A conversation I had with a Ben and Jerry's employee outside of Fred Meyers yesterday...

[cascadiance]

I got to an outdoor barbeque the store was having outside that was just closing up as I pulled out, and different vendors were giving out free samples of food, etc. I noticed that Ben and Jerries were giving out some small cups of a free sample of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

I went up to get one of those before this guy shut their booth down, and asked him if they had any free samples of a newer Bernie Sanders flavor yet in a joking fashion. We talked a little about him, and he seemed like a nice guy but it was hard to read his politics. He said something like "He's got a few wacky ideas, but seems like a nice guy.".

I responded by acknowledging he was a "socialist", but then followed up by noting that the Koch Brothers were more aligned with the hard line communists of the Soviet Union days when the Koch Brothers' father built his fortune from business deals with hard core communist dictator Joseph Stalin, who went out of his way to kill off Trotsky and those following him that were more espousing a more bottom up socialist Russia than Stalin was and kind of made the point that the young Koch brothers were carrying on that tradition of top down control that their father and Stalin both espoused and are helping embed in our system with all of their corruption money they pour in to it. He hadn't realized this, and I think I planted the seed in him to look this up.

I think this is the kind of conversation we need to have with reasonable people who might question whether Bernie being a "socialist" is a good thing or not. Now some hard core right wingers aren't going to listen to you whatever you say, but many out there that have the "socialist is bad" meme that they hear constantly from the media around them that has them skeptical of someone like Bernie should be encouraged to study this history, and perhaps can get a more nuanced understanding of what socialism is, and what the different variants of it are, and how it is not "all bad", and note that another poll shows that most Americans think that we are closer to and idolize a wealth distribution that a more socialist country like Sweden has too.

There are many independents we can change minds with out there I think. That is the challenge that many of us out at the grass roots have now, as the corporate media that so many hear/watch won't inform them of these sorts of things.

[Kalidurga]

1. I want a Bernie Sanders ice cream

I think something with raspberries and blueberries.

[cascadiance]

6. How about "A System Bernin' up!"

Though perhaps we could find a way to shorten that too. Not sure what flavors would go well with that line. Any ideas?

[Kalidurga]

7. Maybe Cinnamon

Do you think that would be okay added to blueberries and raspberries? Cuz I like fruit ice cream better than cinnamon.

[randys1]

2. You need to write a shorter and more succinct version of what you posted here, not because this

isnt great but BECAUSE it is and I have not seen it put this way before.

We need a 30 second punchline with all this in it.


I would first not call him a Socialist, way too mature of a word for most, Democratic Socialist is better, but other than that, teach me how to say this in less words.

I will memorize it, I promise.

Any buzz words we can use to drive the point home?

[cascadiance]

5. I was just thinking of another way I could have said things too...

Where somehow get across the point that not all Soviets were bad people, and even many of us that like what Bernie talks about as Democratic Socialism feel that there were many very bad Soviet communists too (like Stalin) that didn't believe in democratic processes either. A way to drive that point home is also to say that not all people in America are good and not are all bad either, and we have some very decent people and some not so. But that our system is broken now, much like the Soviet system under rule by those like Stalin was also broken too, when the powerful get too powerful, just like the powerful have gotten too powerful here too. In short, we are all human beings, not genetically evil or good, based on what system we live in.

I'll try to write this more concisely later when I have time to think about it more, and perhaps with enough people's feedback, we can write out a too the point "recipe conversation" for people we may talk to that perhaps are open to a more engaging discussion of what "socialism" is, and how Bernie fits in to that discussion. Maybe even bring it up on Brunch with Bernie sometime on Thom Hartmann's show to get Bernie's feedback as well, and how he might want it honed as well to make sure it accurately reflects his beliefs too.

[tularetom]

3. "He's got a few wacky ideas…."

Was this guy able to describe one or two of Sen. Sanders' "wacky ideas"?

Or was he just attributing wacky ideas to him because he's heard him called for years as a socialist?

Because in all honesty, I can't name one thing that the Senator has advocated that I would consider "wacky" and I don't think I'm that far out of the mainstream. But I am aware that the corporate media have tried to marginalize him for a long time with that label.

[cascadiance]

4. I don't recall if he used that term exactly...

He might have used something less strong, but it did reflect the notion that people commonly think of "socialism" as being something that has been criticized by mainstream society for so long. He might have even said it nicely, thinking if others were overhearing him, he wouldn't be looked at as "wacky" himself, or whatever term he said. It might have been something like "off the wall" or another similar phrase. He certainly wasn't speaking derisively. I also noted that he was one of the few politicians out there that is honest that is hard to find these days. And he agreed a lot with that statement too.

[Snotcicles]

8. I think the whole Socialist Bogeyman scare tactic, is losing it's 'Fear Factor". nt

[Enthusiast]

9. None of Bernie's ideas are wacky. Not a one.

[cascadiance]

10. I think all of us in this group feel that way, and I think many reasonable people CAN feel that way

It is this "socialist" meme that not only pollutes the air waves in more extreme ways for listeners of Rush Limbaugh, but even is hard to overcome on the corporate media as well, when people just hear they should dismiss it in favor of capitalism, but they don't really understand why they should, and therefore, I believe most of them aren't LOCKED in to those feelings. Many people are more open to populist idea discussions rather than only listening to our "media", and I think that gives more of an opportunity to reason with them, when they find a lot about our system they don't trust.

Even the more hard core people that believe as they are told that everything "capitalist" is good, and everything "socialist" is wrong I believe can have their mind set shaken up.

That is why I give the Koch brothers example to them to shake up their frame of reference. When Limbaugh and others talk about "commie extremes" or "socialists" that they probably use the likes of Joseph Stalin to draw them out as being evil, they get afraid of someone who is "socialist" like Bernie Sanders, and Limbaugh fuels that rage.

If you then point out that the big "capitalist" Koch brothers who are supposed to be doing good for us by the Republicans and corporatist messaging to have our system stand strong against the commies, in fact is MORE linked directly and ideologically to Joseph Stalin than someone like Bernie Sanders is, who is more aligned with the democratic socialists that were "purged" by the likes of Stalin in the Soviet Union, I think that hopefully will have many of them look at this issue more three dimensionally the way it really is. It's really hard for them when confronted with the facts to deny this.

And then you can present the analysis that this fits more in to the Occupy movement's way of defining our present situation where it is the 1% who is oppressing the 99% in history, whether it is the 1%ers like the Koch brother here in this country, or the Joseph Stalin of his day oppressing the 99% in the Soviet Union too. Perhaps we can foster this new mind set for people to help better understand how the wealth divide and those on the other side of it is more the problem than "socialism" is. We at some point need the unity for a movement of change like we had back in FDR's day. I think that's achievable. But we need to have ways to shake up these propagandized mind sets. We need to build up these stories/facts to help us do that.

[Enthusiast]

12. I will do my part to shake up the propagandized mind sets.

Thank you for the thoughtful response.

[sabrina 1]

11. Independents are going to be the key demographic for Bernie in this race. THEY will put him in the

WH, imo.

Along with non- voters who gave up on the system. Now they have a candidate who speaks for them, and I believe many of them will b registering to vote for that candidate.