Manosphere influencers such as Andrew Tate are radicalizing young men with their extreme misogynistic views, UK police have warned.
In a new report, the UK National Police Chiefs Council said the growth of this is “quite terrifying,” and went so far as to call it a “national emergency.”
Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth told the BBC that police officers who dealt with violence against women and girls are now working with counter-terrorism organisations to try and tackle this dark side of the creator economy.
“We know that some of this [online content] is also linked to radicalisation of young people online,” Blyth said. “We know the influencers, Andrew Tate, the element of influencing of particularly boys, is quite terrifying.”
What is the manosphere?
The ‘manosphere’ refers to a range of online blogs, forums, or personalities who promote rigid ideas about masculinity. These sectors of the internet purport that feminism is a bad thing for society. Accepting these beliefs as fact is known within the community as being “red-pilled,” using a metaphor from the sci-fi movie, “The Matrix.”
‘Incels,’ or involuntary celibates, are the most well-known manosphere group, but they aren’t the only ones. Along with Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW) and father’s rights groups, pick-up artists are also widely popular.
Pick-up artists purport to teach other men the art of seduction, but their underlying beliefs about women and their dubious means of “attracting” them can be seen as troubling and misogynistic in nature.
The most well-known pick-up artist is Andrew Tate. He’s a former “Big Brother” star who is currently awaiting trial in Romania for numerous offenses, including rape and human trafficking. A YouGov poll cited by The Independent found recently that one in four young men agree with Andrew Tate’s views on women.
