How many of you have encountered a "Bernie Bro" in the flesh?

[LAS14]

Last edited Sat Feb 22, 2020, 11:11 AM - Edit history (1)

I've always been baffled by this phenomenon. Bernie obviously cares. These people are mean. I'm sure there are real "Bernie Bros", but the idea that some are Russian bots sure does ring true to me. And I sure don't blame Bernie. Perhaps we should back off of the Bernie Bro bashing so as not to aid the Russian plan.

I should make clear (based on some of the responses here) that I'm not talking about ordinary, or even passionate Bernie supporters. I'm talking about the hostile, threatening behavior I see reported here on DU and referred to in the press. Is it only social media behavior that they're talking about (hence vulnerable to bots and paid players?)

Have you met any in the flesh? What do you think?

tia
las

[rzemanfl]

1. Never. Not even a supporter. n/t

[cwydro]

60. Me either lol.

Funny that.

[rzemanfl]

62. The majority of Bernie supporters are under 45.

That crowd does not show up at the Y in the afternoon which is where most of my interactions take place. They are working.

[cwydro]

63. I guess you've got a point there lol.

I’m usually hanging with a much older crowd too.

[rzemanfl]

64. Yep. Don't see them at my urologist's either. n/t

[cwydro]

65. ...

Point taken!

[stonecutter357]

2. lol i have a "BernieBro" in my family ....

edit to say my wife is trumper !

[spooky3]

36. I do too - although he voted from Trump in 2016 and I don't know what he'll do

this time.

[CatMor]

3. I haven't met any.

[ibegurpard]

4. I have. Several.

Obnxious, pushy, and insufferable. I have not however met nor do i know of any real Bernie supporters that have made death threats to anyone or used racist or hate language against anyone. The obnoxious men AND women i have encountered are just really irritating and unable to see how counterproductive their pushy tactics are.

[musicblind]

22. I wonder if the reasons our interactions with Sanders supporters is so different

is because of geographical location? I'm in rural North Carolina and all but one of the Sanders supporters I've met have been sane, kind, and reasonable.

[ibegurpard]

26. By no means was I saying all of them

But I have certainly encountered the stereotypes in real life. Just no one that fits the bill some would have us believe of death threats and hate speech.

[musicblind]

40. Oh, I believe you.

I was just wondering if there was a regional factor to it.

I do know two who voted for Stein, but I don't consider them "Bernie Bros" because they never tried to persuade me not to vote for Hillary, and they never bashed, yelled, or were rude. I also don't consider them voting for Stein to be a "Bernie Bro" thing with them because they were previously Green Party members, then switched over when Bernie ran, then went back to their status quo when he lost the nomination. I never heard things like "OMG, the DNC are thieves!" They were just like, "Oh, I guess it's back to Stein, then."

Speaking of people who voted for Stein, I think we may be underestimating the number of people who voted for her because they firmly believed "Hillary had it in the bag" and plan not make that mistake again, this time around. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think there will be a LOT less third party voting in 2020.

[Laelth]

45. Very likely.

There has been a good bit of research done on this. My native state, Georgia, is the least tempermental and most inhibited in the continental United States.



https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2013/10/regions-personalities

-Laelth

[cwydro]

61. I'm in rural/urban NC too.

I’ve had the same experience with dotard supporters.

I’ve never been called names, had my car keyed, or had unpleasant interactions in the gym, grocery, gas station, etc., where so many DUers seem to be harassed.

[Mz Pip]

5. I have

I have a relative who unfriended me on Facebook in 2016 because I wouldn’t write in Bernie in the General Election.

And another who is my age who is still hoping for that Bolshevik revolution. That seems really ridiculous.

[PETRUS]

6. I've met lots of Bernie supporters.

He is popular where I live, and his campaign is pretty active here. All ages, genders, colors, etc. and no more or less polite than average. That said, people behave differently face to face than they do online, and for all I know the nice middle aged woman I was talking with earlier today is rude on twitter.

[unitedwethrive]

7. Yes! At the very first Democratic debate, we went to a watch party

sponsored by the county Democratic Party. There were two young men who were loud Bernie supporters who essentially tried to shup up everyone else in attendance, and constantly belittled all of the other candidates. I was actually somewhat open to Sanders until that point, but it really left a bad taste in my mouth.

Since then, I run into ardent Bernie Bro's every time I take a walk around the local campus of our state university (I live about 20 minutes away).

Also, some of the biggest Burnie Bros are his own campaign spokespeople, whom I assume are sanctioned by him. They are loud and try to intimidate reporters with constantly talking and not listening to any other point of view. The whole 'feeling' of his campaign is aggressive.

[ecstatic]

8. I'm pretty sure some bots are in the mix as well.

It's easy to join in the fray and sow even more division.

[msongs]

9. dozens. totally inappropriately behaving zealots nt

[Kingofalldems]

10. Neighbor.

And he voted for Stein in the GE.

[Blue_Tires]

11. I wouldn't be in places where they'd congregate anyway

But you can easily find thousands upon thousands of them on twitter... (and yes, a great many of them are generated from the same Eastern Europe troll farms employed by Trump)

This is what I deal with on an hourly basis:

Link to tweet

[ibegurpard]

27. Twitter?

[nobuddy]

12. Yes. They kept talking about seizing the means of production.

All you need to know.

[Squinch]

31. Be honest now. Does this mean you talk a lot about siezing the means of production?

[handmade34]

13. yes

we have a few in Vermont

[CanonRay]

14. Me. Local guy in town

was absolutely nasty and finally I just cut off contact. Knew him pretty well, too.

[krissey]

15. Sanders runs a campaign of anger, discontent, division. His supporters behave as he does.

I am not convinced Sanders cares. I feel he has encouraged, been an example.

[k2qb3]

16. I'm not sure what does or doesn't qualify as a Bernie bro, but...

The most vocal Bernie guy I know is a 50 Y/O moderate union guy with a massive chip on his shoulder over politics.

To be fair though, lots of Dems in SC are like that, it's kinda awful here for Dems outside a few communities, actually it's awful for them too but at least they're not alone.

Getting hate from all sides makes people crazy, or silent.

I'm sure the current level of divisiveness is rough all over though.

[musicblind]

23. My definition: Any supporter who is EXCESSIVELY rude and/or trolls online or in person.

Regardless of gender, age, or race.

Sanders Supporter ? Bernie Bros

Total Jerks = Bernie Bros

[k2qb3]

32. Well, that seems to be pretty standard fare for anyone's enthusiastic supporters...

in the internet age, especially in the heat of a primary, especially for younger voters, especially if it's the first time they have a candidate they actually want to vote for.

I remember Clinton bros in '92.

The Ron Paul bros were horrible too, almost as bad as the McCain bros that intentionally riled them up.

[musicblind]

37. I've been around for a LOT of elections

and this is the first time I've ever seen trolling to this degree.

Granted, we now have the internet to make things worse by amplifying the cruelest of the cruel.

[Autumn]

17. Every Bernie Bro, and the many female counter parts I have met IRL and in closed FB groups are

not nasty about any other candidate. They focus on Bernie.

[seaglass]

51. Noticed you left your participation at JPR out of this disclaimer.

[Autumn]

59. I haven't been there for years so I don't give a fuck what you noticed.

[seaglass]

67. Just trying to help. Wouldn't want you to be accused of dishonesty.

[Autumn]

71. I've been very open and honest, about when I left and why I fucking left sea.

Thanks for the help but really, really don't need or want it.

[yardwork]

18. Yes.

[Bettie]

19. I did

at our caucus.

He was a nice enough man, but he said that last time around he voted for Jill Stein and that if Bernie doesn't get the nomination this time, there is no one other than Tulsi he'd consider, so he'll be voting for either a libertarian or a green.

Arguing with him wasn't worthwhile. He was an older guy, probably 60ish.

[musicblind]

21. You mean insane Sanders supporters like on twitter?

One.

Just one.

I've met TONS of Sanders supporters, and only one of them was batcrap crazy.

I think what's happening is threefold:

1.) Russian bots.

2.) A very loud minority of Sanders supporters are drowning out a silent majority of Sanders supporters online.

3.) Gen Y grew-up on the internet and see trolling as a valid form of self-expression. (#CancelCulture)

[ibegurpard]

29. I think you are right

I have encountered real-life obnoxious people but none that fit the bill of accusations of death threats and hate speech that gets thrown at them.

[Garrett78]

24. Not one, and I've encountered a lot of Sanders supporters.

[Deero]

25. You don't meet them in real life

because none of them have the guts to act in real life the way they act on Twitter. That's because on Twitter there are no repercussions and in real life somebody might loosen a few of their teeth for them.

[ibegurpard]

30. And Twitter has a lot of bots and agitators

[Squinch]

28. I have. A number of them. And if you want to find a flock of them, go to JPR.

[SamKnause]

33. Never.

[NCProgressive]

34. I have .. lots of them

[kellytore]

35. I know a few

and they are very spiteful and cultish. I also know some that are not this way, but those that are make me afraid for Bernie to be our nominee.

[the berner]

38. I'm a Bernie bro

I routinely do horrible things like advocate for poor people.

Sometimes I suggest billionaires have enough money, which is truly beyond the pale.

I say awful stuff like working class Americans deserve the same health care security as people in really rich countries like Cuba.

These sorts of unforgivable statements get me labeled public enemy number 1.

Surprisingly I'm perfectly ok with it.

[MrsCoffee]

44. Intentionally obtuse.

[Laelth]

46. I laughed. I thought it was a good post. I appreciate irony.

Welcome to DU.

-Laelth

[VarryOn]

39. My 20-year-old nephew is pretty hardcore...

And was not political in the least until about a year ago. He started working in a coffee shop just off the local uni campus shortly before he discovered politics. There's no doubt he picked the bug up there.

Before my family's big Thanksgiving get together last year, my sis-in-law texted my political and outwardly opinionated brother to ask him to please avoid political talk while we were together. Why? Because my nephew had been showing a propensity to trigger very easily over politics. My brother (a conservative) likes teasing, and if he knows you are liberal, the harder he teases. I've been on the receiving end millions of times, but I can dish it out as well as take it. My sis-in-law hates conflict, and a blow up or walk-out by my nephew would have killed her.

We made it through our gathering with no incident, but my nephew made us all feel like we were walking on egg shells. Still, he was humorless, sulky, and hardly I reacted with anyone. Growing up, he was really a sweet boy. But now, he probably hates his family.

[LAS14]

41. I don't know a lot of Bernie supporters, but ALL of the ones I know...

... are passionately good people. I'm fine with that. Maybe the media and we on DU shouldn't pay so much attention to Twitter traffic.

[MrsCoffee]

42. Several.

Since you are asking.

[wyldwolf]

43. I have. A horde of them

They're not nearly as obnoxious as they are online until you bait them.

[Laelth]

47. Both my children were ardent Bernie supporters in 2016.

That year, I spent a good deal of energy explaining to my children how politics is a team sport and how important it is to be a team player. After Trump became President, they got the message. Neither supports Bernie in 2020.

-Laelth

[LAS14]

54. Have you met any that qualify for the description I've added to my OP?

I should make clear (based on some of the responses here) that I'm not talking about ordinary, or even passionate Bernie supporters. I'm talking about the hostile, threatening behavior I see reported here on DU and referred to in the press. Is it only social media behavior that they're talking about (hence vulnerable to bots and paid players?)

[Laelth]

57. No. I can't say that I have.

I don't do Twitter, nor do I frequent the online environments in which they allegedly lurk. If I ever met one in person, I was unaware that I had done so.



-Laelth

[LongtimeAZDem]

48. I have, more than two dozen

[mcar]

49. My hairdresser

Lovely person but likes to bring up how the 2016 primary was "rigged" against Bernie, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, blah, blah.

[LAS14]

50. That's not the kind of over-the-top hostile behavior I'm talking about. That...

... could be true of the supporter of any candidate, right?

[mcar]

55. I don't think it's true of the supporter of any candidate

Most deal in reality, not conspiracy theory.

[LAS14]

52. I've edited my OP to include this:

I should make clear (based on some of the responses here) that I'm not talking about ordinary, or even passionate Bernie supporters. I'm talking about the hostile, threatening behavior I see reported here on DU and referred to in the press. Is it only social media behavior that they're talking about (hence vulnerable to bots and paid players?)

[beachbumbob]

53. have a nephew who ended up voting for Jill Stein, made no difference in

outcome in Illinois. I found he was totally irrational in his thought process and just gave up with making a reasoned discussion with him.

He was a typical "won't vote for lessre of 2 evils" person. supreme court didn;t matter THEN, but sure does now, Scrapping environmental rules/regulations THEN didn;t matter, sure does now.

[Generic Brad]

56. Never met one

I have met many Bernie supporters but not a single one of them could remotely be considered a Bro.

[Prue]

58. Nope - They're like the evasive dodo bird

Unless you google them online. (smile)

[Happy Hoosier]

66. Yes, a whole clutxh of them the other weekend.

Went to friends patty and 4 or 5 Bros were there. Pretty disturbing.

[LAS14]

68. How did they behave, exactly? I was talking about threatening...

... behavior, not passionate (perhaps illogical) support.

[Happy Hoosier]

69. Like this...

1) all the other candidates are corrupt.
2) Liz Warren is Hillary Clinton who copied some of Bernie’s speeches.
3) They are over talkers. When you are making a point they will interrupt ans say stuff like “that’s bullshit!” or to tell you you’ve been brain washed.
4) one tried the “Okay Boomer” on me. I’m not a Boomer.
5) I am Relatively well-off now (upper middle class), and was told I can never understand the struggles young people will face, even though I had just told him I grew up poor, and knew what it was like to have to spend a lot of energy figuring out how to pay the rent AND eat.
6) all of them dismissed racism as an independent issue. “Racism will die once inequality does.”
7) And THEN one said “racist much?” When I criticized Nine Turner for being an unrepentant Stein voter.

[LAS14]

70. OK. That qualifies! nt

[Tien1985]

73. I figure everyone's mileage may vary

Although I'm sure my experience isn't typical, most of the Bernie supporters I know IRL are older people (60+) from my UU church, most of the indigenous folks in my area who I know personally, and a black blogger from my state (Maine) who I just happen to know.

I've run into the Bernie Bro types online often, though. But then, last election I ran into Clinton supporters who were equally as bad, and these primaries I'm running into too many Bloomberg, Biden, and Buttigieg supporters that are, too. So I take it with a grain of salt and ignore it. People have always been obnoxious online. I've been online since I was 11. I grew up with cyber bullying and online nastiness as long as I've been online, I guess it gave me a pretty tough skin for it.

[Midnight Writer]

74. I have never met a Bernie supporter, Bro or no.

[AncientGeezer]

75. "Have you met any in the flesh? What do you think? "

Yes I have....but not allowed to say here what I think....

[liberal N proud]

76. Couldn't tell, because there trumpkins there too

[mdelaguna]

77. My best friend is one. N/t