Issue Nº 20 || Happy Rebirthday by ALT Magazine

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Editor’s Letter Contributors Soft Violence Overt to Covert: The Re-i Just Going Through Som HOW TO EXPL0!T GIRL

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invention of Racism mething! LZ!: The 21st Century Pickup Artist

EDITOR’S LETTER Dear readers, Happy rebirthday! Every year brings the birth of new experiences, transforming us as individuals and improving ourselves for the future. Our past versions, however, never cease to exist––they simply reinvent themselves to adapt to our current being. In a global age full of violence and destruction, the idea of the reinvention of conservative politics was pervasive in our organization’s theme proposal process. Inspired by the flamboyant and colorful aesthetics of clowns and dolls, this issue is saturated with vibrant colors, dramatic makeup, and whimsical shapes. However, underneath the bright, visually appealing surface lies a deeper commentary on the illusion of progress in our society. The façade of reformism disguises the unchanged, foundational issues with the promise of change and progressivism––promises that continue to fail to address the needs of those they seek to serve, or be broken. For our second Fall 2023 issue titled, “Happy Rebirthday!” Writing Director Jillian Turner was interested in exploring the cyclical nature of death and rebirth of concepts such as racism and anti-Blackness, trauma, body ‘trends’ and homophobia. While reform legislation attempts to alleviate the effects of systemic and systematic disadvantages, oftentimes, these laws only serve to maintain the status quo under a guise or have the capacity to harm. Other cycles and trends can be generational or have gone through constant metamorphosis by the advent of social media. With these themes in mind, Palestine and the cycle of Islamophobia cannot be ignored. It should be on everyone’s mind. There is no other option but revolution for the Palestinian people, who have faced constant cycles of exile from their land, ethnic cleansing and violence since the approval of the British Mandate in Palestine in 1922. To our readers, please continue talking about Palestine and boycotting––our support is essential to help defund and end this genocide. ALT will stay committed to sharing the stories of marginalized communities and we hope you will be, too. We appreciate your continued support and of course, thank you to our members for producing yet another fantastic issue. Enjoy our 20th issue, “Happy Rebirthday!” Charlene Huynh Editor-in-Chief

Maddy Hu I look at my hands, my father hands I hope I am as not rough as he is That I do not inflict the same violence as he does I try to mend my hands, molding them into something different Making them softer, smoother I take a pocket knife that I was gifted for my 18th birthday to cut the calluses off I run them under hot nearly boiling water to disinfect To avoid the fate that I am predestined to

HOW TO EXPL0!T GIRLZ!: THE 21ST CENTURY PICKUP ARTIST By Zoe Zanussi

ould you believe me if I told you there’s a man who made millions of dollars off a website stating “If you were in a group of 100 ice cream experts and ALL you spoke about was making ice-cream, you’d learn A LOT about how to make ice-cream?” These are the words of a new generation’s messiah—a man who shot to internet stardom through his salaciously misogynistic podcast and online business courses. If you are as confused as I was when I first read this quote—wondering how anyone could be bought by this ice cream schtick—then I’d like you to introduce you to Andrew Tate. Tate, the man trying to teach boys how to pick up girls and make money, is currently under house arrest for human trafficking, numerous sex crimes, and various gang-related crimes. Although his teachings are synonymous with incels—involuntarily celibate individuals—and inceldom, Tate reminds me of a seemingly forgotten character: the pickup artist. Pickup artists were men from the 1970s to late 1990s who taught other men how to be non-monogamous sexual pariahs. Offering classes inspired by the teachings of Eric Weber’s 1970 book How to Pick Up Girls! and other psychologists, pickup ‘gurus’ had other men pay to attend their classes to learn the art of attracting women. Pick-up classes would most often be a part of a program that provided reading materials, in person coaching, and one-on-one conversations that would improve the student’s ‘game.’ Andrew Tate also utilizes a class program on ‘Cobratate,’ a website where young men and boys can purchase online courses that vow to teach men how to make money, and therefore become successful. Of course he doesn’t say it explicitly, but what Tate means is that when you are a successful man, you gain access to beautiful women. Both pickup artists and Tate’s programs sell the image of success to young and impressionable men who aspire to fit in and succeed among groups of powerful men. The major difference between Tate and pickup artists is that Tate believes conquering women and profiting from them long-term is the end goal of any male-female relationship. Hear it from Tate himself: “How can I use these women to make me money? I don’t wanna put them on the track because they’re my women, I don’t want other people touching my chicks.” Pickup artists, however, employed tactics that manipulate women into sleeping with them for a one-and-done scenario. Sleeping with a woman once would satisfy the pickup artists’ need to feel dominant; relationships with women were a boost in status. For Tate, relationships with women lead to long term monetary gain. Despite having all of his social media accounts deactivated, Tate is unfortunately still a relevant topic of conversation. His violent rhetoric has garnered an astoundingly large audience of young men and boys: a January 2023 study found that over 33% of teenage boys in Australia submitted to Tate’s attitudes towards women (Badham, 2023). Considering the overlap between men who hold violently sexist beliefs and men who commit sex crimes against women, this is an extremely concerning number to grapple with. However, I think we can all find some comfort regarding the future of Tate’s fanbase by hearing what happened to the original pickup-artists. We’ve seen the exaggerated capes and top hats that ‘pickup gurus’ wore in TV Shows like “The Pickup Artist” (2007) or as smaller background characters in series like “Criminal Minds” (2005). Becoming an archetype that represents the desperately horny men in bars women desperately avoid, we know the signs to look out for when it comes to being a pickup artist’s next target. However, before their rise in popularity, pickup artists’ tactics were particularly effective because only those in the know had an idea of what was taught in their courses. Tate fans don’t have the same anonymity; as a facet of having an online following, anyone and everyone can see what they post. Tate and his followers’ brazen attitude towards women has been on display since the beginning of his online career, allowing women to understand the rhetoric and mentality behind his followers, and therefore avoid and shame men who exercise Tate’s advice. While pick-up artistry has sprung up from the woodwork time and again, the downfall and de-evolution of Andrew Tate and men who aspire to be like him bodes well for the future of misogynistic prowling tactics.