2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumBernie Bros Made Me Finally Recognize Misogyny in America
Bernie Bros Made Me Finally Recognize Misogyny in America05/05/2016 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
(38,437 posts)Far too few. (I have not seen any attempt to shut up the anti-women rhetoric, but that it may exist)
synergie
(1,901 posts)Hiraeth
(4,805 posts)HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)But I'm not sure if they recycle them in numerical order or randomly.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)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
(1,901 posts)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
(4,711 posts)Sen. Walter Sobchak
(8,692 posts)But they're as much influenced by misogyny as ISIS is influenced by the self-esteem movement.
LisaM
(27,848 posts)This:
You can add to that not attending caucuses in Washington state because we didn't want to deal with bullies.
RockaFowler
(7,429 posts)It turned her off Bernie just because of that caucus experience
LisaM
(27,848 posts)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
(52,589 posts)than deal with real issues.
farleftlib
(2,125 posts)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
(4,246 posts)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
(34,825 posts)Just now recognizing misogyny? Where the fuck have you been?
ieoeja
(9,748 posts)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.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)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!
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
(47,209 posts)broad brushed too. The company they willingly keep.
katsy
(4,246 posts)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
(110,159 posts)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
(1,748 posts)Clueless dudes should really STFU about feminism. Most haven't got the slightest fucking clue.
basselope
(2,565 posts)Call Clinton on her record and it is automatically sexism.
That's some funny stuff!
frylock
(34,825 posts)seabeyond
(110,159 posts)joshcryer
(62,287 posts)Facebook or Discus comment sections around the web are equal opportunity with their vindictives regarding Clinton.
Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)jillan
(39,451 posts)Hillary supporters called me an Obama Bro.
When is this going to stop?
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)Armstead
(47,803 posts)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
(14,915 posts)stop with the cult of personality. She's held this party hostage for too long with this shit.
timmymoff
(1,947 posts)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
(2,717 posts)LisaM
(27,848 posts)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
(2,125 posts)Your post is just as offensive and tone deaf as Steinem's. Get yourself a clue already.
LisaM
(27,848 posts)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
(2,125 posts)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
(27,848 posts)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
(2,125 posts)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
(27,848 posts)I think you are wrong, but at least you stick to your guns.
timmymoff
(1,947 posts)vintx
(1,748 posts)seabeyond
(110,159 posts)Eric J in MN
(35,619 posts)I've never "Shrillary" before, but I've often seen "Shillary" which is about her pro-corporate policies.
1939
(1,683 posts)Chillary and The Chill. I have also seen Billarry
Time for change
(13,718 posts)"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
(26,181 posts)Time for change
(13,718 posts)Armstead
(47,803 posts)Were those misogyny against all males?
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)it should be cause for some self reflection.
all american girl
(1,788 posts)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
(16,631 posts)seaglass
(8,173 posts)peggysue2
(10,848 posts)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
(28,270 posts)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
(1,788 posts)Doctor_J
(36,392 posts)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
(4,753 posts)It pays to pay attention.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)Obama
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)lol
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)... 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
(47,209 posts)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
(42,862 posts)... 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
(47,209 posts)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
(42,862 posts)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
(6,604 posts)androgyny in the Large Hadron Collider.
So I know exactly what you mean.
cali
(114,904 posts)NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)... 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
(9,823 posts)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
(7,231 posts)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
(6,121 posts)revmclaren
(2,575 posts)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
(5,240 posts)Still curious to find out what a Bernie Bro is.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Sky Masterson
(5,240 posts)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
(42,862 posts)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.
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 ALee 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.
Sky Masterson
(5,240 posts)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 hurtfuland, 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 whats 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 Bernies sunny ideals but knows that he just isnt 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
(42,862 posts)Sky Masterson
(5,240 posts)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
(2,125 posts)meant to deflect people's attention from the fact that HRC is a piss-poor, scandal-ridden candidate.
Sky Masterson
(5,240 posts)!
farleftlib
(2,125 posts)coming home to roost I hope.
synergie
(1,901 posts)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
(248 posts)Vote2016
(1,198 posts)internet says a lot about people's gender bias and inclinations toward prejudgement. Thanks for calling attention to this bigotry.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)lunamagica
(9,967 posts)pmorlan1
(2,096 posts)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
(3,014 posts)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
(1,166 posts)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.