Houston, we have a problem … It’s bigger than you think, it’s not named Andrew Tate, but he is a symptom.
There is a generation of young men aged 16 to 29 that seem to find a missing nutrient in their development in the form of a 38-year-old former kickboxer turned internet provocateur/guru. Like sailors of old discovering that limes relieved their symptoms of scurvy, Andrew Tate presents himself as the cure to a world gone mad and driven by a politicized media and educational model fueled by angry women and weak men.
My wife’s grandfather passed away a number of years ago and I still feel the void he left behind. He had that rare physical strength and presence that did not create fear in you, it actually made you feel that the closer to him you were, the safer you would be. He had large strong hands hardened from decades of farming and cattle ranching. There is a story of Grandpa Keith punching a cow in the face as it came at him and refused to load in a trailer with the rest. That same man could draw the grandkids around him in groups and he would drive hours around the state to never miss a game or activity.
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His expression of manhood was to raise four children on a small piece of land that he farmed while also running a filling station and remaining faithful to the same woman until the day he died. In his later years he had a modest amount of material wealth as a result of decades of self-sacrifice and “making do.” He was by no means rich by Andrew Tate standards, but when he left this world, he was able to continue his vow to love, cherish, and provide for his bride, who is still in love with him and alive at age 102.
I am not sure how Keith Mullen’s life would rank on Instagram’s algorithm today. I wonder if the kind of depth, character, and true masculinity that he radiated would compete with the Top G, Mr. Plenty, Cobra Tate?
Many a stone has been thrown at Andrew Tate by everyone from Greta Thunberg to Piers Morgan, not to mention legal systems on several continents. His notoriety has been amplified by legal troubles, including allegations of human trafficking and other charges, which he has denied. These cases have kept him in the headlines and fueled debates about his influence and philosophy.
The real question is why would a man more famous for flaws than his attributes strike such a chord in the minds and imaginations of tens of millions of young men worldwide? What is he saying that awakens something almost forgotten in these young men like the sound of a wolf howling in a Jack London novel?
If our broken food system has taught us anything, it is that something can appear good, smell good, and taste good, yet have no real value whatsoever! We are a nation of obese and medicated citizens dying of malnutrition, but boy the commercials look amazing! Something does not have to be completely wrong in order to be harmful. Oftentimes the most dangerous deviations are packaged in truth and look very appealing.
Andrew Tate rose to fame at just the right time, a perfect storm if you will. For decades we have had a steady drop of nearly 1% annually in testosterone levels in men. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism showed a precipitous decline in testosterone levels in men over a 20-year period, independent of aging effects. A 40-year-old man in the 1980s had significantly higher testosterone levels than a 40-year-old man today.
All of the dominoes that extend from this one issue alone would take pages to list, but it leads to a host of challenges from depression, lack of drive, and a generation of young men pressing the gas and getting less response than previous generations. The number of 16 to 29-year-olds raised without a father present in the home is in many cases triple that of the generations that came before them. The book of Proverbs says to raise a child in the way he should go and when he grows up he will not depart from it. We are dealing with millions of young men that were never “raised up”. There is no such thing as a vacuum. Stick your fist in a bucket of water and when you pull it out there is no hole.
Andrew Tate’s message and crafted social media image are the same thing to this generation as a Big Mac to a starving man! Tastes like food, but no real nutrition.
If you’re a young man who has been told that: being male is a flaw in and of itself, your job prospects are going to be dependent on the number of DEI boxes you check, you’re competing for female attention in a global online marketplace, and you will earn less than your parents while being expected to produce the same lifestyle, then the clickbait yet empowering messaging of Andrew Tate is just what the devil … I mean “doctor” ordered.
The timing could not have been better, but in the same way that you make poor dietary choices when you miss a meal or two, this self-serving and anti-biblical answer to this generation’s problems will just leave them with regrets. This generation has found answers in a biblical vacuum filled with doctors willing to change their gender to a self-proclaimed guru who says be even more masculine by inflicting your will on those weaker than you and have as many women as you can afford.
Author G. Michael Hopf, a post-apocalyptic fiction author, in his novel Those Who Remain is famously quoted for the following phrase.
“Hard times create strong men.
Strong men create good times.
Good times create weak men.
Weak men create hard times.”
Andrew Tate simply showed up on the scene at the exact right moment of this historically repeated cycle. The problem is that his version of being a “strong man” does not lead to “good times.” His version of masculinity is simply doing the things required to gain strength and power to be used for personal pleasure and sexual conquest. Not protecting and providing for those weaker than himself.
Keith Mullen served his family and left his community better than he found it. His funeral was packed to the rafters and the personal stories of his impact could fill a book and will live on forever. He found more pleasure in the restraint of his power than in demonstration of it and all those who under his umbrella stood on his shoulders and saw further. Andrew Tate’s legacy will be that of more orphans, broken women, and memes of what it’s like to live a life void of meaning.
What young men actually need is an empowering, principle-focused worldview to rise up and scratch the itch that the Tates of this world are trying to satisfy but never can. We need both men and women to advocate for healthy masculinity, not less masculinity. The pendulum must slow down the swinging from two extremes to a biblically based true north — principled, strong men, who like a male lion can not only play with the cubs but are also celebrated when they fight for the pride.
David Whited is the co-host of the Flyover Conservatives podcast, a platform dedicated to exploring current events, culture, and politics through the lens of conservative Christian values. With a background in entrepreneurship and a passion for truth, David engages audiences with thought-provoking discussions and interviews that challenge mainstream narratives. Alongside his wife, Stacy, he launched the podcast in 2021, which now receives millions of views each month and can be watched on over 60 platforms. Known for his warm demeanor and incisive questions, David strives to create a space for meaningful dialogue and actionable insights.
