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Culture War Roundup for the week of December 26, 2022

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Not a good day for Mr. Tate Andrew Tate, Brother Tristan arrested amid human trafficking probe

Andrew Tate and his brother have been arrested and led away in cuffs after their luxury Romanian mansion was raided by police.

The divisive influencer, referred to by his fans as ‘Top G’, and his brother Tristan are being quizzed over human trafficking allegations, according to local reports.

The pair have reportedly been under investigation for the alleged kidnapping of two young women in their villa in the town of Voluntari.

Their home was raided by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism in Bucharest earlier today, reports Libertatea.

The brothers were issued warrants in relation to forming an organized criminal group, international human trafficking, and rape.

I am skeptical. This does not make sense from a risk vs. reward perspective. Presumably their hustler university program and other businesses provide plenty of legal revenue; why engage in such unnecessary risk? Romania's criminal justice system probably does not have the same requirement of burden of proof as in the US.

Why would you expect them to have well-thought-out risk/reward tradeoffs? Other than what's in the other replies, most of what I know about Andrew Tate comes from youtube and instagram bits where he's bragging about how much money he has and insulting men who aren't rich, and how he has a surefire way for you to get rich. Sounds like walking survivorship bias to me, where someone made bad gambles that paid off for a time but have come around to bite him. Also, "plenty" of revenue is never enough for some people.

he's bragging about how much money he has and insulting men who aren't rich,

I never got the impression he was insulting people. It seems like his persona is mostly an act. Sorta like Alex Jones. Being insulted for being poor is hardly the worst thing . Better than being insulted for being short (cannot fix that).

"It didn't happen, and if it did, that's a good thing."

Anyway, Alex Jones isn't doing so hot lately either. Whether he believed his schlock or not, he gambled on no one calling him out, and made a lot of money...until he didn't. The obvious hypothesis is that Tate made a bunch of radical decisions, like running scams or moving to Romania, and finally hit one that had actual consequences.

He has been broadcasting ad-filled episodes and run ad-filled websites for 2 decades. he probably has loads of $ and more coming everyday, even with the lawsuit he will be fine. Just because you are not making as much money anymore does not mean you lose what you made.

I don't see how it being an act changes whether something is an insult or not. Jones may not seriously believe that Sandy Hook was a false flag, but it would still be pretty hurtful to hear someone say that you faked your own child being dead for a political fight (and it seems like some people did believe him). Like with most bullies and charlatans, the correct response is not to take them seriously, whether you agree or disagree, not to engage. But I also don't think it's entirely an act; he is actually living in Romania, after saying (as another poster quoted) that you can get away with rape there by bribing the cops.

And if it is an act, then Tate is still a greedy asshole, selling desperate men on get-rich-quick schemes, like 10,000 con men before him. Does that sound like a man with a great grasp of risk management to you?

I never got the impression he was insulting people. It seems like his persona is mostly an act.

And part of the act is insulting poor people. At least sometimes - I've definitely heard him say "brokies" and mock people who work hard for their money a lot.

this seems the same as when the left accuses comedians of punching down. his style of humor or commentary is not for everyone.