With the internet being commonplace in our modern world, there is no avoiding the wonders and dangers of social media. While there is no arguing that there are many benefits to using social media, the downsides cannot be overlooked. Alt-right misogynistic influencers such as internet personalities Andrew Tate and Sneako have been dominating the internet as of late. Their social media platforms consist of misogynistic talking points and advice to men on how to approach and treat women.
Sneako, also known as Niko Kenn De Balinthazy, recently came under fire after a video of him with young fans circulated on the internet. The young boys who appeared to be about twelve, said things like “f—k the women” and “all gays should die.” Sneako seemed visibly surprised and later took to his social media accounts to defend his fans saying they were joking and to “blame the rainbow flags in their classrooms. Blame the media for emasculating men. It’s your fault for forcing an obvious agenda.”
Unsurprisingly, this is not the only proof that young boys consuming this kind of content are dangerously radicalizing them. An anonymous secondary school teacher wrote an article for Pink News describing their experiences with Tate’s influence on the boys in their school. Students reportedly catcalled and verbally harassed their female teachers as well as criticized their male teachers for wearing pink.
While this behavior is disturbing, it is only the tip of the iceberg. If these kids keep being exposed to this kind of misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic rhetoric, the problem will escalate. These boys are already calling for all gays to be killed; what happens when they see a man wearing a skirt? What happens when these boys grow up into men with wives and positions of power?
The answer is simple. There is going to be an increase in the level of violence directed at women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Parents need to be monitoring their children’s internet activity and have conversations with their children about why this type of behavior is wrong. Furthermore, these kinds of influencers need to be completely stripped of their platforms so that they cannot indoctrinate any more kids with their dangerous, hateful rhetoric.
