawyer there, Eugen Vidineac, said in an interview with Turkish broadcaster TRT that they were innocent.

Neither the arrests nor the social media bans have stopped Mr. Tate's messaging from proliferating among young people, and his videos remain available online.

Mr. Tate has said that women ''belong'' to men, should stay at home and need men's directions. He has portrayed men as victims of feminism and false rape accusations, belittled men who do not adhere to his principles and promoted dubious get-rich schemes.

As his video and audio snippets spread from TikTok to school corridors, adults became aware of Mr. Tate's existence, and his traction.

Believing that schools are a microcosm of society  -and a preview of its future - educators said it was crucial to counter Mr. Tate's influence early.

Since last autumn, principals have sent letters to parents warning of his reach, and Britain's education secretary has said that influencers like Mr. Tate could reverse the progress made in countering sexism.

The World Students Society thanks authors Emma Bubola and Isabella Kwai.


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