On December 15, 1791 James Madison passed the first amendment stating, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” In simpler terms – the freedom of speech. This amendment was originally made for mainly religious tolerance, but has since evolved into more. The real question is, does Andrew Tate’s opinions fit under the first amendment?

If you are not familiar with Andrew Tate, he became well known after displaying his views on the world and how women should be treated. To summarize, Tate thinks that our world is based off of the matrix and you need to escape. His view on women is basically set back in time, saying men should be superior to women and how women   will never be equivalent to men. His angle on mental health is also interesting considering he thinks that mental health is unimportant and therapists are useless. The real question is does his stance fit under freedom of speech?

We got 3 random students opinions on the matter; We asked boy 1, if he agrees with Tate’s viewpoint on how men should treat women. He responded with “not really,” we asked him to elaborate. He responded with “I mean I guess he says some things that are a little bit true, but like most things he says is just not right.” We then moved on to ask if he thinks the first amendment should back Tate’s viewpoints and he responded with “Yes.”

Boy 2 was asked how he feels about Andrew Tate’s viewpoints on mental health, he said, “Andrew is very inclined about mental health, and he has his own opinions that many people may not agree with; but I personally agree with them.” We then asked if he thinks the first amendment should back his viewpoints, he also replied with a “Yes.”

We asked girl 1 what she thinks about Tate’s viewpoints on how women should be treated. She answered “I don’t think he has the right mind in what he’s saying because he thinks women are not really worth what they’re meant for, so I don’t like him because I don’t like the way he speaks about people; because it’s just not right.” We then questioned if she thinks the freedom of speech backs up his right to say those things. She answered “Technically it does, because that’s what the right is; but out of human decency and out of respect for other people – you shouldn’t say that”

Although Andrew Tate’s views may fit under the first amendment, a majority of the things he says is offensive to others. I fully agree with girl 1 in the sense that out of respect for the people around him, maybe he should keep his perspective to himself. Although his stance is not harming anyone physically, he is creating hatred for the next generation. In conclusion, his opinions may fit under the first amendment but the words he uses and execution are spiteful