The harsh lessons from Andrew Tate are rolling in today but don’t worry: this isn’t another hot-take post on a dumpster fire of a human being. Instead, let’s talk about what lessons Jackson is taking from the entire Andrew Tate debacle. First, never be a person that Greta Thunberg dunks on:
Second – step back and understand how people like Andrew Tate happen. We live in a slow-rolling late-stage capitalistic dystopia and it’s no secret that people are desperate for answers. People like Tate take advantage of that to exploit others – at first I just thought he was interested in money but then we found out the horrible truth. Yeesh.
The Andrew Tate situation perfectly embodies why I’ve slow-rolled what I do with my scifi writing career. Yes, it’s taken me much longer to get where I want to go but that doesn’t bother me. The last thing I want to become is another JK Rowling or Andrew Tate.
The Problem is Bigger Than Andrew Tate
Don’t get me wrong – Andrew Tate *is* a grifter and along with other people (Looking at you, Robert T. Kiyosaki, Jordan Petersen, and James Frey) exploit people’s need for answers, direction, guidance to join the ranks of the 1% and they don’t care who they hurt in the process.
“It’s easy not to be JK Rowling or Andrew Tate,” they say. “Just don’t be a terrible person and-” Okay, hold it. It’s easy to say “I’ll never be Andrew Tate” – he’s a dumpster fire of a human being (e.g – Bill Cosby, Chris Brown, and Jared Leto) and we were all waiting for him to implode. However, there are other people who aren’t as bad as him but they still self-destructed.
At one point, they were just famous people (e.g. – Andy Dick, Gina Carano, Lance Armstrong). They became terrible people for different reasons: 1. They were always terrible, we were just waiting to find out 2. Drugs. 3. They stopped working on themselves because “Hey, we arrived!”
That might be an oversimplification, but I’m putting this out there to say ‘Not every terrible famous person started out as a terrible person.’ I don’t want to be a terrible person, so if I’m going to be successful I want to wait until I can do that without being a terrible person.
Lessons I Have Learned
So far, I’ve made promises to myself regarding my writing / success. For example – if I make it:
1. I’m still me – a walking, talking bag of coping mechanisms like everyone else.
2. My job is to reflect the light forward (e.g. – Mister Rogers, Mark Hamill, John Cena, Guy Fieri)
3. Figure out how I should use that success to make the world a better place (Keep my mouth shut and practice mindfulness – Media asking for your ‘hot take’ on current events is a cheap way to get attention but invariably, you’ll say something stupid.)
4. I’ll be following the Bill Watterson school of ‘I’m an artist, please leave me alone with my box of crayons and let me get about my business.’ Calvin and Hobbes was never diminished by Watterson’s reluctance to give media interviews and I’m confident that I can do the same.
One good thing that came out of COVID was it made people face the fact that some things in life cannot be ignored, wished, threatened, or purchased away. The terrifying part of wealth and fame is how it transforms people into their worst selves. You think you’re escaping the prison of poverty only to find yourself in the penitentiary of prosperity. Money changes you, and it changes how people see you. Unknown pressures, and unseen stresses can break people under the best circumstances. Under the worst, they become those craven, cold-hearted souls you see on reality TV.
Living Simply Is Pretty Cool
So yes, living simply. A living space that has room for a cozy reading nook and a place for my cats to sleep. Yes, my life will still need to include the people who are important to me now. That means Mason and Moxie are coming along for the ride, wherever we go. You may be aware that cats are completely uninterested in the idea of large, complicated houses.
Finally, whatever happens in my life I want to make sure I have the time and space to listen to the wind blow. Writing is about distilling life experiences into things you can share with others. Few people can relate to a story about traveling with Dr. Phil in Monaco (Thank you, Ron White, but no thank you). So, I’ll need to continue being my anonymous, private self so that I can continue taking in the life experiences I use in the stories I tell.
Yes, Andrew Tate is a dumpster fire – but you can still learn lessons from him. One lesson? Don’t be a horrible human being. Simple, right? Maybe not. That wraps up the life lessons I’m learning from the Andrew Tate debacle. Some people will need to look in the mirror as their Grifter Internet Life Coach burns out in the atmosphere and I’m glad I’m not one of them.
