Why are school-aged boys so attracted to hateful ideologies?

Don’t Call Me Resilient

The idea for today's episode started with local Toronto kids, who were reporting experiencing sexist, homophobic and racist attitudes in the classroom, especially from the boys. The research shows they are not alone; the rise in far right ideologies globally has deeply affected school-age students. Many experts point to Andrew Tate, the far-right social media influencer as one of the culprits. Teachers say he has a big presence in the classroom. On top of that, there's been an exponential rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia in Canada that have also impacted the classroom. Why are boys especially attracted to these hateful ideologies? As we near December 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, Vinita speaks to two experts who have been thinking a lot about this question. Teresa Fowler is an assistant professor in the faculty of Education at Concordia University of Edmonton whose research focuses on critical white masculinities. Lance McCready is an associate professor in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. His research explores education, health and the wellbeing of Black men, boys and queer youth, especially in urban communities and schools.