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CoffeeCat

(24,411 posts)
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 03:21 PM Mar 2016

All "Bernie Bros" check in here please!

***"Bernie Bros"***

I see the "Bernie Bro" slur all over DU right now. As a Bernie supporter, I say...why fight a tidal wave? If name calling and slurs are acceptable, then maybe Bernie supporters should embrace the moniker and make the best of it.

Bernie supporters, it's time to stop denying your "Bernie Bro" tendencies. Come out of the closet and into the sunlight. If you wish, you can start right here. Tell us what makes you a Bernie Bro.

Ok, I'll start...

My name is CoffeeCat and I'm a Bernie Bro. I'm a married, middle-aged mom to two teenage girls. I've never been called sexist, but maybe the women in my book club were just being kind. I'm also a volunteer canvasser and phone banker for Bernie. I like long walks on the beach (seriously) and I make a mean omelette. I support Bernie because I want our democracy back and because I want a bright future for my kids (and any future grandkids) that is free of corrupt Middle East wars for profit.





32 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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All "Bernie Bros" check in here please! (Original Post) CoffeeCat Mar 2016 OP
Yeah, its baack! (cause they got nothin') I can embrace it provided we include 'Sanders Sistas' too! Kip Humphrey Mar 2016 #1
Sanders Sistas it is. sarge43 Mar 2016 #5
It seems to me those who have incited that nickname are infiltrators to the Sanders campaign-- hlthe2b Mar 2016 #2
Don't matter to me... First, I was a proud Sandernista, then a BernieBro Just like I was a liberal, Kip Humphrey Mar 2016 #6
I'm a 60 year old Bernie Bro Gregorian Mar 2016 #3
59 Year Old Bernie Bro Checking In cantbeserious Mar 2016 #4
Here I am! I'm a 65-year-old woman, long-time feminist (from the 1960s!). tblue37 Mar 2016 #7
I proudly fly my BernieBro flag. Here's a picture of me and my friends being BernieBros FlatBaroque Mar 2016 #8
"Bernie Bro"= someone who is awake and gives a f*k. Lorien Mar 2016 #9
Perfect! Oh lawdy, the Dem Snob is a DUer! ebayfool Mar 2016 #16
I'm a Bernie Bro and I'm proud! jalan48 Mar 2016 #10
This message was self-deleted by its author Rebkeh Mar 2016 #11
I haven't been called one but I suppose I am one. progressoid Mar 2016 #12
I am a Bernie Bro, Rebkeh Mar 2016 #13
Whoops! I should have done that. I am a Bernie Bro ... ebayfool Mar 2016 #19
You just broke a DU rule.. You CANNOT mention furry friends without-- eridani Mar 2016 #23
I'm IN Jenny_92808 Mar 2016 #14
Warren Demontabro, Bro-porting for Duty! Warren DeMontague Mar 2016 #15
If supporting Bernie makes me a bro, roody Mar 2016 #17
Damn Straight I'm a Bernie Bro basselope Mar 2016 #18
I guess they decided to give the 'Bernie followers are racist' thing a break for some odd reason. jalan48 Mar 2016 #20
Hi CoffeeCat Lazy Daisy Mar 2016 #21
I guess I am one too. potone Mar 2016 #22
This thread can be quite valuable if we can keep it kicked and collect a few hindered FlatBaroque Mar 2016 #24
"Hey Obama boys! Back off all ready!" (Salon article from 2008) CoffeeCat Mar 2016 #25
Hey o! Ned_Devine Mar 2016 #26
My name is KansDem and I'm a Bernie Bro... KansDem Mar 2016 #27
Hi, I'm an 18 year old Bernie Bro... RepubliCON-Watch Mar 2016 #28
62 year old female Bernie Bro. SamKnause Mar 2016 #29
46 yo female Bernie Bro here werknotgoin2takeit Mar 2016 #30
Female BernieBro here. Punkingal Mar 2016 #31
I absolutely agree. SoapBox Mar 2016 #32

sarge43

(28,939 posts)
5. Sanders Sistas it is.
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 03:43 PM
Mar 2016

Just a thought, seems sexist to label a mixed gender group with a male name. But hey, projection is one of their defaults.

They got nothin'.

hlthe2b

(101,720 posts)
2. It seems to me those who have incited that nickname are infiltrators to the Sanders campaign--
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 03:27 PM
Mar 2016

those who have malicious intent and probably RWers, for whom misogyny comes quite reflexively...

I don't, for the life of me know why anyone would embrace it. I certainly don't think that rep reflects sincere supporters of Sanders, either on DU or elsewhere.

Perhaps the intent is to "take back the name"--a laudable goal, but I fear that many don't realize there may be a problem with the connotation that has emerged... and one the candidate himself has attempted to correct.

Kip Humphrey

(4,753 posts)
6. Don't matter to me... First, I was a proud Sandernista, then a BernieBro Just like I was a liberal,
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 03:51 PM
Mar 2016

Last edited Sun Mar 20, 2016, 04:28 PM - Edit history (1)

then a progressive, then a liberal again. So, I call my self a Radical - keeps the shits off my lawn!

I just insist if BernieBro sticks, then Sanders Sistas must accompany.

edited to add:

I like Bernicrat the best!

Gregorian

(23,867 posts)
3. I'm a 60 year old Bernie Bro
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 03:32 PM
Mar 2016

I am single; designed my life so that I could be free to enjoy time, which I feel is more important than money. I grew up with the guys who invented mountain biking, and I'm an avid trail rider who enjoys trees and birds and silence. I haven't really worked since the mid 90's. I have always been a Bernie Bro. I protested Vietnam and Bush's invasion of Iraq. I see America as a harsh society, opposed to those countries we Bernie Bro's promote in this election. I was raised a Bernie Bro, but now that Senator Sanders is running, I can see there are Bernie Bros all over this country. In fact, all over this world. I would bet the majority of humans are Bernie Bros, like me.

tblue37

(64,980 posts)
7. Here I am! I'm a 65-year-old woman, long-time feminist (from the 1960s!).
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 03:52 PM
Mar 2016

But I am an FDR liberal--i.e., what is now called a progressive, so I guess that makes me a "Bernie Bro," too.

ebayfool

(3,411 posts)
16. Perfect! Oh lawdy, the Dem Snob is a DUer!
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 04:27 PM
Mar 2016

I get so pissed at this place sometimes, but the creativity - the ability to treasure hunt bits o'gold by DUers is what brings me back again and again!


And I'm a Bernie Bro because I'm looking to the future of my Sanders Kids!



Response to CoffeeCat (Original post)

Rebkeh

(2,450 posts)
13. I am a Bernie Bro,
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 04:09 PM
Mar 2016

a black middle aged woman with no kids, unless the four legged furry ones count. In which case, I currently have 3. My life partner, a middle aged man, is also a Bernie Bro but don't tell him that. He's a grouchy old dude that has no time for such nonsense. I support Bernie because I believe in democracy, small d, and am ready for fundamental change. He's a Bernie Bro because he is tired of working so hard for so little, even after serving his country in war. We need someone to speak for us and are too poor to have a lobbyist. The best we can manage is a $27 donation from time to time.

ebayfool

(3,411 posts)
19. Whoops! I should have done that. I am a Bernie Bro ...
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 04:50 PM
Mar 2016

62 yo and a grouchy old woman that loves to laugh, raised 2 daughters and 1 grandson on my own. With 2 more grand daughters and 1 more grandson that are gonna have to contend with the decisions we are making for this country for a long time. I support Bernie because he has the vision that can change the direction this party and the country for the better. Not only for old Bernie Bros like me, but for them.

I want someone that will fight as hard for them as I have and do ... Sanders will do that.

And we put our $27 donations together, we make ourselves our own lobbyists. That's what really rocking the conventional boat - they in their wildest dreams dinnae see this coming. We ARE their greatest nightmare. The poor coming together $27 at a time and gaining a voice.

eridani

(51,907 posts)
23. You just broke a DU rule.. You CANNOT mention furry friends without--
Mon Mar 21, 2016, 04:53 AM
Mar 2016

--posting pictures of them!

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
15. Warren Demontabro, Bro-porting for Duty!
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 04:25 PM
Mar 2016

It's a fucking bullshit meme, and it's very deliberately designed to convey a certain image or message.

Please, allow me to run down the stupid fucking arguments, which I'm sure every Hillary supporter in GDP would greatly prefer to have from now until the end of time, rather than talk about, say, Honduras.

  • "They are SO Real!" - No, "they" are a label. As I said before, unless there is a baseball team- like, the "Baltimore Berniebros", with uniforms and shit, they are a subjective categorization of people and alleged behavior. Now, does that mean there are NO Sanders supporters who ever said something sexist on twitter, for example? Of course not. I think it is debateable- highly- as to whether there ACTUALLY has been a statistically higher incidence of that sort of stuff coming from Sanders supporters as opposed to everyone else in the political conversation. I actually pretty much fucking doubt it. But again, it's a label. A subjective categorization. A slur, really.

  • "Sanders said they're real" - Sanders was asked, again, about anecdotal reports of "sexist behavior from supporters" -- which must be real because someone promoting the meme asked him about it, right? - and of course he condemned this behavior which he was hearing about, without actual evidence or examples of it going on. As he should. But that does not mean "Berniebros are real"

  • "They attacked Senator Warren" - O RLY? Actually, the "attack" was a lot of people criticising her on the internet, for a decision she made as a politician. Which is kind of an occupational hazard for someone who makes political decisions for a living. I think this drills down to part of the alleged "berniebro" phenomenon, in that Sanders supporters are probably more likely to be a) active on the internet and b) dissatisfied with the status quo. So people "hear from" them a lot. But merely expressing opinions- even strong negative ones- is not "attacking". When presented with this list of "horrible things Sanders supporters said to Liz Warren", most of them were comments like "I'm disappointed in you for not supporting the true progressive in this race" - OH MY FUCKING GOD HOW CAN ANYONE ABIDE SUCH MALICIOUS AND VILE INVECTIVE HOLY FUCK AEEEEEEE. There was ONE comment I saw which called her a "wussy", and that was certainly lame. But other than that, "attacks"? No. Criticism? Yes.

    And then, we can get into "your denying that it is real proves it is!" and that sort of shit, again, which provides a nice fluffy bounce house of semantic bullshit for Clinton people to play in for literally months at a time.

  • roody

    (10,849 posts)
    17. If supporting Bernie makes me a bro,
    Sun Mar 20, 2016, 04:34 PM
    Mar 2016

    so be it! I'm a 62-year-old white woman. It's the only kind of bro I'll ever get to be.

     

    basselope

    (2,565 posts)
    18. Damn Straight I'm a Bernie Bro
    Sun Mar 20, 2016, 04:45 PM
    Mar 2016

    My name is Basselope and I'm a Bernie bro, living in sin with my girlfriend of 19 years (we now use the term husband and wife, but we never got married for tax reasons). I am a serial entrepreneur and have worked with angel investors and VCs for 10 years now and owned my own businesses since I left law in 2000. Even though I am in the 1% income wise, I strongly believe in the future that Bernie wants. I would gladly pay more in taxes if I believed that money was going to the right places, such as free public college, healthcare for all and infrastructure rebuilding. Right now I resent almost every dime I give them b/c it just feeds the military industrial complex and I don't see that changing under a Clinton administration.

     

    Lazy Daisy

    (928 posts)
    21. Hi CoffeeCat
    Sun Mar 20, 2016, 05:35 PM
    Mar 2016

    My name is Lazy Daisy and I too am a BernieBro. I'm a 50 yr old white woman who has supported Bernie before he announced his candidacy. I believe our healthcare system is horrible, and although the ACA is a great start, it is no where near where we need to be. There are certain industries that should not be run for profit and the health and well being of people is one of them. Speaking of industries that should not be for profit is our prison system. Not only do tax payers fund private companies to imprison our fellow Americans, but the companies running them further profit by enslaving prisoners to work for 3rd World pay grades. It isn't immigrants that are "stealing" our jobs but the PIC. I support Bernie because I'm tired of paying taxes and getting little to show for it, all the while people who make 1000 times more than I do pay very little in taxes. I'm tired of my government selling itself to the highest bidder while telling me it's OK they'll not do anything for them they wouldn't normally do all the while winking and nodding to those they've sold themselves to. There is so much more, but I'm not on my computer and this one doesn't allow me to break into separate lines. And I hate run-on.

    FlatBaroque

    (3,160 posts)
    24. This thread can be quite valuable if we can keep it kicked and collect a few hindered
    Mon Mar 21, 2016, 10:15 AM
    Mar 2016

    Of these testimonials. This is how you dispel their myths and make their framing powerless.

    CoffeeCat

    (24,411 posts)
    25. "Hey Obama boys! Back off all ready!" (Salon article from 2008)
    Mon Mar 21, 2016, 11:32 AM
    Mar 2016

    Look at this total bullshit from 2008. Accusations of sexist "Obama Boys". "Obama Boys", a totally fabricated media creation that NEVER existed in 2008. In the same way that "Bernie Bros" don't exist in 2016

    Clinton with the help of Brock and willing media accomplices, is using the same schtick that she used in 2008.

    From 2008--Salon article:
    "They told me about the sexism they felt coming from their brothers and husbands and friends and boyfriends; some described the suspicion that their politically progressive partners were actually uncomfortable with powerful women. Others had to find ways to call me out of earshot of their Obama-loving boyfriends. Some women apologized for “sounding so feminist.” Interviewees expressed vexation at not being able to put their finger on what it was about Obama-mania that creeped them out so badly, while maintaining a deep assuredness that something was not quite right.

    “There is this Obama-mania, where these young men get glassy eyes and start spitting out vague things about how Barack Obama is going to save humanity. Really, have you seen their eyes? It’s this faraway look. It’s scary.”


    http://www.salon.com/2008/04/14/obama_supporters/ Scary!! Scary Obama Boys!!

     

    Ned_Devine

    (3,146 posts)
    26. Hey o!
    Mon Mar 21, 2016, 11:33 AM
    Mar 2016

    41 year old MA white male Bernie supporter here and DU member since January of 2004. I had to re-sign up under a different name in January of 2006 because I lost my old password to sign in for my old username. I'm a Bernie supporter because I am no longer going to hold my nose and vote against my conscience for a candidate that doesn't best represent my values. I made a million excuses for John Kerry in 2004 and I won't do that again. Bernie's got my support through this primary process because he represents everything I stand for. If he doesn't get the nomination, I'll take a two year hiatus from this place until the mid terms. I have no reason to vote for Hillary or deal with any of the Dem snobs here like that one in the cartoon a few posts back in this thread. I find nearly all of the HRC supporters on this site to be absolutely repulsive and embarrassed to even be here. Thank goodness for all the Bernie supporters here

     

    RepubliCON-Watch

    (559 posts)
    28. Hi, I'm an 18 year old Bernie Bro...
    Mon Mar 21, 2016, 11:44 AM
    Mar 2016

    And I volunteer at homeless camps many times, and advocate for low-income families' rights.

    I support worker's rights, free public tuition(I need it), single-payer healthcare, reforming our criminal justice system, increase in standard of living, privacy rights, net neutrality, ending the war on drugs, minimize the involvement in wars, and most importantly to save our democracy from oligarchs/fascists.

    werknotgoin2takeit

    (172 posts)
    30. 46 yo female Bernie Bro here
    Mon Mar 21, 2016, 01:53 PM
    Mar 2016

    My secret shame is dressing in old man drag and going to dimly lit geriatric bars and talking income inequality.

    Just kidding--married, suburb living, thoroughly normal person. Husband might be a Bernie Bro too but I'm afraid to ask in case he unleashes a stream of misogyny at me. Don't ask don't tell is still the rule at our house. No kids of the human variety. I'm so glad all you berner's are here but will probably join the exodus if the unthinkable happens.

    Punkingal

    (9,522 posts)
    31. Female BernieBro here.
    Mon Mar 21, 2016, 01:54 PM
    Mar 2016

    I'm 65 and own an independent bookstore in Red Wing MN. I have 3 sons, AND 8 grandchildren, and I worry so much about their future, and Bernie is the answer. I discovered Bernie years ago, so it was the easiest choice to support him when he announced.

    I have contributed more to Bernie than I ever have to any candidate before, and I will continue to as long as he needs it.

    Beyond Bernie, I am totally into this movement he has created, and I will support other candidates who are like Bernie. I believe Bernie can win, but if he doesn't, we have to keep this movement alive and take back our party and our country.

    SoapBox

    (18,791 posts)
    32. I absolutely agree.
    Mon Mar 21, 2016, 01:58 PM
    Mar 2016

    Yup!

    Proud Bernie supporter and "Bernie Bro" if that is what the Bots want to call me.

    Because Fuck 'Um!

    Go Bernie

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