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Streamer Andrew Tate, who has been accused of toxic masculinity by his viewers, is making headlines once again, and as expected, it is for all the wrong reasons. After his recent antics, the internet felt widely disgruntled by Tate's collab with Fortnite Pro Clix.
This apparent disgust stemmed from the British-American kickboxer's distasteful and tactless remarks about Clix's underage partner:
“You know, like, once you’re 18, if you wanna get yourself a real man, I know a guy.”
Andrew Tate has been appearing on multiple streamers' channels over the last couple of days. His controversial views and outlandish takes admittedly bring a large audience to these channels. Tate's rise to infamy took flight after his appearance on Adin Ross' stream last week.
Andrew Tate accused of being a "Groomer"
Tate is a controversial figure who blew up in the Twitch community after his much-publicised spat with xQc on stream. Clips from the fight have accrued hundreds of thousands of views, triggering multiple big streamers such as HasanAbi, Destiny and Ludwig to speak out against his sexist views.
Who is Tate?
Tate is known for his anti-women narratives, which notably got him into hot waters during the Harvey Weinstein scandal. The former kickboxer is permanently banned from Twitter due to victim blaming. Here is a small excerpt from his deleted tweets:
"If you put yourself in a position to be r*ped, you must bare [sic] some responsibility."
He also made headlines after getting sacked from the UK TV show Big Brother for a controversial video. As for his fortune, he made most of his millions with his webcam business, where he "employs" women to chat with lonely men for money.
The term "employ" applies briefly as Andrew Tate is currently under investigation for human trafficking in Romania. He moved to the Eastern-European country because "it is highly corrupt" and allows him considerable liberties:
As for his business, Tate claims to run an online establishment that teaches his secret powers of making money and attracting women.
Did he hit on an underage girl on stream?
As is evident from the attached clip, Andrew Tate made overtures to an underage girl on a discord call on Fortnite Pro Clix's Twitch stream. Towards the end, the 35-year-old was talking to Clix's partner, a seventeen-year-old girl, remarking:
“You know, like, once you’re 18, if you wanna get yourself a real man, I know a guy.”
When the girl asked about the said guy's identity, Tate seemed to have realized his mistake and tried to evade the question:
“It’s a long story. I can’t tell you exactly because... because there’s bad things about him.”
However, he clarified the facade when Clix interjected the conversation. After a vigorous back and forth, the kickboxer shouted at the Fortnite pro, proclaiming:
“I’ll take your b**ch on your stream! You messed it up, my G!”
The next five minutes presented an unnerving sight as Andrew Tate coerced the couple to kiss and prove their love. Being a 35-year-old adult, the kickboxer's conduct against two underage teenagers was widely lambasted and publicized on the internet.
Coupling it with his past record of dehumanizing women and labeling them as "property," it was no wonder social media backlash would ensue. Furthermore, even xQc deemed him a groomer during their most recent confrontation:
Social media reacts
Many on social media were disgusted by the interaction, calling it p*dophilic. Some even hoped it would get Andrew Tate banned from Twitch:
The rise of controversial figures such as Andrew Tate has dominated the discourse in recent weeks. With regards to the streamers' take on the situation, HasanAbi called it irresponsible platforming but went on his stream anyway.
By giving him a platform on Twitch, streamers such as Adin Ross, xQc and others have brought Andrew Tate into the mainstream. With that being said, the ramifications of his conduct remain to be seen.
Note: Some opinions in the article belong solely to the author.
