Andrew Tate has taken the internet by storm. While he has mainly been shed in a negative spotlight, he has gained many followers that look up to him, particularly young men.

While some claim that he’s misogynistic and makes offensive remarks regarding women, others claim that he’s simply making men feel more comfortable with their masculinity and showing men how they should treat women to succeed in life.

Though many are outraged by Andrew Tate and the misogynistic remarks he makes, is Andrew Tate really the disease, or is he the symptom?

For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction. In recent years, a portion of the feminist movement has become more and more radical and tribalistic. This isn’t unique to just the feminist movement, this happens with nearly every large movement, and it’s certainly not to say that the feminist movement is a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination.

However, the portion of the feminist movement being referenced as extreme is the part that has spoken of and has deemed all men as sexist, disgusting, pigs, abusive, creepy, and other terms deeming all men as inherently terrible humans.

Shaming all men for the problems that some men have caused is not okay.

When you take young men that feel they have been wrongfully deemed a horrible person simply for being male and for no other reason, you are going to leave these impressionable young men feeling guilt for something they didn’t do, as well as a sense of loneliness and isolation with no outlet.

When someone who doesn’t care about being called any of these things comes along and is telling these lonely men how to be better men, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise when some of these young men that feel shunned out of society start seeing Andrew Tate as a figure they can look up to; someone they feel is finally advocating for them.

While Andrew Tate seems to be a symptom of the extreme part of the feminist movement, that does not excuse Tate or his base’s behavior either, as it does appear that Tate has made a fair amount of misogynistic statements.

Tate has stated many times how men should have authority over women if he’s to provide for “his woman”, and at times saying that the woman should “sit down and be quiet.”

He’s expressed repeatedly how it is unnatural for women to have power in a relationship, which he has used as an excuse for why he views double standards between men and women to be okay.

He echoes themes such as these often when speaking, also comparing women to dogs, cars, and other objects.

Tate is also being investigated for sex trafficking in Romania, while he’s also said that “40 percent” of the reason he moved to Romania from England was that Romanian police were less likely to pursue sexual assault allegations. He added to that, saying, “I’m not a rapist, but I like the feeling of being able to do whatever I want.”

Keira Silva, senior, said that she had primarily seen Andrew Tate on TikTok and that she thinks he got so popular because he already “had a background in some kind of media spotlight… he had a sense of ‘relatability’ that viewers found attractive.”

Silva also said that she believes Andrew Tate has objectified women on numerous occasions, and that he “loves to make broad generalizations about women. In addition to this, he’s a huge supporter of double standards and places many groups within stereotypes.”

“He’s made tons of misogynistic claims and puts off this idea that his content has more educational and ‘real’ value for this world,” Silva said.

Silva feels that his content is “much rather an escape for his users and Andrew himself to indulge in conversations about more negative or controversial ideas, things, or people.”

Sophomore Quinntes Rider thought that Andrew Tate is popular because “some people find [his claims] funny.”

Rider said while some may find it funny, he thinks there are others who are trying to compensate for negative feelings they might actually have.

“Tate’s statements aren’t always offensive, but many times have been,” Rider said. “You can’t just make false and condescending blanketed statements about all women as he has in the past.”

“We’re supposed to be moved on from all this [sexism],” Rider said. “It’s the 21st century… we’re supposed to be way beyond that, but it’s still here.”

Rider also spoke on the idea of Tate being canceled, saying, “it’s the internet, you’re going to hear lots of things, so I don’t know if he should be canceled… but people should be aware of what they’re watching.”

In regards to what Rider thought of people that do like Andrew Tate, he said “they have their opinions, and we have ours, so we can’t be mad at them,” and went on to compare it to those he personally disagreed with, saying “just like a Trump supporter” you still need to respect them as people, as well as their opinions.

However, Andrew Tate did not merely come out of nowhere. When you have a radical portion of a movement deeming all men as ultimately terrible people, that’s going to leave an impression on many young men, making them feel shoved out of society and looked down upon simply for existing.

Because of this, it makes perfect sense for it to result in a portion of these people looking up to an extreme figure of the opposing side of the coin that they feel did them wrong, though it is not an excuse for the potential actions of the men that do follow him, nor is it a defense for Andrew Tate.

The pendulum swung too far one way, and it is now overcorrecting, swinging too far the other.