If there ever was a sign of the consequences of the fall of media and academic institutions, it comes in the form of who is rising to prominence in the void left behind.

One figure who has attempted to fill that void that is the loathsome Andrew Tate. Tate, for those who do not know, is the founder of “Hustlers University,” an online course, where you, the student, can get a “Pimping Hoes Degree” by learning how to be as much of a man as Tate, a former kickboxer who was accused of sex trafficking and organized crime by Romanian authorities. All that value for only $4.99 a month. Wow! What a deal, if you do not consider the fact that paying to learn how to be a Tate alpha male is self-defeating — that it makes you a “beta,” by his philosophy.

But the contradiction is the point, and it is a problem that many in the right-wing influencer-sphere are going to have to deal with. Tate has been growing in popularity with young men, who polls show are moving right politically.

With the growth of “alternative media,” social media, podcasts, etc., the views of this generation will be shaped by those who claim to represent a new, better truth than the one “peddled” by the “mainstream media” or “woke” universities. 

In my observations of this growing online community, I have found chaos reigns supreme. It is a community that demands purity and wars with itself over what that is. The number of followers you have determines if you are the one that is right. They say Christ is King, but accept Tate, a man who invested his wealth into a mass-OnlyFans business. They say they are critical over billionaires buying power but have no problems with Tate, who brags about having a Bugatti and measures people’s value by their financial success. They have “tradwife” trends on social media while Tate says, “If all your children come from one woman you are not a conquerer. [sic]”

There is no truth here, no actual belief system. What is right? What is virtue? It does not exist to these influencers because it does not matter to them. They want followers and impressions. They covet the same power that they say they are critical of, and the Tate hypocrisy is the chief sign of it. The fake news? Who needs it? You now have an influencer with a Pepe the Frog meme for a profile picture that you go wage an online crusade for. And if you are a truly loyal follower, you have the special opportunity to invest in their meme coin.

We are in a fragile time in our culture. The young men who voted for Trump feel he has let them down. The administration is a circus, and I observe many of them believing Trump has been bought off by Elon Musk. They do not trust the news. They do not trust universities or health agencies. All they are left with are crypto scams and influencers who lack the logic or courage to recognize Andrew Tate invalidates everything they claim to believe in.

Without institutions or a belief system, we are left with no doors to keep the wolves out. All anyone can do now is focus on a first philosophy — something to build a belief system on. With any luck, we will have a better tomorrow than we have today. 

Share