The 2023 Chronicle

becoming a “gymcel” (working out) or engaging in “looksmax” (enhancing one’s appearance). Academics from the University of Exeter also noted an increasing overlap between incel followers and the far right, with online algorithms blamed for pushing young boys towards extreme right-wing ideology. WHAT IS A MAN? “Am I man enough?” is a question all boys ask. The answer will depend in part on their definition of a man. I have worked with and talked to countless boys grappling with these questions over their high school years. They seek and absorb the clues in their environment (which is increasingly online) about what it means to be masculine. In the absence of good challenging conversations, and better role models, they will sink to the level of those who shout the loudest. Boys need scaffolded time and space to work through these crucial questions of identity. They deserve better than a one- size fits-all mould of masculinity, or over-simplified answers forced on them by algorithms. Don’t leave it to the likes of Andrew Tate, or the other brittle inhabitants of the manosphere, to lead your son into an extreme version of masculinity. This matters. A boy’s paradigm of manliness will have consequences for all aspects of his later life. It will affect his work, his mental health and all his relationships. And it will either uplift or devastate the women around him. AS TRACKING Over the last three years Michaelhouse has partnered with an organisation called Steer to introduce Affective and Social (AS) Tracking for all boys. This is a pastoral assessment and tracking tool and involves an online assessment, completed by the boys, twice in each academic year. The data produced enables us to identify boys whose mental health is at risk and allows us to proactively intervene appropriately. Housemasters, Assistant Housemasters and some of the wider staff have been trained in how to use the data to support boys of concern. We have also made use of Steer’s framework for writing action plans to nudge boys towards helpful, healthy behaviour as they steer their Michaelhouse journey. COUNSELLING Counselling and pastoral care is an ongoing activity at Michaelhouse. With 620 or more boys it is a demanding role, and I am incredibly grateful to be assisted by Dr Rob Pluke in this work. Rob has been visiting the school as our consulting psychologist every Wednesday morning now for the last two years. He has really added value with his oversight and input. We continue to be grateful to Mr Bryce Dekker, who saw close to 60 senior boys for career guidance over the course of 2022. Thanks as well to Mrs Jenni Clinton-Parker, who has provided some key support to some of our younger boys in her role as part-time counsellor.

A former kickboxing world champion, Tate became famous online. The #AndrewTate hashtag has been viewed more than 12.7 billion times on TikTok. Tate has publicly said he was “absolutely a misogynist”, adding, “There’s no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist.” He also described women as “intrinsically lazy” and said there was “no such thing as an independent female”. According to the BBC, social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, have banned him because of his misogyny, which included selling pornographic images and videos of his “girlfriends” and teaching other men how to do the same. He was also removed from Twitter for saying women should “bear responsibility” for being sexually assaulted. Famous catch phrases include, “What colour is your Bugatti?” to belittle men, and “Make me a sandwich,” to remind women of their place in his world. He was arrested in Romania (one of his bases) for prostitution and rape. There is an army of followers who push out Tate’s content so that even though he is banished his views are spawned everywhere. Earlier this year Sky News conducted an experiment by creating a fake profile of a 13-year-old boy who ostensibly loves jokes, pranks and gaming. This boy then entered the online world as a blank digital slate. Despite not actively searching for Andrew Tate, within an hour the algorithms had pushed him his first Tate video, which heralded an increasing flood of ever more extreme and controversial content. It’s worth watching the full investigation. AGGRIEVED ENTITLEMENT There is little doubt that part of the attraction of Tate’s philosophy for his militia of minions is a pushback against feminism within the more general context of a woke agenda. Teenage boys feel got at and that (their) masculinity is under attack. Lawson adds, “Shifting gender relations and changing familial and domestic patterns have led more young men to feel what sociologist Michael Kimmel calls ‘aggrieved entitlement’ – a state of anger and fear that they are losing their social status and privilege.” Whether they genuinely feel this, or if this is how they are being told they should feel is another question. Taken to an extreme, and it sometimes is, this aggrieved entitlement leads some males deeper into the manosphere where the “incels” dwell. Incels, or involuntary celibates, belong to an online subculture in which a misogynistic world view is promoted by individuals who blame females for their lack of sexual activity. It stems from a belief that women are there to be used for men’s pleasure and that this is being denied to them. In chat rooms and streaming services such as Discord and Twitch, this perverse movement comes with its own vocabulary and stokes a hatred of women (femoids) and of the men who do get sex (chads). Tate and incels are different, but they overlap in their belief that femoids are subservient to men. Further, the idea that traditional (extreme) masculinity is the way to a woman’s heart is shared. Where they part company is that Tate (a chad) and his followers exemplify traditional masculinity and have access to women, which incels do not. Incels may attempt to reach this alpha male state through the process of “ascending”, which may involve

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