Among the many norms of society that the Left has sought to destroy over the last several years, men’s inherent drive to be protectors, providers, and defenders has become a target for belittlement and minimization.

I’m old enough to remember when allowing boys to play with dinosaurs and cars wasn’t a sign of wanting to further some kind of oppressive patriarchy. A man in a dress generally caused a natural response within most people that something unnatural was happening within that individual.

Yet, in a single generation, a major switch has been flipped. The consistent and daily message is that men are the cause of all problems in society and that the patriarchy (both within each individual man and across society as a whole) needs to be dismantled.

Leftists have been relentless in attempting to accomplish this. It manifests in the feminization of men — replacing strong, masculine, honorable role models with men who prefer makeup over muscle and heels over hard work.

It’s no wonder that men’s mental health has plummeted and male suicide rates have surged. When men are no longer respected and expected to fulfill the roles that their biology, minds, and hearts have driven them to pursue in the past, they suffer from a deep lack of purpose and direction. Many of their natural counterparts (women) seem to have little to no use for them anymore.

So, what’s the solution?

Or, should we say … who’s the solution?

A man by the name of Andrew Tate has been all too ready and willing to capitalize on a market of directionless men who are looking for the antidote to the pandemic of male feminization. He’s drawing them in with his brand of “masculine excellence.”

Tate, a former professional kickboxer and reality TV personality, has become a popular figure amongst young men over the last several years. His message resonates, particularly as the effort to reduce men’s physical, mental, and emotional strength has been kicked into high gear. He has attempted to set an example of what hard work can achieve while selling his advice and “wisdom” to like-minded men through podcasts and social media.

His Twitter feed sets the stage for positive advice and male empowerment. Reading much like a fortune cookie on steroids, he repeats lines like, “Do not fail your bloodline” and “life on expert mode.” His declarations are frequently accompanied by numerous pictures of himself — often shirtless and/or showing off his many expensive possessions. He tells men to accept that life is challenging, but to get to work and avoid the temptation to be lazy.

During a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Tate criticized many leftist ideas. He rebuked the idea that raising taxes will affect the weather, and he challenged the racist tenets of CRT — that your skin color determines your abilities and your destiny.

He seems to be skilled at articulating conservative ideas, which adds to his appeal and fuels his popularity amongst men who are trying to act as defenders of moral communities.

However, Tate has a past that cannot be ignored, and even some of his current ideas should give men reason to pause when choosing him as their role model.

Tate is famous for running a “webcam business” and proudly boasting about how he coerced women into becoming employees of his — meaning subjects of online pornography. He has publicly shared tactics, which he calls the “loverboy method,” that involved pretending to want a meaningful connection with a woman, using her trust to take things to physical intimacy, and then springing the idea of nude camera work for money on the unsuspecting, now-vulnerable female.

It appears as though these activities have been left in his past, and Tate even recently converted to Islam.

The question remains: Does this make him a suitable mentor for men, particularly those who have a desire to promote both masculinity and morality?

Tate has come under fire from numerous right-wing influencers, including Ben Shapiro, Michael Knowles, and Liz Wheeler, who warn young men that Tate’s messages contain more sin than sense.

Naturally, Tate argues that the only reason conservatives would attack him is because he’s “too rich to buy.” That idea alone seems to demonstrate a lack of humility and self-reflection that conservative, Christian men should aspire to have.

Tate is also not shy about his love of material possessions and pursuit of wealth. “A real man,” he says, “is ultra rich and provides his woman with the most expensive things money can buy.”

It’s almost impossible to take seriously his promotion of being a high-value man who looks for a high-value woman when his past record of abusing and belittling women is public knowledge. He has yet to acknowledge this as egregious and contrary to everything he promotes today.   What Tate offers lost men is the opposite end of the spectrum from the men in skirts praised by the Left as exhibiting expressions of true self. Unfortunately, it is masculinity at the cost of women and, in turn, at the cost of moral male leaders.

Tate believes himself to be a sign from the universe for positivity and strength.

Yet while he tries to paint his image as a male messiah of sorts, he has far more in common with a golden calf.