Two all-boys “elite” private schools in Sydney have sent letters to students warning them of the dangers of Andrew Tate — despite the fact that the man was banned from most socials in August, and the minds of private school boys make Tate look like Elmo.
Following the bevy of racist, homophobic, sexist, anti-semitic and pedophilic messages leaked from a Knox Grammar group chat earlier this month, two other private schools have decided to step up and do something to control their students this week.
Unfortunately, this comes in the form of blaming someone like Andrew Tate for a decades-old culture of testosterone-laden entitlement and unacceptable behaviour that we see too often from all-boys private school alumni.
Men like Tate are only a small part of the problem, loves. The call is coming from inside the house.
Per the Daily Telegraph, Head of Students James Bowles from The Scots College in Sydney’s East sent this message to parents in the school’s newsletter:
“Parents are worried that his horrific attitude will corrupt their teenage son/s, and adolescent girls are becoming scared of their male counterparts.
“What Tate is really seeking with his online tirades is the power that comes from eliciting a reaction … this is the key concept parents should remember when managing this type of situation.”
Okay, now what are you going to do to make sure your students aren’t scaring adolescent girls?
A similar message came from Trinity Grammar’s Deputy Head Bradley Barr.
“[His] reach probably extends into many of your homes and to the social media feeds of many of your sons,” he wrote in a letter.
“I am of the view that if your son is being exposed to Mr Tate’s vitriol, he needs some adult assistance to mediate how he thinks about what he is hearing.”
I appreciate what these schools are doing but it also feels like a tiny Band-Aid on a huge issue. Sure, Tate has been a colossal douche since around 2016, but he only exploded in global name recognition this year. So, who was to blame when Scots College admitted to a “dark culture” after young boys were receiving sexual assault complaints in 2021?
This issue is endemic in Australian private schools. We should be doing way more to educate our young boys than sending out letters warning parents about a banned TikToker.
