Bernie Bros Made Me Finally Recognize Misogyny in America

[workinclasszero]

Bernie Bros Made Me Finally Recognize Misogyny in America
05/05/2016 09:11 am ET | Updated 4 hours ago
Thrity Umrigar - Author, ‘The Space Between Us’

Decades ago, Gloria Steinem had talked about the “click,” moments, those aha, revelatory, eureka moments when a woman suddenly recognizes the gender discrimination she faces. I am sorry to say, I never had one of those consciousness-raising moments. That is to say, I had plenty of them. But on the behalf of others. Never for myself.

Until now.

I have the Bernie Bros to thank for this.

Killary. Shrillary. She who yells too much. And a million other slurs that I see daily on Facebook but which are unprintable in this family publication.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thrity-umrigar/bernie-bros-sexism_b_9847092.html

[Buzz Clik]

1. And how many of Bernie's supporters attempt to shut that down?

Far too few. (I have not seen any attempt to shut up the anti-women rhetoric, but that it may exist)

[synergie]

52. They shut down any attempt to discuss what's going on.

[Hiraeth]

2. wavered about you. this one does it. Welcome to Ignore.

[HooptieWagon]

3. I believe misogyny is BrockBro talking point number 3.

But I'm not sure if they recycle them in numerical order or randomly.

[lagomorph777]

8. Are they done with redefining mathematical impossibility for now?

and we've returned to "Hillary is a woman and if you don't like her you're a misogynist?"

Oh well, not sure how to square that with my enthusiasm for Elizabeth Warren (and Barbara Boxer; sad to see her retire).

[synergie]

69. This is the BS denier talking point number one, used in all cases, everything ever

is because of David Brock, including all those nasty articles Bernie admits to writing, that was Brock too! It's a often used talking point with you guys to deflect the reality of any facts that reflect poorly on you, you use it for nearly everything, you don't need numerical order or randomness, it's just a knee jerk talkiing point #1.

[Jester Messiah]

4. Pfft. Whatever. n/t

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

5. I find the "Bernie Bro" a loathsome creature...

But they're as much influenced by misogyny as ISIS is influenced by the self-esteem movement.

[LisaM]

6. Yes.

This:

But because they felt the need to attack me every single time I posted anything remotely favorable to my candidate of choice, because I have spoken to countless women who have stopped posting on Facebook and Twitter because they are afraid the Bros will pounce, because some of them have turned out to be as misogynist and careless in their attacks and speech as The Donald himself, they have been part of my growing education.

You can add to that not attending caucuses in Washington state because we didn't want to deal with bullies.

[RockaFowler]

16. My sister had this issue in Maine as well

It turned her off Bernie just because of that caucus experience

[LisaM]

26. I learned the hard way in 2008

It was hell on earth, having people - neighbors! - jump up and scream about how people hated Hillary Clinton. She started foaming about Monica Lewinsky and the blue dress, even. It was absolutely miserable. From what I can tell, much of the same went on this year (Susan Sarandon hectoring people in Nevada comes to mind) and I figured it would be worse this year because the Obama supporters were actually a lot nicer than the Sanders supporters.

[mmonk]

7. Being called a Bernie Bro made me realize many Democrats rather insult people

than deal with real issues.

[farleftlib]

55. Well if your candidate's baggage was anywhere close to hers

that's all you'd have. A good offense is the best defense. And man oh man is being called a Bernie Bro offensive!

[katsy]

9. Finally recognizing misogyny? LULZ

It wasn't getting paid $.75 on the dollar for equal work.

It wasn't needing special laws to regulate your reproductive system instead of it being a private matter between yourself & your doctor.

It wasn't being treated as a criminal when you were raped.

No no no no it took an anonymous internet warrior to open your eyes to misogyny. Right, asshole writer of that piece of shit article? R I G H T.

We know about trolls and paid trolls on every side of every issue stirring up shit online yet only BERNIE BROs is the real deal?

Oh fuck off idiot HuffPost article.

[frylock]

13. My first thought as well.

Just now recognizing misogyny? Where the fuck have you been?

[ieoeja]

31. Like hero, like sycophant.

It wasn't the horrible abuses of Black children during the Civil Rights era.

It wasn't Dr Martin Luther King Jr getting killed.

It wasn't RFK getting killed.


No, no, no, no. It took Nixon supporters being rude to Hillary at the Republican National Convention in 1968 to open her eyes to Conservative asshats.


Some people only see a problem when they are the victim. Lacking empathy will do that.

[katsy]

34. Spot on.

[bettyellen]

37. you have confused misogyny with (institutional) sexism, which is a very common mistake.

Similar to many people confusing bigotry with (institutional) racism. The terminology has been refined by those professionals studying the isms. Lots of good stuff on the net about this. I encourage you to delve into the subject!

[katsy]

59. i see.

And I repeat: I was an Obama bro. Now they paint me with a broad brush as a Bernie bro.

And let me ask: what human endeavor is free of its peculiar asshats?

And how much cred do we give these outliers?

And where is the proof these aren't paid trolls or lonely sorry asshats looking to stir shit?

And which is worse... some nasty anonymous nobodies posting vile things on the Internet? Or a feminist icon demeaning young female activists scoffing at them for "going where the boys are".

Was that not misogynistic? All young girls want boy, is that right? They don't have values, opinions, ideas of there own and work hard for that which they believe. No. They just go where the boys are. cuz they want a man

Now you understand why I'm furious. Who the fuck needs Bernie bro enemies when your feminist idol just tore you up.

At least anonymous online idiots are transparent. And INCONSEQUENTIAL to one's identity. They are nobodies. Their stupidity makes them nothing in the grand scheme of things. Cowards.

Ms Steinem otoh had a megaphone to insult a generation of pretty fucking smart young women.

[bettyellen]

61. these "outliers" have not received much pushback here or on Reddit or FB. That is why others get

broad brushed too. The company they willingly keep.

[katsy]

78. Different subject altogether.

No one should be praising those idiots.

There will be nasty folks in every human social arena. Politics, sports, the arts, sciences, medicine... Asshats are just the loudest.

I prefer to ignore them. They aren't Bernie Bros. they're loud obnoxious inconsequential nobodies.

[seabeyond]

81. I supported Obama also. I also had to stand beside Clinton when Obama and his team played in sexism

Greater responsibility. It wasn't hard. Shit, I had to stand with Palin and other women we didn't like when the sexism card was used. Didn't mean I didn't go after Palin or that I would ever, for any reason, vote for her.

Calling out the sexism is not the same as supporting the woman. Not a tough concept, but so many seem to have a challenge with it.

[vintx]

72. ^^^^^^^^ This shit right here!!!! ^^^^^^^^

Clueless dudes should really STFU about feminism. Most haven't got the slightest fucking clue.

[basselope]

10. LMAO!!!

Call Clinton on her record and it is automatically sexism.

That's some funny stuff!

[frylock]

11. Cool story.

[seabeyond]

12. Very nice. It has all been said before, repeatedly. And needs to continually be said. Nt

[joshcryer]

14. This applies more to Reddit.

Facebook or Discus comment sections around the web are equal opportunity with their vindictives regarding Clinton.

[Dems to Win]

15. The 'Bros Before Hos' Tshirts in 2008 didn't turn on the light bulb? nt

[jillan]

17. Shut up already! I am a 60 year old woman who has had enough of this bullshit. In 2008

Hillary supporters called me an Obama Bro.

When is this going to stop?

[seabeyond]

18. Wow. Shut up already. I am damn tired of the Sanders shill, too. Shut up already? I hear ya.

[Armstead]

25. 8 years from now...

And by that time the whole concept of opposing actual sexism may have been discredited by its misuse to deflect and stifle legitimate political criticism.

[Joe the Revelator]

89. When will it stop? When Hillary loses this election and her supporters hopefully

stop with the cult of personality. She's held this party hostage for too long with this shit.

[timmymoff]

19. Is this the same gloria steinmen who claimed

younger women were attracted to Bernie because that's "where the boys are" shit even Hillary's surrogates are damn hypocrites. Like candidate like supporter I guess.

[CharlotteVale]

23. +1000000

[LisaM]

28. Oh, come on. She explained that AND she called it back.

She simply meant - as she restated for the pouncers - that a lot of young people who work on campaigns are hoping to meet other young people. I met my SO working on a campaign way back when, actually! We had a group of Democrats in our area who all went to different high schools, and yes, I did enjoy going to the get-togethers and meeting boys from the other high schools in the area. Gloria Steinem has been around a long time and I'm sure she's witnessed that. Working on a campaign should be a good social experience and I think that a shared political outlook is one of the most important things that binds couples together. Maybe your mileage varies.

Of course, the real irony is that she was immediately proved right when this group popped up (not knocking it at all, more power to them, but it shows that she was correct) - https://berniesingles.com/

[farleftlib]

58. No, you come on

Your post is just as offensive and tone deaf as Steinem's. Get yourself a clue already.

[LisaM]

85. You don't think college kids are having a good time working on Bernie's campaign?

I bet a lot of them are having the time of their lives, and I think that's great. It was really fun for me in high school to meet other Democratic kids (my little town was kind of conservative, so even finding other Democrats was a relief). I wouldn't change those experiences for the world and I'm still really close friends with some of the people I met back then. I remember it like it was yesterday, actually. They hit on the idea that we would work the bingo concession down at some VFW hall in Lansing, Michigan, and you haven't lived till you've spent all night making ham sandwiches and coffee for little tiny overly-rouged ladies who were chain smoking and shouting "bingo!" all night long.

I don't even think Gloria Steinem meant it in a bad way - but the second she said it, she knew she'd hear about it, because that's who we are now!! We jump on everything and blow it out of proportion. We've become too grim - we can't joke, we can't have fun, we can't make light-hearted remarks.....

[farleftlib]

86. Your entire second paragraph is extremely lame

Yes, she did mean it in a bad way. Even Bill Maher said "If I had said that you'd smack me in the face" because she did mean it to be insulting. You think she cares about how she'd "hear about it" ? She had a job to do, which was painting Sanders supporters in as poor a light as humanly possible, just as Albright had done earlier. They are 1%ers before they are women and they want their 1% president.

Nobody's being grim and Steinem's comment was not light-hearted. It was meant to belittle women who support Sanders. She knew she couldn't persuade women to Hillary's cause because they're too smart to fall for the woman card. That's all Hillary has to offer and a lot of women don't care. She's toxic and we want the first woman president to be someone we can admire.

And telling people a cruel insult was just a joke and they're too miserable to get it is a standard comeback of the misogynist.

[LisaM]

88. Well, okay, then.

You seem like two tons of fun.

We're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I've actually given you a pretty good window on my personal experiences and am trying to give credit to people working on the campaign of a candidate I don't even like - and to understand that this is a great time for them. You seem convinced that two women I greatly admire - and who have years of combined political experience - are toxic and don't understand younger women.

There's a wide gulf here and I'm not even going to try and bridge it any more. Have a nice night, though.

[farleftlib]

90. Awwww you don't like me very much??

Boo-freaking-hoo.

Two women, one of whom I admire, behaved badly and I called them on it. Having spent time in the public eye doesn't make them infallible. Especially Albright. Killing half a million Iraqi kids with sanctions was "worth it." I'd hate to have her karma. It's not Bernie followers who need to fear the hell she wished on them.

[LisaM]

91. I like you just fine.

I think you are wrong, but at least you stick to your guns.

[timmymoff]

67. walk it back, just like Hillary

[vintx]

73. Yep. Total frauds. Completely full of shit.nt

[seabeyond]

82. Total frauds? Lol. You tell it.

[Eric J in MN]

20. 'Killary' is about her war policies, not her gender.

I've never "Shrillary" before, but I've often seen "Shillary" which is about her pro-corporate policies.

[1939]

53. I have seen

Chillary and The Chill. I have also seen Billarry

[Time for change]

21. Oh, come on

"Killary" is a mysogenic term? As I recall, George W. Bush was called all sorts of nasty names at this site, referring to his tendency to involve us in unnecessary wars, while he was President.

And "She who yells too much" is a mysogenic phrase? Remember what they did with the "Dean Scream" that knocked him out of contention for the Democratic nominatiion?

And those phrases finally made you finally recognize sexism in this country?

[obamanut2012]

22. GWB is a Republican n/t

[Time for change]

38. Yes, what is your point?

[Armstead]

24. Bush the Chimp..Idiot in Chief. Tricky Dick.

Were those misogyny against all males?

[bettyellen]

39. All Republicans. When you have to discount so many other voices in order to defend your words....

it should be cause for some self reflection.

[all american girl]

42. I actually took a picture of Bush and he did look like a chimp

I kid you not. He came to the country we lived in at the time. It was arranged that we call could see him and Laura Bush. I really didn't want to go, but I thought it was a cool opportunity for my kids to see a sitting President...never thought that would happen in my life. So we went. I was close enough to shake his hand, and that was so not happening, so I took pictures of him. When I got home to look at them I was laughing so hard. The dude looked like a chimp in almost every picture...what a dork.

I think that name was very spot on for him.

[amborin]

27. David Brock fabricated "Bernie Bros" to smear HRC supporters

[seaglass]

46. He did not. It came from an editor at the Atlantic.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/berniebro-revisited/460212/

[peggysue2]

29. Killary/Shrillary

If Killary/Shrillary are excusable--not gender related in any way, any form, how overly sensitive can I be? Then please explain:

BERN THE WITCH!

Love the lame excuses, btw. None of which are new or even creative. But please, keep digging.

Thanks for the post, workinclass. That 'aha' moment always comes as a shock, regardless of when or where it happens. The important thing is we recognize misogyny for what it is, and then start pushing back.

[workinclasszero]

41. "BERN THE WITCH".....damn

And the people that came up with the sexist slur above have the gall to claim they are progressives and leftists.

What a sick joke. I'm sure it plays real good with the Trump fascists too.

[all american girl]

44. Also whichhillary. it seemed find to me, until I read I read it outloud...then I got it. Not cool

[Doctor_J]

30. Cool story bro

IMO nearly all of those who believe that the opposition to Hillary is based entirely on misogyny have believed that for decades, not just since Sanders decided to run for president.

[Kip Humphrey]

32. Apparently she missed Obama Boys, the first made up misogynists invented by Hillary.

It pays to pay attention.

[seabeyond]

84. I was an Obama supporter. Again, I had to stand up to the sexism direct at Clinton, while supportin

Obama

[AgingAmerican]

33. Something that doesn't exist made you recognize things?

lol

[NurseJackie]

35. It's not all blatant either. There's a lot of stealth-misogyny too. Code-words and dog-whistles ...

... and cleverly worded essays with lots of wiggle room for plausible deniability for the writers to claim that they're being "misunderstood" when called out on it. It's been going on for months and months.

[bettyellen]

40. that someone did not think twice before posting Hillary should "know her place" blows my mind.

On what planet was that NOT a dog whistle? And OP defends them self saying it is because they are right and (all the many) others wrong. Alrighty then.

[NurseJackie]

54. In fairness to some, it's entirely possible that someone has such poor writing skills ...

... that the understood meaning of their written words is a departure from what they were actually thinking.

But... a that's a big BUT... on the other hand, there are some individuals who have consistently demonstrated their ability to make coherent and intelligently-written posts.

These people have a reputation of being able to express themselves clearly and of their use of language, logic, and reasoning. The avoid the obvious hyperbole and insults. It's for those individuals that I'm less willing to be so forgiving or to accept the "who me?" defense.

In my opinion, it's only through their cleverness that they're able to craft a message that gets their point across to those who are in-the-know, yet still gives wiggle room and a plausible "out". Sometimes such things are totally expected, other times, they're surprising and disappointing.

In spite of political and philosophical differences that I have had ... there are many individuals here for whom I have high regard and esteem. Today, there are now fewer people that I feel that way about. That's disappointing.

[bettyellen]

56. yeah, well they were also posting that support "because woman" is in itself sexism....

so there is that bit of ignorance too. Face it, there are some people who think women have enough. They have not seen the struggles, nor have they listened.

[NurseJackie]

60. Sometimes people fool me and I give credit where none is deserved.

And there are other people who make a mistake ... listen and absorb and thoughtfully consider the responses ... then apologize. Others just become instinctively defiant and even worse than before.

[bvf]

36. My socks finally made me recognize

androgyny in the Large Hadron Collider.

So I know exactly what you mean.

[cali]

43. The dog shit myth of the berniebro

[NurseJackie]

50. I think you're probably right about that, but only ...

... when it comes to the notion that it's some sort of organized group with actual leaders or a structured hierarchy.

When the word is used as informal slang and a shorthand way of describing a pervasive attitude that's aggressive, contagious and an irrationally self-fueling vicious cycle of harassment and intimidation, then it definitely has some merit. In my opinion.

Apparently there are enough people who self-identify as such that there's even a market for T-shirts and other swag. Wow. Who knew?

http://www.redbubble.com/people/popdesigner/works/20839417-bernie-bro?grid_pos=1&p=t-shirt&style=mens
http://www.amazon.com/Lionheart-Bernie-Bro-t-shirt/dp/B01CJAOGR6
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/berniebro

[Ron Green]

45. When someone is a danger to our society and its chances for survival,

it doesn't matter whether it's "he" or "she."

We've got Trump going forward for sure. Do we really need Clinton as well?

[Betty Karlson]

47. Steinem: wasn't she the one who called women voting for Sanders "sluts"?

Right, with her in the first line of the article, the rest can be disregarded as stuck in the 20th century. Why doesn't she team up with madelein Albright and call us bound for Hell, while she is at it?

Outdated nonsense.

[LexVegas]

48. Don't forget the racism of "low information voters" and Stockholm Syndrome. nt

[revmclaren]

92. Very true...

The ghost of Stockholm-Willy Still haunts the virtual halls of DU, seeming to possess a member or two to post the same crap.

Curious but not surprising.

[Sky Masterson]

49. Bernie Bros made me eat my own belly button!

Still curious to find out what a Bernie Bro is.

[NurseJackie]

57. Here's a link ...

http://bfy.tw/5caQ

[Sky Masterson]

65. Oh I get it.

It's like a Hillary Bro
" Known as the “Bernie Bro,” he typically presents as a white, male Bernie Sanders supporter who haunts Internet comment sections"

[NurseJackie]

68. Even more ...

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/berniebro

Origin

The term “Berniebro,” which is a portmanteau of “Bernie” and Bro, was coined by The Atlantic staff writer Robinson Meyer[1] in an article published on October 17th, 2015. Titled “Here Comes the Berniebro,” the article lists a series of stereotypical attributes and behaviors associated with an annoyingly fanatical male supporter of Bernie Sanders on Facebook.

Spread

On November 6th, 2015, NY Mag[8] published an article titled “The Bernie Bros vs. The Hillarybots,” which identified many Sanders supporters as misogynists who “diminish, demean, and infantalize women.” On December 3rd, The Baffler[7] published an article by writer Amber A’Lee Frost, who argued that Berniebros were the over-exaggerated invention of high-profile feminist Clinton supporters. On December 22nd, Salon[9] published an article by staff writer Amanda Marcotte, who argued “The Bernie bro phenomenon of young men whose enthusiasm for socialism is goosed by an unacknowledged sexism appears to be a real, measurable phenomenon.” On January 29th, 2016, Mashable[4] published an article titled “The bros who love Bernie Sanders have become a sexist mob,” which cited the /r/SandersforPresident subreddit as a haven for “BernieBros.”

The same day, BuzzFeed[6] published an article titled “The Bernie Bros Are a Problem and the Sanders Campaign is Trying to Stop Them.”

[Sky Masterson]

74. From the samee guy

Phew. Hopefully all that may do some good. (Credit for at least half of those puns goes to my friend, Matt Connolly, a true and loyal BernieBard.) But before I close, I want to address one final issue: Some commentators have tried to invent similar slang for Clinton supporters. Often this slang is gendered female (think “Hillaryharpies”) to demonstrate how arbitrary and hurtful the “Berniebro” label is. But these attempts, first, miss that “bro” is not really an epithet, nor particularly hurtful—and, second, they do not understand the central trait of the Berniebro.

The Berniebro, as originally conceived, was a tragic figure; his loyalty and dudeish certainty made him a poor proxy for his favorite candidate. But what’s tragic about some Hillary voters is not really gendered in the same way or at all. The tragic Hillary voter, the truly pitiable figure, is the Democrat who would love to line up behind Bernie’s sunny ideals but knows that he just isn’t electable. I speak, of course, of the Hillarealist. http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/berniebro-revisited/460212/

He even used Hillaryharpies which I got in trouble joking about here.
I

[NurseJackie]

75. The more you know ...

[Sky Masterson]

77. My problem is in the Stereotype

When you label someone you negate their message or intention.
Using childish names on either candidate is wrong.
Got to scoot for the night.

[farleftlib]

62. It's a figment of someone's imagination

meant to deflect people's attention from the fact that HRC is a piss-poor, scandal-ridden candidate.

[Sky Masterson]

66. winner winner chicken dinner!

!

[farleftlib]

71. Mmmmmm chicken

coming home to roost I hope.

[synergie]

51. I always thought that this level of misogyny was something that the Right had

cornered the market on, but this election cycle proved just how much the left has as well. The casual sort of hate, so easily and gleefully expressed all over the place, including this site is appalling.

Thanks for this link.

[Urchin]

63. What's a Bernie Bro?

[Vote2016]

64. Good point. The fact that people assign a gender specific "bro" identity to anonymous persons on the

internet says a lot about people's gender bias and inclinations toward prejudgement. Thanks for calling attention to this bigotry.

[Warren DeMontague]

70. "ITS BREAKFAST IN AMERICA!"

[lunamagica]

76. Don't forget "cackle"

[pmorlan1]

79. Looks Like They are Practicing

for going after Trump. Of course by that time no one will pay any attention to real sexism because they have been crying wolf over and over throughout the primaries.

When you use false claims of sexism for political purposes you harm women who actually experience real sexism. Real women are just collateral damage for the Hillary campaign. Anything to win, right?

[Buddyblazon]

80. You really have to take that crap on a person to person...

basis. Lumping everyone together is silly and childish. "You support so and so and I heard another supporter of so and so say this negative thing so you must support what that other individual is saying.".

It's flawed logic. Meant for simple minds.

I personally don't use misogynistic terms for Hillary. I just think she's an asshole.

[bjo59]

83. I already left a long response to this on

Huffington Post this morning and I don't feel like going into it again. The opinion piece is patently absurd. On a side note: Bernie Bros is not a real thing but that doesn't stop it from being spewed forth from across the corporate owned media. Interesting February 2016 article in The Atlantic by the guy who coined that term the October or November before. He explains exactly what it meant, who it was aimed at and why. What it has come to mean through incessant repetition and sustained attempts to delegitimize Bernie Sanders has absolutely nothing to do with what the term's creator meant by it when he used it in a conversation between friends on Facebook. As far as The author of the opinion piece on HuffPo goes... she is either astoundingly naive and impressionable or inconcienably disingenous.

[silvershadow]

87. Were they even a real thing? I thought we cleared that up that it was mostly a meme. nt