From Roe v. Wade being overturned to Andrew Tate and his goonies springing up with their alpha male antics, women nowadays are starting to feel the belittlement and oppression that past generations felt decades ago. To put it simply, what we once thought was irreversible and grounding is now starting to crumble, as conversations stir with talks about women’s insecure place in society. With so much opposition everyday about the double standards and the favored gender systems, I believe that women are being pushed into a corner again, with little to no room for discussion from the men and government.

    Such a large-scale issue has even infiltrated the small city of Pembroke Pines, Florida and made its way down the halls of the Pembroke Pines Charter Schools. Even students of Academic Village Middle School have heard the infamous name “Andrew Tate”, exposing them to harsh critiques about women. 

   The first 10 years in someone’s life are crucial for learning about morals and values, especially from trustworthy sources like elementary school teachers and parents. Now, how about if they included a third party from social media as an “educator”? Imagine young boys getting a crash course on how to mistreat girls to fuel their masculinity, encourage them to think of themselves as “superior”, and to ultimately learn how to dominate women. Would that be beneficial for them in the long run? Would this “method of learning” get them their dream woman?  

   Women have fought since 1848, and only solidified their stance in society in 1919, for the 19th Amendment, which was established to create equal opportunity for both genders. When Andrew Tate made an appearance with other wannabe alpha males, not only did he disrupt and create a bigger rift between genders, he also created a toxic platform targeted towards men, yet still open to fuel the minds of little boys that have too much time on their hands. 

Hate on Andrew Tate

   Andrew Tate is a 36 year old, former UK kickboxer, ex-reality show contestant, and currently the leader of the pack of wannabe Alpha Males who has been accused of many allegations ( TW: such as sexual assault against women, sex trafficking, kidnapping, and physically assaulting women on live television). Tate has been the gateway to future misogynistic men and the further downfall of women. Many Pines Charter boys would agree that he has had an influence on them. Senior Rene Branas, a senior who understands both sides says, “Some things he says can be true, but most of the time it’s misogynistic.” Rene emphasizes, “I don’t know, I believe that the minions that follow him are doing more harm, like Sneako. Teaching young boys to be rude to women is not cool.”

   Many of the girls at PPCHS are concerned about the influence of Andrew, including senior Avery Appio who immediately began to speak about one topic: the social media spiral. 

   Freedom of expression on social media is a double sided weapon in Avery’s eyes. She’s witnessed how people like Tate have popped up, gotten sued, and become irrelevant. 

She pinpointed the reason why Tate was much more dangerous than the rest: he didn’t bother to hide or sugar-coat his views. Utilizing his large platform to his advantage, his unfiltered claims reach far corners of the Internet. Controversy made him go viral–and granted him an influx of supporters.

   “It feels so frustrating, especially considering so many influencers not reaching [Tate’s] capacity have deep rooted those values, and knocked down all the progress we worked so hard to cultivate,” Avery added. 

   When Tate got deplatformed, it was a breath of fresh air. But the damage had already been done.

Roe v. Wade

   If Andrew Tate is controlling the minds of impressionable boys, does that mean that women are safe from restraint on their minds and body? Nope. With the government now enforcing a ban against the free choice of abortion in America, women are now not only being oppressed by the men who have been influenced by the internet, but are also now being controlled by the government. When Margaret Atwood had written her novel The Handmaid’s Tale, published in 1985, she had no idea that the events in her book would come this close to existence so quickly.  According to her, “you write these books so they won’t come true.” Not only did her book reveal potential threats that could happen if people let the government control their bodies, it also showed the hard truth in forcing pregnancies onto unwanting mothers. 

   Ms. Phelps, a PPCHS English teacher, is currently lecturing about The Handmaid’s Tale as part of the AP Literature curriculum. “Literature matters specifically because it mirrors society—past, present, and potential future,” she explains. “Atwood herself has stated, ‘There is nothing new about the society depicted in The Handmaid’s Tale except the time and place. All of the things I have written about have […] been done before, more than once.’ In reflecting the human condition, fiction has always taught us about who we are, have been, and can become.’”

To read more about Roe v. Wade and its ongoing impact, read the published CHAT article here. 

   So, what happens when the land of the free isn’t so free anymore? Would the internal grounds in which we pledge our allegiance start to break apart? Or will the people of America let the soft soil take them under? History is repeating itself.