# What is a Bernie Bro? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 2, 2018, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143 "2018-07-02T06:19:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/61 "2018-07-04T00:20:38Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > :eek::eek: > > That’s difficult to conceive of! …it shouldn’t be. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/62 "2018-07-04T00:25:17Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > While I can’t deny that there are people out there who supported Bernie from a position of economic/“racial” privilege without thinking about the perspectives of minorities, it _has_ to be said that Bernie was the _only_ candidate in the entire election that I can actually remember discussing the private-prison industry and the need for vast and sweeping reform of the criminal justice system which is making life hell for thousands of minorities and economically disadvantaged people in this country. Here’s the thing: you then just [weren’t listening to what Clinton was saying](https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/criminal-justice-reform/). > [@Clinton's platform](#): > > … End the era of mass incarceration > Today in America, more than one out of every 100 adults is behind bars. This mass incarceration epidemic has an explicit racial bias, as one in three black men can expect to go to prison in their lifetime. A significant number of those incarcerated are held for low-level, nonviolent offenses. We must end the era of mass incarceration by: > > Reforming mandatory minimum sentencing. Excessive federal mandatory minimum sentences keep nonviolent drug offenders in prison for too long—and have increased racial inequality in our criminal justice system. Hillary will reform this system by: > > Cutting mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses in half. > Allowing current nonviolent prisoners to seek fairer sentences. > > Eliminating the sentencing disparity for crack and powder cocaine so that equal amounts of crack and powder cocaine carry equal sentences, and applying this change retroactively. > > Reforming the “strike” system, so that nonviolent drug offenses no longer count as a “strike,” reducing the mandatory penalty for second- and third-strike offenses. > > Focusing federal enforcement resources on violent crime, not simple marijuana possession. Marijuana arrests, including for simple possession, account for a large number of drug arrests. Significant racial disparities exist in marijuana enforcement—black men are significantly more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than their white counterparts, despite the fact that their usage rates are similar. Hillary will allow states that have enacted marijuana laws to act as laboratories of democracy and reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II substance. > > Prioritizing treatment and rehabilitation—rather than incarceration—for low-level, nonviolent drug offenders. More than half of prison and jail inmates suffer from a mental health problem. Up to 65 percent of the correctional population meets the medical criteria for a substance use disorder. Hillary will ensure law enforcement is properly trained for crisis intervention and referral to treatment as appropriate, direct the attorney general to urge federal prosecutors to seek treatment over incarceration for low-level, nonviolent drug crimes. > > Dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. Hillary will work to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline by providing $2 billion in support to schools to reform overly punitive disciplinary policies, calling on states to reform school disturbance laws, and encouraging states to use federal education funding to implement social and emotional support interventions. > > Ending the privatization of prisons. Hillary believes we should move away from contracting out this core responsibility of the federal government to private corporations. We must not create private industry incentives that may contribute—or have the appearance of contributing—to over-incarceration. The campaign does not accept contributions from federally registered lobbyists or PACs for private prison companies and will donate any such direct contributions to charity. It did not make the great sound bite but it even came up [in debates](http://www.businessinsider.com/where-hillary-clinton-stands-on-criminal-justice-2016-10). > [@](#): > > … Clinton has pledged to “end” for-profit detention facilities, and she no longer accepts donations from private-prison lobbyists. > > “I’m glad that we’re ending private prisons in the federal system; I want to see them ended in the state system,” she said during her debate with Trump — a statement which immediately caused a plunge in the stocks of the country’s largest publicly traded prison companies. > > “You shouldn’t have a profit motivation to fill prison cells with young Americans.” … Anyway. What you can see _now_ if you are _willing to see it_ is a group of people who may not have loved Sanders, or how some of his supporters acted, or who initially liked him and changed their minds based on his end game, and who do not necessarily embrace all of what the more progressive wing of the Democratic Party embraces, who disagree some with Ocasio-Córtez’s assessment of how to win in much of the country, **AND** who are _thrilled_ that she is in the party and representing her district, happy to hear her articulate her perspectives well even if we do not agree with them, and willing to discuss our different perspectives so long as end of day we pull together in service of the many areas we agree about, in particular limiting the damage that this last election has caused which will reverberate for decades. I’m more centrist than progressive but my mind is open come the primary season. And if the energy of a newer generation of politicians like Ocasio-Córtez brings in more voters of her demographics who vote for the more progressive candidate than the one I wanted to win in the primaries then I will be more thrilled that we have more voting than upset that my preferred candidate lost. I do however reserve the right to disagree with her just as loudly as I would disagree with an older white male politician. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/63 "2018-07-04T00:39:57Z")
Bernie Bro is often used casually online to dismiss leftists critical of Hillary and Hillary-like candidates as bigots or assholes of various stripes, and it gets tiresome. The way I see it, neoliberal capitalism is a morally bankrupt ideology, and Sanders, while too capitalism-friendly, is at least a step away from that because the weird form of “democratic socialism” Sanders advocated (aka “friendlier capitalism”) was at least in the right direction. I never supported Trump, and threw support behind Hillary because at least she was going to do the least damage of the two real choices we got. That said, I’m not entirely convinced by utilitarian ethics in all cases, and [this video by Philosophy Tube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_ih9t3OqEM) made me lighten up a little bit on Bernie or Busters. For those that don’t want to watch the video. One potential implication (the Kantian one) is that, while sure, Hillary may be a **lesser** of two evils, they may not be a fan of some of her policies (and especially hawkishness) and there’s a reasonable ethical perspective that voting for her makes you an accessory to that, while abstaining does not. I’m not entirely convinced by that argument either, but I can see someone arriving to that conclusion. I recommend the video, he goes into a few more arguments about realpolitik and some arguments for and counterarguments to that, even addressing the minority perspective. Accelerationist Bernie supporters are just awful, though, IMO. On the other hand, though, while I don’t agree with people who tried to drag and undermine her during the election much, I feel like the statute of limitations has passed on that, and judgment shouldn’t be passed of people who drag her **now** that it’s all over, because there’s no campaign to damage anymore. A lot of people were holding in heavy policy critique of Hillary and “centrist” democrats in general, and I think it’s healthy to let the coversation happen in between major presidential election cycles rather than treating leftist criticism of Hillary as still somehow traitorous. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/64 "2018-07-04T00:56:09Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > … judgment shouldn’t be passed of people who drag her **now** that it’s all over, because there’s no campaign to damage anymore. … Au contraire mon ami. It is precisely those on both sides who keep fighting the Democratic primary of 2016 now that deserve to have harsh judgement passed on them. They are the ones actively sowing divisiveness at precisely the time we can afford it the least. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/65 "2018-07-04T01:00:59Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Au contraire mon ami. It is precisely those on both sides who keep fighting the Democratic primary of 2016 now that deserve to have harsh judgement passed on them. They are the ones actively sowing divisiveness at precisely the time we can afford it the least. So we’re just not allowed to question the tenets of neoliberal capitalism or the current overton window ever? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/66 "2018-07-04T01:31:30Z")
You are allowed to do whatever you want to do. I personally though see us in the middle of a dumpster fire that is causing serious immediate harm to many real people here and now, harm to our county, harm to the world, harm to the rights of many in this country now and for decades to come, and possible irreversible harm to the health of the planet. In that context I find those on the same team beating each other up to be an exercise in idiocy. To my read the actual policy differences between the progressive and the more centrist wings (inclusive of those you’d label as “neoliberalism capitalism”) are relatively slight while the harms that are actively in progress are great. OF COURSE we can and _should_ debate among ourselves. We don’t have to all completely agree with each other on all items and we don’t. Having that debate in language that refers to each other as _evil_ (even a lesser one) is however in my mind working for the GOP and for Trump’s agenda. And you are allowed to do that if that is what you want to do. I just doubt it is. Despite the fact that you and I have differing ideas about what you call neoliberal capitalism and some of the ideas of the progressive wing, even on what sort of national candidate would be more likely to win, I think we likely agree on more than we disagree. I suspect there will soon be Russian bots dedicated to rehashing the divisions of the 2016 primary season. If there are not already. But they only work because we are the fools who take the bait. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/67 "2018-07-04T03:05:08Z")
I would have forgotten about “Bernie Bros” all together if not for the four or five of my facebook friends who seem to really enjoy prefacing every story about Trump they share with a defiant and profane internet challenge to all the Bernie Bros who are responsible for everything the Trump government does. I don’t know who they think they are talking to, as I’m sure any “never Hillary” friends they might have had must have unfriended them a year ago, but swearing at non-existent Bernie Bros seems to make them happy. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/68 "2018-07-04T16:35:38Z")
To me, it was a white guy who dismissed concerns that women had over the Supreme Court and Roe or that minorities had over civil rights or that people had over the ACA but thought the biggest issue impacting America was that white middle class kids were being held back by college debt. They were fond of mansplaining in the general sense - explaining to minorities why they should support Bernie instead of Hillary without listening, explaining to women why Bernie was more qualified than our former Secretary of State while not listening to the concerns of minorities or women. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/69 "2018-07-04T16:55:29Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > To me, it was a white guy who dismissed concerns that women had over the Supreme Court and Roe or that minorities had over civil rights or that people had over the ACA but thought the biggest issue impacting America was that white middle class kids were being held back by college debt. They were fond of mansplaining in the general sense - explaining to minorities why they should support Bernie instead of Hillary without listening, explaining to women why Bernie was more qualified than our former Secretary of State while not listening to the concerns of minorities or women. Yes, very well put. (Says the white guy.) I know others have said this before, but this is only a relatively small subset of Sanders voters. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/70 "2018-07-04T17:35:15Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Yes, very well put. (Says the white guy.) > > I know others have said this before, but this is only a relatively small subset of Sanders voters. It was. It was however, a good friend of mine who I love dearly and one day I will hit over the head with a shovel and bury in my backyard because his “Berniebro-ness” was just one manifestation of an infuriating dismissive patronizing white male liberal superiority that “allies” with women and minorities while continually behaving like we really don’t have the intellectual capacity to decide what’s best for us and that would be better done by white men like him. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/71 "2018-07-04T17:48:00Z")
If we were to make a movie of the Sanders campaign, it would be called, “Occupy Wall Street 2” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/72 "2018-07-04T18:18:21Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I’ve not seen an official definition, but I think it’s probably similar to what Banquet Bear said. When I think of Bernie Bros, I think not of Sanders supporters generally, but rather a subset of (male) supporters who typically exhibit an almost pathological hatred of Hillary Clinton, and in doing so, reveal unconscious gender bias. They also tend to be overconfident in their knowledge of politics, history, and the issues. Yes. They are rabid in their support for Bernie, which is fine. But being mainly political naifs, they bought all the Kremlin and Rover hate about Clinton, seeing Clinton as the foe. They spent far more time attacking Clinton than saying great things about Sanders. Whats worse, even after Sanders had mathematically lost, they continues their attacks on Clinton. Afterward, many either voted 3rd party or stayed home. More or less, they gave the election to Trump. And Sanders could see that and could have scolded them or conceded earlier, but didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/73 "2018-07-04T18:21:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The word actually _does_ refer to only a subset of Sanders’ supporters. Use of the word, however, is generally meant to imply that all of Sanders’ supporters fall into that subset. Nope. There is also Sandernistas, the progressives, but they mainly were pro-Bernie and his politics, not anti-Clinton. The Bernie Bros got onto Facebook, Twitter, etc and spent the whole election cycle slamming Clinton, often spreading the various lies that the Kremlin and Karl came out with. Bernie-Bros, to me, means Sanders supporters who were mostly negative campaigners vs Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/74 "2018-07-04T18:25:18Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > You are allowed to do whatever you want to do. > > I personally though see us in the middle of a dumpster fire that is causing serious immediate harm to many real people here and now, harm to our county, harm to the world, harm to the rights of many in this country now and for decades to come, and possible irreversible harm to the health of the planet. In that context I find those on the same team beating each other up to be an exercise in idiocy. > > To my read the actual policy differences between the progressive and the more centrist wings (inclusive of those you’d label as “neoliberalism capitalism”) are relatively slight while the harms that are actively in progress are great. > > OF COURSE we can and _should_ debate among ourselves. We don’t have to all completely agree with each other on all items and we don’t. Having that debate in language that refers to each other as _evil_ (even a lesser one) is however in my mind working for the GOP and for Trump’s agenda. > > And you are allowed to do that if that is what you want to do. I just doubt it is. Despite the fact that you and I have differing ideas about what you call neoliberal capitalism and some of the ideas of the progressive wing, even on what sort of national candidate would be more likely to win, I think we likely agree on more than we disagree. > > I suspect there will soon be Russian bots dedicated to rehashing the divisions of the 2016 primary season. If there are not already. But they only work because we are the fools who take the bait. But 2016 election is most interesting debate topics. I am wery, wery interesting in such topic and would like so much that you continue this debate with me. Shall we start with e-mails? Please to explain evil Hillary e-mails, my newest friend on the internets. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/75 "2018-07-04T18:27:23Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Maybe it was because she was actually cheating. Just a thought… This is what people mean as Bernie-Bro behavior. Unless it is pro-Trump stuff. Oddly they are almost exactly the same. “whataboustism” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/76 "2018-07-04T19:29:57Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > If we were to make a movie of the Sanders campaign, it would be called, “Occupy Wall Street 2” The odd numbered sequels are always better, so you’ll probably just love _OWS 3; Revenge of the Bros_, coming to theater near you in 2020. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2018, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/77 "2018-08-13T05:04:09Z")
Ok, I think I now have an idea of what is meant by a Bernie bro and why this portrayal is unflattering: [https://old.reddit.com/r/ChapoTrapHouse](https://old.reddit.com/r/ChapoTrapHouse) Start anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2018, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/78 "2018-08-13T05:44:58Z")
> [@Covfefe](#): > > Ok, I think I now have an idea of what is meant by a Bernie bro and why this portrayal is unflattering: [https://old.reddit.com/r/ChapoTrapHouse](https://old.reddit.com/r/ChapoTrapHouse) Start anywhere. I’m not a fan of Chapo Trap House, but they’re not Bernie Bros, they’re far leftists. IDK exactly what type they are, but IIRC they’re at least Libertarian Socialists or Marxists of some sort, which is far left of what Bernie is. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2018, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/79 "2018-08-13T06:27:25Z")
A Bernie Bro is a fictional character made up by people to personify ideas that they disagree with, quite similar to incels and their “Chad.” The whole concept is bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/80 "2018-08-13T16:00:29Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > A Bernie Bro is a fictional character made up by people to personify ideas that they disagree with, quite similar to incels and their “Chad.” The whole concept is bullshit. Since I knew several Bernie Bros and saw their posts on Facebook, I can tell you the concept is by no means fictional. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143.md?page=5)