Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate become ‘idols’ for many young Australian men, say teachers

Australian teachers have fired up over male students expressing their support for controversial social media personalities in the classroom.

One Perth teacher recently took to Reddit to ask: ‘The high school I teach at has seen a huge increase in boys idolising Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate; how are schools addressing this?’

Peterson is a Canadian academic, psychologist, author and social commentator who gained significant attention for his divisive views on political correctness, free speech, gender identity and racial privilege.

Andrew Tate is an ex-kickboxer turned influencer and online entrepreneur who is facing criminal charges in Romania, accused of organised crime, human trafficking and rape.

The 36-year-old, who has found fame on – and been kicked off – every social media platform, shares his views and advice on fitness, entrepreneurship, dating and personal development.

He often presents himself as an advocate for a self-reliant, ‘alpha’ mindset that promotes discipline, hard work, and self-improvement. But he is also a self-proclaimed champion of misogyny and ‘toxic masculinity’.

The teacher’s question prompted a flood of responses from Redditors and a fiery debate.

On Tate, one teacher said: ‘I’d just say that’s a conversation for another time and eventually they would get bored of trying to bring it up.’

‘If they did argue, I’d just mention I’m sure they’d want privacy to discuss how they might find supporting an accused criminal problematic. Most were quiet at that.’

Another teacher said: ‘Talk to them about it. I found that many liked the idea of saying something controversial rather than the ideologies. Once I questioned them, they quickly quietened down.’

‘Instead of arguing about the views try to reiterate that Andrew Tate and those that admire him create a world that is unsafe for women, and the women in their lives will act accordingly because they are now someone who is making the world less safe for them.’

‘If they argue, shut it down by saying we don’t need to discuss the ideology and we don’t need to agree.’

‘But the person shouldn’t tell someone how to feel or act, and if they choose to follow Andrew Tate, then they are also choosing to make the world less safe for their female friends, mothers, sisters and those women will treat them accordingly.’

Another added: ‘My 15-year-old nephew idolises a guy who calls himself the alpha male. His parents let him because it’s a ‘phase’. 

‘This was a problem mostly among my year seven kids last year. Immature teenagers will always be immature, the vast majority grow out of it,’ another teacher said. 

Some argued that while they didn’t necessarily support their views, they were filling a gap for young boys.

‘Kids get bombarded with messages about woman’s rights, minority’s rights, LBGT rights and indigenous rights. None of these are bad, but can be overwhelming. We need to provide them something other than these guys to latch onto,’ one said.

Another said: ‘Some teachers have extreme views and force them on kids. If people stopped telling young boys they’re the problem then they’ll stop seeking people like this.’ 

A third added: ‘With all the hate thrown at males, and all the blame on everything ‘patriarchy’ can you really not see why young, impressionable and vulnerable kids are looking for heroes where they can?’

Tate, 36 – who has millions of followers on Twitter even though he is still banned from other platforms – and his brother Tristan were arrested in Bucharest, Romania, in December 2022 on suspicion of organised crime, human trafficking and rape. 

Andrew Tate, 36, who has millions of followers on Twitter, though he’s been banned from other platforms, and his brother Tristan were arrested in Bucharest, Romania in December 2022

Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism said in a statement it had identified six alleged victims in the human trafficking case.

The victims were allegedly subjected to ‘acts of physical violence and mental coercion’ and sexually exploited.

The agency claimed the alleged victims were lured with pretences of love and later intimidated, placed under surveillance and subjected to other control tactics while allegedly being coerced into engaging in pornographic acts for the financial gain of the crime group.

Tate has denied all charges and claimed they are part of a conspiracy to silence him.

According to an article in The Guardian from February 2023, Tate is popular among British teenage boys, who mimic his phrases and philosophies. 

The paper reported ‘virtually every parent in Britain’ had heard of him, and parents and schoolteachers expressed concern that he was influencing boys to exhibit misogynistic or aggressive behaviour.

A 2023 survey conducted by Hope not Hate found that eight in ten British boys aged 16 – 17 had consumed Tate’s content.

And that 45 per cent of British men aged 16 – 24 had a positive view of him, compared to 1 per cent of British women aged 16 – 17.