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Andrew Tate is All Over TikTok. What Now?

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6 months ago

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Tate has become known for sharing outright misogynistic beliefs online, many of which promote violence against women.

Who is Andrew Tate?

The sudden and increasing rise of online personality Andrew Tate — who regularly spews violently misogynistic rhetoric — has left audiences concerned by his content grappling with one question: How can one condemn Tate without simultaneously promoting him?

In the past, Tate has said that rape victims should bear some “responsibility” for what happened to them.

He believes women who make money on OnlyFans owe a cut of that check to their boyfriend or husband because “she belongs to that man.” He does not believe a man would owe his girlfriend the same share. 

Tate thinks women should clean up without being asked and has said he would only administer CPR on “a hot female.” If he is dating a woman, he says he has “responsibility over her,” and therefore, “must have a degree of authority” over her as well.

When asked how he would respond to a girl accusing him of cheating, he said, “It’s bang out the machete, boom in her face, and then grip her up by the neck.”

The American-born and U.K.-raised former kickboxer now lives in Romania, claiming he moved partially because he thinks it would be easier to evade rape charges in the country. 

“I’m not a rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free,” he reportedly said. 

Tate is also reportedly involved in an investigation in Romania over accusations that a 21-year-old woman was being held against her will at the home he shares with his brother. While Tate has denied wrongdoing, authorities have said the investigation into the matter includes human trafficking and rape allegations. 

His beliefs are not shared only among a fringe group of online users. While Tate has been banned from Twitter and does not have a TikTok account of his own, his span still reaches far and wide. Videos of him on TikTok have amassed over 11 billion views. Since early July, Google searches for him have skyrocketed, surpassing ones for podcaster Joe Rogan and musician Taylor Swift.

The Fine Line of Criticizing Tate

His content is largely aimed at young men and teenage boys, raising concerns over how to minimize the potential damage Tate’s sexism can have on young and developing minds. In Tate’s own words, he believes that if his critics want him to disappear, they should ignore him. 

“The smartest thing my haters could do is never mention me again,” he said in one video that has been shared online.

“All you are doing is accelerating my endless conquest.” 

Giving Tate’s name the silent treatment is a strategy some hope could work. Australian radio and television personality Abbie Chatfield said her initial instinct was to ignore Tate as she faced endless requests to discuss him. 

“I want to try to suffocate him of any oxygen in media because the more I engage with his content – even to research, for a radio segment – if I look at his TikToks, or he’s tagged in a TikTok and I look at it for too long, that feeds the algorithm and it feeds out more to my followers and to the followers who are already engaging in that content,” she explained on “The Project.”

However, she also believes his presence might be too large to turn a blind eye to, but is still unsure of how to address him without feeding an algorithm that supports him.

“It is getting a bit too big to ignore now, but I do still fear that if I speak about it, to my followers or to my listeners of my podcast, it doesn’t really achieve anything,” she explained. “I’m sure those who are my listeners already feel this way.”

Chatfield knows firsthand how Tate’s words lead to real-life consequences. She said receives direct messages online “from what appear to be early teen boys saying, ‘I hope Andrew Tate destroys you.’”

Because of this, some fear ignoring Tate is not the answer. 

“Though pretending Tate doesn’t exist would starve him of attention that he clearly craves, it wouldn’t cut off his revenue – or his ability to exploit, and perhaps harm, others,” Ash Sarkar wrote for GQ.

Tate’s Rise to Online Fame

Tate’s rapid rise online can largely be attributed to his loyal fans, some of whom are part of a venture run by Tate called Hustler’s University. 

As Tate describes it on the website, for $49 a month, Hustler’s University introduces people to “a community where me and dozens of War Room members will teach YOU exactly how to make money.​”

The website claims to give access to stock and crypto analysis, NFTs, copywriting, affiliate marketing, and more avenues under the guidance of professors that are “verified” by Tate. 

While Tate denies that there is anything nefarious about Hustler’s University, many have compared it to a multi-level marketing scheme. 

Some members of Hustler’s University, as well as other casual viewers of Tate’s content, feel an incentive to promote Tate on TikTok, strategically choosing some of his most controversial statements to share on the app to increase engagement and views. 

While TikTok has said it does not tolerate misogynistic rhetoric and is reviewing this content, the main issue centers around the fact that the app’s algorithm is designed to promote people like Tate. Content with shock value that attracts comments is TikTok’s bread and butter. The more people engage with a video, the more likely it is to end up on another user’s feed. This was all it took for Tate to become a main topic of conversation on the platform over just the course of a few weeks. 

The Guardian published an investigative report examining just how this worked by making an account for an “imaginary” 18-year-old boy. It was first fed generic content like dog videos and comedy bits, as well as discussions about men’s mental health. The content then began to skew to more male-based discussions, and then “without ‘liking’ or searching for any content proactively” was slowly filled with videos of Tate sharing his sexist takes. 

According to The Guardian, while other controversial figures like Jordan Peterson also came up, Tate was the prominent face.

Because young men can so quickly be fed so much Tate without even actively suggesting any interest in him, many fear that women will suffer. 

“Women are under threat, and we have been for generations,” Lucy Cocoran wrote for Marie Claire. “Men like Andrew Tate are making the world even more unsafe for women and girls who are already terrified of becoming another statistic.”

See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (GQ) (Marlie Claire)

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Britney Spears Asks For Privacy After Fans Called Cops to Conduct a Wellness Check on Her

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4 days ago

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January 26, 2023

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Fans said they were concerned after the singer deleted her Instagram account.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was updated to include a statement from Britney Spears

Fans Call 911

Britney Spears said her fans “went a little too far” after some called the police to conduct a wellness check on her. 

The fans, many fueled by online conspiracy theories, were concerned about Spears because she deleted her Instagram account. While this is something the singer has done multiple times in the past, her fans thought she had left secret signals in her last post suggesting she needed help.

Some even posted videos of them calling emergency services on TikTok, a platform that is full of conspiracy videos about Spears. 

“I love and adore my fans but this time things went a little too far and my privacy was invaded,” Spears wrote in a statement on Thursday, citing “prank phone calls” that were made to police.

According to Spears, officers did not enter her home because once they got to her gate, they “quickly realized there was no issue and left immediately.”

“This felt like I was being gaslit and bullied once the incident made it to the news and being portrayed once again in a poor and unfair light by the media,” Spears continued. “During this time in my life, I truly hope the public and my fans who I care so much about can respect my privacy moving forward.”

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Ventura County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Page Six that the department “did get calls into our dispatch” but added there was no reason to believe that Spears was “in any kind of harm or any kind of danger.”

That spokesperson declined to say if officials contacted Spears or conducted a wellness check, citing privacy and public trust issues.

The Prominence of Britney Spears Conspiracies 

Just over a year has passed since Spears was freed from a highly restrictive conservatorship that controlled her life and finances for 13 years. Throughout the conservatorship, fans tried to use the pop icon’s social media to pick up clues that she was secretly struggling. She did not publicly speak about the conservatorship until the summer of 2021. 

Now that she has her freedom, fans are still reading heavily into her posts. Some believe there are hidden messages in her captions and in the gestures she does while dancing. Others think she is dead, missing, or hiding and that a body double is being used in her posts. Some are so concerned that they are coordinating a mass effort to pressure the Los Angeles Times into investigating Spears’ whereabouts and safety. 

In the last several years, many have reflected on Spears’ early days in the spotlight and the cruel ways she was harassed and targeted by paparazzi, news outlets, and culture at large. Often the punchline to a joke throughout the 2000s, many now sympathize with Spears, who was forced to endure heavy public scrutiny at a young age. Documentaries like “Framing Britney Spears” prompted many to see Spears as a victim of abusive media tactics, not the “crazy” woman tabloids painted her to be. 

Many are now concerned that fans are only going to subject Spears to a new onslaught of harassment by calling the police to her house. Even if the conspiracy theories are technically well-intentioned and often come from a place of concern, some believe they will jumpstart a media frenzy that could harm Spears’ mental well-being.

See what others are saying: (Page Six) (Jezebel) (TMZ)

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Razzies Apologize For Nominating 12-Year-Old, Adopt Age Rules For Future Nominations

Published

5 days ago

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January 25, 2023

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The group’s founder said the Razzies regret “any hurt” the young actress may have “experienced as a result of our choices.”

Razzies Face Backlash

The Razzie Awards revoked its “insensitive” nomination of 12-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong and added new guidelines banning child performers from being nominated in the future. 

The Razzies, which award the year’s worst movies, included Armstrong in its “Worst Actress” lineup for her role in “Firestarter.” Bryce Dallas Howard, Diane Keaton, Kaya Scodelario, and Alicia Silverstone were also nominated in the category.

Armstrong starred alongside Zac Efron in “Firestarter,” an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The picture received a 10% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. 

While the film was broadly panned, many thought it was a bridge too far to nominate a child for a bad acting award.

“The Razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong,” child star Julian Hilliard, best known for his work in “WandaVision,” tweeted. “Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better.”

Actor and podcast host Brandon Hardesty said the nomination was “completely ignorant and cynical.”

“They have no clue what this can do to a child actress who probably considered her starring role in FIRESTARTER as a high point in her life,” he wrote. 

“That girl was the best part of that mess of a movie,” film critic Shannon McGrew tweeted. “And on top of that, no kid should ever be nominated for an award that punches down on them.”

Nomination Revoked

Razzies founder John Wilson addressed the backlash in a statement to the press on Wednesday, calling the criticism “valid.”

“Sometimes, you do things without thinking, Then you are called out for it. Then you get it,” Wilson said. “It’s why the Razzies were created in the first place.”

“We have removed Armstrong’s name from the Final Ballot that our members will cast next month,” he continued. “We also believe a public apology is owed Ms. Armstrong, and wish to say we regret any hurt she experienced as a result of our choices.”

In addition to removing Armstrong’s nomination, The Razzies is now adopting “a Voting Guideline precluding any performer or film-maker under 18 years of age from being considered” for awards. 

“Since our motto is ‘Own Your Bad,’ we realize that we ourselves must also live up to it,” the statement closed.

While Armstrong will be the last child to nab a Razzie nomination, she was far from the first. Jake Lloyd made the list for his turn as young Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.” Gary Coleman and Macaulay Culkin also got nominations as teenagers.

See what others are saying: (Deadline) (The Hollywood Reporter) (People)

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SeatGeek CEO Calls to Break up Ticketmaster and Live Nation in Senate Hearing Following Taylor Swift Debacle

Published

6 days ago

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January 24, 2023

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“A lack of robust competition in our industry meaningfully stunts innovation, and consumers are who suffer,” Jack Groetzinger said.

Monopoly Concerns

Two months after technical difficulties blocked countless Taylor Swift fans from snagging seats to her tour, a bipartisan group of Senators held a hearing to re-examine the merger between Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

The two entertainment giants merged in 2010. Jack Groetzinger, the CEO of the rival ticket-selling platform SeatGeek, said during Tuesday’s hearing that the two need to be broken up to benefit consumers. 

“One, a lack of robust competition in our industry meaningfully stunts innovation, and consumers are who suffer,” he said. “Two, venues fear losing Live Nation concerts if they don’t use Ticketmaster, and three, the only way to restore competition in this industry is to break up Ticketmaster and Live Nation.” 

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) echoed concerns about the lack of competition, arguing that Live Nation is the “definition of monopoly.”

“Live Nation is so powerful that it doesn’t even need to exert pressure, it doesn’t need to threaten, because people just fall in line,” she said. 

The Eras Tour Debacle

Ticketmaster has long been accused of price-gouging and complicating the ticket-buying process. Those issues made international headlines in November during the presale for Swift’s highly anticipated Era’s Tour. 

Millions of fans who attempted to enter Ticketmaster’s virtual queue walked away empty-handed after experiencing crashes, price inflation, and a myriad of other issues. 

According to Ticketmaster, the incredibly high demand, coupled with an onslaught of bot attacks, forced the platform to slow sales down. After the company delayed sales in certain cities and canceled the general sale altogether, Swift called the ordeal “excruciating.”

“We asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could,” she wrote on Instagram in November. 

The controversy prompted many to accuse Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, of holding a monopoly over the concert and live events industry. The U.S. Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into the entertainment giant. 

Ticketmaster Takes Heat

Ticketmaster has repeatedly tried to blame a number of factors for the failed Swift presale, even at one point suggesting the sale was too popular because the “Anti-Hero” singer waited so long to tour. 

“May I suggest, respectfully, that Ticketmaster ought to look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m the problem, it’s me,’” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said during the hearing. 

Still, the company continued to point the finger at record-breaking bot attacks. 

“We knew bots would attack at onsale and planned accordingly. We were then hit with three times the amount of bot traffic that we’d ever experienced,” Live Nation CFO Joe Berchtold said on Capitol Hill. 

“The attack requires [us] to slow down and even pause our sales. This is what led to a terrible consumer experience we deeply regret. We apologize to the fans, we apologize to Miss Swift, we need to do better and we will do better,” he continued. 

Others present at the hearing were not happy with Live Nation’s bot defense. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said that she has worked with companies in a variety of industries that deal with bots without these issues. 

“You know what, they get bot attacks every single day by the thousands. By the thousands,” she said. “And they have figured it out, but you guys haven’t? This is unbelievable.” 

“You can’t blame bots for what happened to Taylor Swift,” JAM Productions CEO Jerry Mickelson added. “There’s more to that story that you’re not hearing.”

According to Mickelson, Ticketmaster can actually stand to benefit from glitchy sales on its platform. 

“The process, when it’s slowed down, increases the money that Ticketmaster makes because they make money on fees and as the ticket prices go up due to dynamically priced tickets, Ticketmaster makes more off that,” he claimed. “So it’s to their advantage to slow the process down.”

Outrage against Ticketmaster has become so widespread that Sen. Blumenthal said the company was responsible for “an absolutely stunning achievement.” 

“You have brought together Republicans and Democrats in an absolutely unified cause.”

See what others are saying: (Axios) (USA Today) (New York Times)

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