美国国家公共电台 NPR--Romanian authorities investigate accusation of human trafficking against Andrew Tate

Romanian authorities investigate accusation¹ of human trafficking against Andrew Tate

Transcript²

NPR's Rob Schmitz talks to Ikran Dahir of Buzzfeed about self-proclaimed misogynist³ Andrew Tate, who is in custody⁴ in Romania, accused of human trafficking and organized crime.

ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:

Social media influencer Andrew Tate is in jail in Romania. Authorities are investigating accusations⁵ of human trafficking. Prosecutors⁶ say Tate and his brother Tristan appear to have created an organized crime ring with the purpose of forcing individuals to create pornographic content. Tate has a big online following among young men. Videos under the Andrew Tate hashtag had more than 13 billion views on TikTok before he was banned last August. In some clips, he talks about hitting and choking women and trashing their belongings⁷. What is the appeal of Andrew Tate? I called up Ikran Dahir, who conducted an investigation⁸ into Tate for BuzzFeed.

IKRAN DAHIR: He would speak in these really viral soundbites that ended up appealing to young men who were looking for role models. So it was always about how he came up from nothing, he made all this money, and then slowly it started turning into his own personal opinions about women being your property and the ways you can, like, have loads of women in your life and how you can be just like him.

SCHMITZ: Tate was a kickboxing champion. He then appeared on the reality show "Big Brother." He was taken off after a video appeared to show him attacking a woman. The next year, he was banned from Twitter in the midst of the #MeToo movement for saying women, quote, "bear responsibility" for being sexually assaulted. Elon Musk⁹ lifted the ban in November, and now Tate has more than 4 million Twitter followers¹⁰. Dahir says Tate's ideology¹¹ comes from the dystopian ideas in "The Matrix" films.

DAHIR: It's the whole idea that the world is controlling you, and all our ideas are actually better. And just like "The Matrix," you're trapped right now, and I will free you from it if you just do what I do.

SCHMITZ: Tate started something called Hustlers University. It invites potential students to, quote, "escape the matrix." Tate's Twitter account posted a picture of him in custody in Romania, saying the matrix sent their agents.

What do you think this will do to his popularity?

DAHIR: In a weird¹² way, he's now become a martyr¹³. And people have made these edits claiming that his arrest video resembles when Superman was arrested. So video clips of that have gone viral. People are saying that the West is after him. And especially now he's, like, converted to Islam, it's given him, like, a clean slate¹⁴ with at least his, like, huge Muslim fan base.

SCHMITZ: I'm curious, what led you to start covering him? What was it about him that kind of piqued¹⁵ your curiosity?

DAHIR: In about March, which is, like, the time I guess his videos start popping up, but he was, like, completely nameless, and it was just this guy with glasses on going viral nonstop. And my brother said he was really cool and, like, all the guys I knew were really just suddenly into him.

SCHMITZ: Your brother.

DAHIR: Yeah.

SCHMITZ: What was it about Tate that was attractive to your brother?

DAHIR: I think my brother has the same view that a lot of Gen Z now have, which is that they're very, like, anti-woke. They don't believe in keeping things politically correct. He's very much for, like, I should be able to say what I want, do what I want, and your generation messed things up for us kind of. And Tate is just one of the good guys, and you guys don't see that yet.

SCHMITZ: That is journalist Ikran Dahir. She's covered Andrew Tate for BuzzFeed News. Thanks, Ikran.

DAHIR: Thank you.

1 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 misogynist   

n.厌恶女人的人

参考例句：

• He quickly gained the reputation of being a misogynist.他很快地赢得了“厌恶女性者”的这一名声。
• Nice try,but you're a misanthrope,not a misogynist.不错了，你讨厌的是世界，不是女人。

4 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

5 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

6 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

7 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

10 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

11 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

12 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

13 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

14 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

15 piqued   

v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 )；激起（好奇心）

参考例句：

• Their curiosity piqued, they stopped writing. 他们的好奇心被挑起，停下了手中的笔。 来自辞典例句
• This phenomenon piqued Dr Morris' interest. 这一现象激起了莫里斯医生的兴趣。 来自辞典例句