If there’s anything the past ten years have taught us, it’s that no person is above the law. So far, in the 2020’s alone, we have seen a United States President impeached twice and his house raided by the FBI. With every passing day, more and more powerful people have to face their punishment for committing numerous crimes. This sends a clear message that fame and money will not save you, and social media influencer Andrew Tate learned that the hard way. 

Tate, an online celebrity and the target of many, made waves last year for his controversial opinions and views. However, Tate would learn that his community, money, and fame would not exempt him from the law, and on the 29th of December 2022 he and his brother Tristan were arrested in Romania on suspicion of sex trafficking, the LA Times writes. Sex trafficking, or the act of illegally transporting people from one area to the next for the explicit purpose of sexual exploitation, carries harsh legal consequences in Romania, where Tate lives. Tate has sparked controversy for numerous views, stating that men should have authority over women and that women ought to be subservient to men. Tate has not hidden his true views, going so far as to state on a podcast that people “can’t slander me, because I will state right now that I am absolutely sexist and I’m absolutely a misogynist.” Sophomore Thomas Alegria thought of Tate’s views as “kinda far-fetched”, stating that he “[doesn’t] really agree with them”. Alegria believed the allegations of sex trafficking that led to his arrest, but stated that “the court system here says innocent until proven guilty, but I don’t know what the system is there in Romania, where Tate was arrested,” though Alegria states that “if they had enough evidence to arrest him, he’s probably guilty”. Alegria agreed that Tate should remain in custody, stating that it’s “only fair for a crime like that”. A major subject of contention is Tate’s target audience, which is overwhelmingly populated with impressionable young men. The rise of Tate and other “sigma male” influencers that parrot his message in the so-called “manosphere” have been taken by many as a step in the wrong direction. Alegria stated that the rise of this community “is a bad thing, it makes impressionable teens think that they are above others”. 

The Pack News reached out to biology / physics teacher Colby Webb for his opinion, and his was similar but different in many ways. Upon our asking of Webb’s views, he stated that they “are overall metaphorically accurate but literally false.” Webb further asserted that whether he “[believed the allegations] or not, it doesn’t matter, but it doesn’t seem out-of-character” for Tate. Webb also agreed that Tate should stay in custody for such a serious crime, but stated that the rise of Tate is both good and bad, but that “there’s a large part that’s bad, like in what they literally say, but someone needs to tell young men to go out and make something of themselves.” The agreement among our interviewees was that Tate is not as good a person as his supporters claim. Webb says he thinks Tate, “as a person is gross and clearly not a good person, but the fact that he exists says something about the need for a message” for lost young men. Webb and Alegria also agreed in the sense that talking about Tate and those like him is worthwhile, and many seem to share this opinion, while others do not. This requires a repeat of the beginning theme, as nobody is above the law, not even an influencer with such a reputation as Andrew Tate.