When you think of a public intellect, you think of someone who has shown actions and behaviors that inspire you to become an overall well-rounded person. You adopt parts of their characteristics to develop your own work ethic, personality, and philosophies to help guide you through life. This approach is open to your own interpretation by applying their conduct that suits your personal lifestyle, to help you succeed. This analysis seems to replicate a traditional hero. The definition of a hero, according to Robert Cipriano from HuffPost, is a person who stood for the ideas and beliefs that we as want to become or mimic. They have displayed an action that captured our attention and we idolize them in every aspect. We have access to their accomplishments and tragedies and are able to see how they navigate through each phase. This fact allows us to feel emotionally and intellectually connected to that particular person and place them in high regard (Cipriano 2014). Why and how do we select an individual to idolize? What qualities or characteristics do we try to emulate? The answer is simply due to how that person overcomes obstacles and how they’ve accomplished success. We pay attention to their decisions and problem-solving skills, which aid them through burdensome and progressive circumstances. Therefore, this idea influences us to act in the same or similar fashion since we have proof of success from a respected person. It prevents false hope in thinking that certain scenarios or obstacles cannot be accomplished. The only thing that prevents these positive behaviors is the inability to apply it to your own life, without making the proper adjustments. Though at least one or two people go through similar situations, adjustments are made, in order to achieve that success. The person who intrigued me and might want to exemplify their work is the former kickboxer and entrepreneur Andrew Tate.
Our “hero” could have been seen as a public intellectual. We conduct physical studies of how they work in written form or as a social contribution to society. According to Ta-Nehisi Coates of The Atlantic, a public intellectual is an individual that shares knowledge with the public with the intention of a more educated class of people. He gives an example of a public intellect based on their accomplishments and contributions to modern society “I claimed that Melissa Harris-Perry is "America's foremost public intellectual." I made this claim because of Harris-Perry's background: Ph.D. from Duke; stints at Princeton and Tulane; the youngest woman to deliver the Du Bois lecture at Harvard; author of two books; trustee at the Century Foundation.” Their credentials and educational history add value to their expertise and to why they can be considered a public intellectuals.
However, their educative history is simply merely a contribution but not the set requirement to be considered a public intellectual. Their work is acknowledged and showcased through various platforms and social outlets, to reach a bigger audience and for proof of their educated thought process and evidence to support it (Coates 2014). In today’s society, though people still publish written work, social media has been a powerful platform to display their opinions and show proof of their influence. It is more convenient to have information available to you at any time, which contributes to a large fan following. According to Summer Allen of the American Psychological Association, “Growth in the number of people who use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat and other social media platforms — and the time spent on them—has garnered interest and concern among policymakers, teachers, parents, and clinicians about social media's impacts on our lives and psychological well-being” (Allen 2019). The general public now has the ability to obtain knowledge in a specific area more quickly and efficiently. They are also able to communicate with their hero or public intellectual on a more personal basis.
Instead of idolizing and visualizing what your interaction would be like, there're multiple opportunities to set up that connection. Their work is easily recognizable and able to continue to expand on multiple platforms. Andrew Tate is a former kickboxer who rebranded himself into an internet personality and social media influencer. His platform helps guide men to become more financially stable by giving them resources and tools to obtain that stability. He utilizes social media to teach young men about the importance of financial wealth and how to obtain it. Why is his target audience young men? Young men in America often struggle to maneuver through life, as they face different obstacles compared to women. In a traditional setting, they are expected to provide financially, which can be difficult without the proper education and guidance. He has a tremendous fan base, who are mainly men, to motivate them to become an entrepreneur like himself. According to Ikran Dahmir of BuzzFeed News, Tate uses multiple social platforms to educate young men about financial independence by offering subscriptions to teach them step by step strategies to obtain that independence, “They [Tate’s fan base] have come to believe he, the school, and “Tateism” — think pro-capitalism and pro-hypermasculinity — hold the answers on how to find freedom from societal slavery. That includes financial independence, but also a rejection of modern progressive politics. And the Hustlers University 2.0 program was designed, through its affiliate program, to effectively spread that messaging all across the social media channels where dissatisfied young men dwell” (Dahmir 2022).
Tate was a well-known professional kickboxer with an outstanding record, which came to an end after an eye injury. Once his kickboxing career was over, he embarked on several business ventures and used his platform to share his knowledge and experience that many could appreciate. Tate is of African American and Caucasian descent and was raised by a single mother, which already puts him at disadvantage. Race and social status have a tremendous influence on the upbringing and success probability in America. Social media is a digital application initially used to connect with friends and relatives. It has expanded to where people can connect outside of family, obtain knowledge, and earn money in the process. He is changing the way people should think about financial wealth, independence, and how to maintain it. Most of what social media displays is an illusion, tricking people into thinking different material aspects are a representation of wealth. According to CBS News, financial wealth is “The biggest money myth is that financial wealth is measured by the amount of money an individual accumulates. In actuality, a much better way of measuring wealth would be the number of years of financial freedom that is accumulated……money is essentially stored energy that allows us to do something else, whether it's spending more time with family or sailing around the globe”(Roth 2011). Tate actively coaches ways and strategies to help aid young males toward understanding the way financial wealth operates.
What is a public intellectual? A public intellectual is someone who has demonstrated actions and behaviors that inspire you to become an overall well-rounded person. We apply their concepts and ideals to our daily lives in the most beneficial way possible. Everyone has different experiences, therefore these ideals are applied differently and best suited for each individual. Though people still publish written work, social media has been a powerful platform to display their opinions and show proof of their influence. Social media plays an important role in accessing their accomplishments and tragedies and is able to see how they navigate through each phase. Their credentials and educational history add value to their expertise and to why they can be considered a public intellect. However, their educative history is merely a contribution and not the set requirement to be considered a public intellectual. Their work is acknowledged and showcased through various platforms and social outlets, to reach a bigger audience and for proof of their educated thought process and evidence to support it. The person who intrigued me and might want to exemplify their work is the former kickboxer and entrepreneur Andrew Tate. Andrew Tate is a former kickboxer who rebranded himself into an internet personality and social media influencer. He utilizes social media to teach young men about the importance of financial wealth and how to obtain it. The importance of financial independence is crucial in America as the financial burden is prominent. People of color are victims of that burden and becoming educated on that topic will allow for that financial independence. This encourages generational wealth by eliminating the trend of financial illiteracy. Recognizing the merits and demerits of financial decisions at both personal and federal levels is only the first step toward financial independence. Applying and utilizing the tools and resources provided is the most important aspect. Andrew Tate is an excellent advocate of providing those resources and displaying his success through his philosophies. Hence, why he would be considered a public intellectual, due to his resources, successes, and failures.
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This essay was outline very well and I completely agree with your points,. I think todays society has become very judgmental of traditional masculinity. Cancel culture wants to cancel men for having "toxic masculinity", which some of these traits are simple traits that men should be allowed to embrace, such as having a healthy lifestyle or working out. Its almost as if men now need to conform to the left wing standards and are prohibited from doing anything masculine because its otherwise seen as toxic traits. Public intellectuals like Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson are perfect examples of men that are speaking up for the rest of us and going against this new cancel culture behavior that is attacking men.
Overall, very well-written and articulated article. I agree with what Andrew Tate stands for, to an extent. Andrew Tate serves as the revival of the classic alpha male. However, due to the unfamiliarity of the Alpha male among our generation, his views are often misinterpreted by those who partake in his podcast. Not only that but I do not agree with cancel culture at all and his ability to still be successful and unphased by his “cancelation” serves as a step in the right direction to eradicating this trend. Overall Andrew Tate isn't a bad person with bad views like he is constructed or made out to be by social media. People confuse strong and controversial opinions with being wrong…