The ‘Bernie Bro’ is a Media Myth. It Needs to Die

[eridani]

http://usuncut.com/politics/bernie-bro-is-a-myth/

It’s been widely-reported that millennials make up the bulk of Sanders’ base. But the truth is, most polls reflect that the majority of Bernie’s millennial support is actually young women. Bernie is even beating out the former First Lady for their support, enjoying a 20 percent lead among women between 18 and 35 years old over Hillary Clinton.

Compare this to his lead among young men, where Sen. Sanders is only beating Hillary Clinton by four percentage points – barely outside the margin of error. Based on these numbers, a young male is actually more likely to support Clinton than a young woman, and her male support is the only thing keeping Clinton’s millennial numbers from being a total disaster.

A recent Gallup poll further shatters the myth of the Sanders campaign being exclusively for whites: Gallup shows Bernie Sanders as the most popular Presidential candidate for either party among Asian-Americans. The Univision Tracking Poll just showed Bernie passing Clinton among Latino voters:

[jillan]

1. What is this Bernie Bro racism crap I keep reading about out there?

Every day there is a new thread about how racist Bernie supporters are... Can someone please fill me in?

Thanks!

[PersonNumber503602]

2. Petty and sleazy politics from what I've seen.

I've read more than a few very long threads about it on this site, and I haven't seen anything that came close a legitimate reason. I haven't even seen a clear concise illegitimate reason given. It just seems like something that is stated as fact. I know Hillary has plenty of unfair criticism lobbed at her from all sides, but none of it seemed as off-the-mark as the Sanders is a racist thing. The Bernie Bro thing is new to me though, but I've mostly shut it all out over the past couple months.

I'll be interested in seeing if someone can give you a real answer to your question.

[Rebkeh]

3. No, the racism is real

I am not only a Bernie supporter and a woman but a black woman.

They are not making it up, I've gotten a lot of it myself, despite being on the same side. Not as much here at DU as in other places, but it's real. Definitely real.

I have witnessed it here at DU though, for sure. It just hasn't been directed at me specifically because I try to stay out of the ugliness in general.

That said, when tensions fly and people get hurt, the lines between right and wrong get messy and then when that happens, eventually everyone is both right and wrong.

[Maedhros]

5. I've seen no racism from Bernie supporters on this site.

I think they ARE making it up.

[passiveporcupine]

10. I haven't either

I've heard a lot of people saying they have seen it, and or been a victim of it, bit I've never seen a link to a thread that shows anyone here is racist.

I am pretty sure as big as DU is there are some racists here. They just aren't very high profile on that topic (for obvious reasons).

I have seen accusations of racism about some comments that absolutely were not racist.

Another thing, this whole thing of...don't try to tell AAs why Bernie is a champion for them has me totally confused. We've been raked over the coals for trying to explain what Bernie is trying to do for all of us (all colors), and told we are white supremacist pigs and racist if we don't shut the hell up. We don't have the right to talk to AAs about Bernie. But it's OK to talk to them about Hillary...I've never seen anyone shout that down.

Why is it I can talk to a white/hispanic/asian person and tell them why Bernie's goals are good for all of us, but it's not OK to talk to a black person about that...and if I do, I'm showing my white privilege? BLM and being black does not exclude AAs from the same or worse economic inequality as the rest of us, especially other POC. Somehow this whole BLM issue superseded all other policies and platforms and made them irrelevant?

I'm still scratching my head over this whole thing. I'm sure I will be attacked for saying this, or even a hide for even wanting to talk about it, but dammit, I don't care any more. It's made everyone afraid to even talk about anything related to AAs here because we might say something they don't want to hear, and we will again be labeled as not understanding because of our white privilege.

I don't think it's all AAs who are attacking Bernie supporters. I think it is Hillary supporters who happen to be black, using it as a cudgel to try to keep us quiet. Well, it worked, We shut up. But now there are AAs out there spreading the word for Bernie and we're just going to have to sit back and let them do all the outreach.

The shame in all this is, if the word does not get out far enough and fast enough and Bernie loses the nomination because of it, it will hurt all of us. People of all colors. At least he's gaining a lot of ground with Asians and Hispanics.

[Rebkeh]

11. The problem here is that racism

comes in many forms, it's often invisible to white people. More often than not, it's subtle or easy to disguise so when white people say, "Well, I don't see racism here," it's like Obviously, you don't see it. That's the point.

And since white voices silence black ones, it's adding insult to injury. It can make a racist situation "not racist" because a white person said so. This is not going to help, it only pisses people off.

White people need to talk less and listen more.

Are there anti-Bernie blacks using race as a cudgel? Probably, but that doesn't make the racism any less true. Some conversations are best left to be discussed internally within black circles. Leave them to black Bernie supporters to handle because in the reality of social order, anything you say, criticism in particular, you are "talking down" to them. Even if you don't intend to.

[passiveporcupine]

18. I disagree that white people cannot see racism because we are blind to it

Racism is something that you learn as a child (or later in life). It does not just occur naturally. I grew up not even knowing anything about racism towards blacks because there were no blacks in my community. I started working with them when I was 18 and moved to California and many of them became my best friends. I have photo albums full of photos from my young adult days and most of my friends were not white. They were black, Hispanic, Puerto rican, Hawaiian, Asian...I really had very few white friends. They were the people I hung with, worked with and went to college with. And there were no problems with racism in my work place, or when I associated with them outside of work or at school.

I did grow up with racism against Hispanics (they were migrant field workers who came every summer to pick crops), from my father-in-law (bless his ugly little heart and thank the gods he's dead) and that is something I have had to fight all my life, even now that I live in an area with a lot of Hispanics again. I know I have to watch those feelings about local Hispanics who work the farms and orchards here, because it was ingrained in me, but I push it all the time and I have some incredible neighbors who are Hispanic...some of my best neighbors are. It's a constant challenge. But I am always aware of it and on guard not to let it direct my thinking. I've never had that issue with blacks, because I wasn't exposed to the racism as a child. Of course it's not the Hispanics I know personally I have to protect myself from, it's the ones I don't know...which is what racism is all about anyway. The unknown.

I don't think I'm alone. I think there are a lot of white people who are not racist, even while recognizing that we have benefited from white privilege, some of us have fought against it. To be told we just need to shut up and listen more, when some of the people we love are black or other POC...WTF? You are doing it here, right now. I've not ever tried to silence a black voice. We aren't talking at them, we are talking with them, just like anyone else.

Much of the backlash here has gone toward people whom no one knows the color of. How do you know what color people on-line are, unless they tell you?

I give up. I've been silent for a long time on this and I'm slipping back into silence, but it hurts to see an important conversation about a candidate who is only trying to help everyone silenced because whites are not allowed to talk about him to a huge and growing part of our population.

[Rebkeh]

19. If you give up

Bernie will lose.

It's that simple.

On edit: Please read this

http://www.thenation.com/article/how-populists-like-bernie-sanders-should-talk-about-racism/

Or listen to this interview on Majority Report
http://majority.fm/2015/11/05/115-joy-ann-reid-fracture-barack-obama-the-clintons-and-the-racial-divide/

[passiveporcupine]

23. This is not fair

More fundamentally, people of color remain skeptical because by constantly proposing colorblind solutions, Sanders communicates that he does not fully understand the effects of racism.

Sanders is not breaking down his policies to specifics addressed to different skin tones. He is honed in on the one most important message that will rouse (or should) the entire nation to work together as a grassroots movement, and he is harping on that repeatedly because that is what he needs to do to wake people up. He hasn't really gone into specifics on anything. Neither do any of the other candidates, unless pressed, yet Sanders is the only one held to account for it.

Just like in his single payer plan. He has put out a few specifics, but not enough detail to know how it will be achieved or even implemented.

Because Sanders has always fought for civil rights, and should be known for that by everyone, it's absurd to think he doesn't understand that there will need to be specific programs that help POC.

His record shows he supports affirmative action, and protecting voting rights fro the disenfranchised.

Voted NO on ending preferential treatment by race in college admissions.

HR 6, the Higher Education Amendments Act of 1997, would prohibit any post-secondary institution that participates in any program under the Higher Education Act from discriminating or granting any preferential treatment in admission based on race, sex, ethnicity, color or national origin.

Rated 93% by the ACLU, indicating a pro-civil rights voting record.

Rated 97% by the NAACP, indicating a pro-affirmative-action stance.

http://www.ontheissues.org/Domestic/Bernie_Sanders_Civil_Rights.htm

It's absurd to think he won't continue to work toward racial justice, just like economic justice, as he had all his life.

[Rebkeh]

29. You don't get to decide the terms

What you think should appeal to black voters may or may not appeal to black voters. If it doesn't appeal, then the problem is not them. The problem is your appeal.

To break it down, in extremely simple terms, if you tell another person that they should like pizza and they don't, pushing them to eat pizza would be a complete waste of your time.

It's an insultingly simple description but that is effectively what you are doing.

It is patronizing as fuck. Do this repeatedly and you hurt Bernie and your cause. You create more division, not less. Black voters are grown women and men and don't need you to tell them what works in their interests. You know nearly nothing about their interests.

And based on your responses, it appears you didn't bother to read the article I sent nor listen to the interview I sent.

I've no more to give to this conversation.

[passiveporcupine]

26. Just to be fair, here is Hillary's record on affirmative action and voting rights

The discussion has to go further because we've got to do more about the lives of these children. That's why I started off by saying we need to be committed to making it possible for every child to live up to his or her god given potential. If you don't have schools that are able to meet the needs of the people, or good housing, there's a long list. We need a new New Deal for communities of color.

Source: 2015 CNN Democratic primary debate in Las Vegas , Oct 13, 2015

Hillary assigned herself the task of ensuring that Bill kept his pledge to appoint more women and minorities than any previous president, to make his Administration “look like America.” She pressed him to fill half of the senior positions with women. And she urged her husband to make history by appointing the first woman to one of the big four cabinet posts.

In 1965, Hillary invited a black classmate to attend church services with her at the Methodist church, a move that raised eyebrows.

In 1972, I returned to D.C. to work for Marian Wright Edelman. My assignment was to gather information about the Nixon Administration’s failure to enforce the legal ban on granting tax-exempt status to the private segregated academies that had sprung up in the South to avoid integrated public schools.

When asked about reparations

CLINTON: We have mental, emotional and psychological reparations to pay first. We have to admit that we haven’t always treated people in our own country fairly. We have some issues that we have to address when it comes to racial justice right now. I’m willing to work hard to be a strong advocate for Civil Rights and human rights here at home and around the world. I want to do everything I can to make sure that the programs and policies that have helped generations of African-Americans have a better life in this country continue. I think we should be focused on the present and on the future. We owe an apology to African-Americans for hundreds of years of slavery.

From her senate race in 2000. So, once in the senate...did she follow up on this?

There is probably no more important task parents--and the rest of the village--face than raising children not only to tolerate but to respect the differences among people and to recognize the rewards that come from serving others. I call this affirmative living--the positive energy we derive from taking pride in who we are and from having the confidence and moral grounding to reach out to those who are different.

From Hillary's book "It takes a village" in 1996

The theme of Hillary's book (and its title) is that children are raised not just by their parents, but also by all of the other people in the society around them. Therefore, according to Hillary, all the components of that society -- the schools and the government, but the businesses too -- have an obligation to consider their impact on children that they affect.

So, she talks about it, but what has she actually ever done about it, during her time in the white house, or in the Senate, or as a governor's wife?

Strengthen America’s Common Civic Culture

The more ethnically and culturally diverse America becomes, the harder we must all work to affirm our common civic culture -- the values and democratic institutions we share and that define our national identity as Americans. This means we should resist an “identity politics” that confers rights and entitlements on groups and instead affirm our common rights and responsibilities as citizens. Multiethnic democracy requires fighting discrimination against marginalized groups; empowering the disadvantaged to join the economic, political, and cultural mainstream; and respecting diversity while insisting that what we have in common as Americans is more important than how we differ.

Goals for 2010
Reduce discrimination based on race, gender, national background, religion, age, disability, or sexual orientation.

Shift the emphasis of affirmative action strategies from group preferences to economic empowerment of all disadvantaged citizens.

Expand the AmeriCorps national service program so that everyone willing to serve can serve -- with 1 million participants enrolled by the end of the decade.

Promote character education in all public schools.

From Hyde Park Declaration 2000

Rated 60% by the ACLU, indicating a mixed civil rights voting record.

Rated 96% by the NAACP, indicating a pro-affirmative-action stance.

http://www.ontheissues.org/2016/Hillary_Clinton_Civil_Rights.htm

Most of her energy is spent on women's issues. She spends a LOT of time fighting for women's issues.

On everything else, I see some talk, but no real action.

[eridani]

30. Not being personally racist and benefitting from white privilege are two different things n/t

[passiveporcupine]

32. I never said they weren't. I said I benefited from white privilege.

But that is not the issue here. I've always seen the extra burdens placed on POC, and always argued in favor of affirmative action with jobs/school/housing...with a lot of people who were set staunchly against it because they felt it hurt their chances. They were completely tone deaf. I used to get really pissed about that. I've lost friends over it. I've lost friends over the issue of illegal aliens too, and how bad they are for this country. Yeah...bullshit there too.

Being a single woman, without a college degree, I had my own hurdles to bear.

But I had a job, which was better than many POC of color in Denver at that time. I had experience (30 years with the company) and lots of knowledge of how it worked (plus almost a four year degree that I was still working on at night), and that should have qualified for fairer wages, but women just couldn't get that especially years ago.

I do understand a little bit about being a minority and being underprivileged...not anything like being an AA or Hispanic though.

[eridani]

33. Ok--some of the replies don't seem to see the distinction though n/t

[GoneFishin]

7. I have not seen it. I have seen many, many accusations. I have seen many assertions. But never

racism from a genuine Bernie supporter who wasn't an obvious provocateur plant.

I think it came from a Camp Weathervane Rove mentee. It is fiction.

[kristopher]

9. Neither have I.

The rumor mill and anonymous testimonials smack of Clinton dirty tricks.

[senz]

20. I can't even imagine Bernie supporters being racist.

I think it's a meme perpetrated by the Hillary campaign to discourage PoC from getting to know Bernie.

And I don't think it's going to work.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

4. I think the word you're looking for is "misandry".

[jfern]

8. They have nothing to attack Bernie with

So they invent that he has some mean supporters somewhere, and you can't support him because of that.

Meanwhile, Hillary's SuperPAC she is coordinating with is being run by the vile right-wing gutter campaign running David Brock.

[Betty Karlson]

6. No no no: Bernie-Bros are real! I am one.

And like all Berniebros, I know that I'm in the minority among Sanders's supporters.

We are the manority, and that's OK!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

12. Eh. There are trolls out there feeding the myth.

Harassing black people on twitter, on blogs, all over the net. How many of them are actually Sanders supporters - or even voters at all - I have no clue. But trollery, racism, sexism knows no ideology. They're not racist and sexist because they support Bernie. They're racists and sexists who might actually ALSO support (or claim to support) Bernie for reasons unrelated to his policies. They don't like women? Fine, they'll line up against Hillary. They don't like black people? Well heck, black people are lining up behind Hillary in early polls, so they'll line up against her.

If it was someone other than Bernie running against Clinton, they'd still be lining up behind whoever was against her.
And if the situation was reversed, and black people were lining up mostly behind Sanders, they'd STILL be harassing black people on line, just not saying they were supporting Sanders.

[ljm2002]

13. We need to come up with a moniker...

...for Bernie's young female supporters. Berniebelles?

Okay, okay, it doesn't have the same ring to it. But I tried.

[passiveporcupine]

24. Sounds too much like Bernieballs

[ljm2002]

25. Yeah, we both better stop now before we regret it... :-) n/t

[kath]

14. Glenn Greenwald has a great piece on the "Bernie-bro" bullshit this morning. see this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511101598

[senz]

22. Thanks, kath.

[eridani]

31. And a direcdt link below

The "Bernie Bros" Narrative: A Cheap Campaign Tactic Masquerading as Journalism and Social Activism

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/34928-the-qbernie-brosq-narrative-a-cheap-campaign-tactic-masquerading-as-journalism-and-social-activism

The concoction of the “Bernie Bro” narrative by pro-Clinton journalists has been a potent political tactic – and a journalistic disgrace. It’s intended to imply two equally false claims: (1) a refusal to march enthusiastically behind the Wall-Street-enriched, multiple-war-advocating, despot-embracing Hillary Clinton is explainable not by ideology or political conviction, but largely if not exclusively by sexism: demonstrated by the fact that men, not women, support Sanders (his supporters are “bros”); and (2) Sanders supporters are uniquely abusive and misogynistic in their online behavior. Needless to say, a crucial tactical prong of this innuendo is that any attempt to refute it is itself proof of insensitivity to sexism if not sexism itself (as the accusatory reactions to this article will instantly illustrate).

It’s become such an all-purpose, handy pro-Clinton smear that even consummate, actual “bros” for which the term was originally coined – straight guys who act with entitlement and aggression, such as Paul Krugman – are now reflexively (and unironically) applying it to anyone who speaks ill of Hillary Clinton, even when they know nothing else about the people they’re smearing, including their gender, age or sexual orientation. Thus, a male policy analyst who criticized Sanders’ health care plan “is getting the Bernie Bro treatment,” sneered Krugman. Unfortunately for The New York Times Bro, that analyst, Charles Gaba, said in response that he’s “really not comfortable with [Krugman’s] referring to die-hard Bernie Sanders supporters as ‘Bernie Bros'” because it “implies that only college-age men support Sen. Sanders, which obviously isn’t the case.”

[Springslips]

15. So the narritive is. . .

Bernie supporters are magic poney dreaming, anti-american socialist commies, aggressive and entitled white dude-bros, who are rich, sexist and racist? Oh ok, that makes total sense.

[LWolf]

16. I just found this,

posted on the AA for Sanders FB page.

The article also notes:

The “Bernie Bro” myth demeans contributions from women, people of color
The term “Bernie Bro” has caught on, painting an inaccurate representation of the true demographics of Bernie’s supporters. But, as The Atlantic unintentionally revealed in its featured image on Robinson Meyer’s “Here Comes the Berniebro” article, the media is perpetuating its own form of racism and sexism. While the article mocks the Sanders movement as mostly white and male, the article’s featured image shows 25 people, 9 of whom are women, and 6 who are people of color.

[MisterP]

17. the point is to make any criticism look defensive

[senz]

21. Female DU Hillary supporters seem to think all Bernie supporters are male

by definition. Because women just naturally care more about gender than about honesty, ethics, humanity, the environment and the future of this country and the world.

Priorities, you know.

[Kip Humphrey]

27. need I remind everyone that this is a campaign and that certain parties and Parties are known for

performing "dirty tricks". Racism* is primarily a quality of the Republicon party. The Democratic Party largely purged itself of racism* after the civil right act passed (see McGovern defeat of 1972 for repercussions of that purge). Until I witness contraindications, I will assume that incidents of inflammatory racism are the results of opposition candidate campaigns' dirty tricks offensives directed at the Sanders campaign.

*structural racism remains embedded throughout all of American society and is not that to which I am referring. I am referring to overt or communicated racism.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

28. Ratfucking.

Yeah, I can see it. Have a friend who posted about 'Berniebro trolls' and claimed they'd basically pushed her into voting for Hillary. She even said their actions/words were 'clearly intentional'.

Well, if they're 'clearly intentional' then just maybe they're succeeding when they push people away from Bernie. That was their game all along, linking themselves to his campaign, then being completely and utterly racist, sexist, and just plain obnoxious.

[davidpdx]

34. Thanks for posting this

I have a friend on Facebook that has bought into this and I've been arguing with him for several days. Really I can't believe he is stupid enough to buy this shit. And he is a Democrat for christsakes.