Bernie Bro

"Bernie Bro", or sometimes "Berniebro",[1] is a pejorative term for a person (particularly one who is young, male and wealthy) who supports American politician and United States Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont via Internet culture and social media by 'mainstream' media outlets and later Hillary Clinton supporters. Sanders is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Recently, Bernie Bros have received criticism for crude and sexist attacks against rival Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and her second presidential campaign in 2016, with her first attempt being in 2008.[1][2][3][4]

Background

Sanders announced his intention to seek the Democratic Party's nomination for president on April 30, 2015, in an address on the Capitol lawn.[5][6][7] His campaign was officially launched on May 26, 2015, in Burlington.[7]

Reaction

Bernie Sanders

In an interview with CNN's State of the Union, Sanders criticized "Bernie Bros" for their sexist attacks against rival Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. "It's disgusting. [...] Anybody who is supporting me and who is doing sexist things, we don't want them. I don't want them. That is not what this campaign is about."[3][4]

Online reaction

In a review for the Facebook group Bernie Sanders' Dank Meme Stash, Vice's Carles .Buzz has called them "the voice of male Sanders supporters who use hostile or sexist terms to cut down Hillary Clinton" who are "often banned or berated in the comments."[2] Critical of its Bernie Bro culture, New Statesman's Eleanor Margolis reviewed the online dating service Bernie Singles as "an exercise in nausea-induced celibacy."[8]

In an interview with Yahoo News, Limor Shifman, who wrote Memes in Digital Culture says the Bernie Bro phenomenon is rooted in online communities as 4chan and Reddit. "On one hand, they have this self-image of being anarchists and being antiestablishment. [...] On the other hand, they’re pretty much white and male."[3] In her endorsement for Hillary Clinton, The Nation's columnist Joan Walsh has called the subculture "Berniebot keyboard warriors."[3][9]

Criticism

The existence of Bernie Bros have been called into question with some people believing that they are a myth created by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the mainstream media to distracted criticism about Hillary Clinton and her previous policies prior 2016 election.[10] The concept of Bernie Bros erases the fact that there are women who support Sanders.[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Meyer, Robinson (17 October 2015). "Here Comes the Berniebro". The Atlantic. Atlantic Media. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  2. 1 2 .Buzz, Carles (22 February 2016). "Can Bernie Sanders’ Dank Meme Stash Swing the Election?". Motherboard. Vice. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bereznak, Alyssa (9 February 2016). "The Bernie Bros rule the Internet". Yahoo Politics. Yahoo!. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  4. 1 2 Shastry, Anjali (7 February 2016). "Sanders addresses ‘Bernie Bros,’ says he doesn’t want support from sexists". The Washington Times. The Washington Times, LLC. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  5. ↑ Cogan, Marin (April 30, 2015). "Daily Intelligencer: Bernie Sanders Is Officially Running for President – That Doesn't Mean You Can Ask Him About Hillary Clinton". New York. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  6. ↑ Kane, Paul; Rucker, Philip (April 30, 2015). "An unlikely contender, Sanders takes on 'billionaire class' in 2016 bid". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  7. 1 2 Rappeport, Alan (April 29, 2015). "Bernie Sanders Announces He Is Running for President". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  8. ↑ Margolis, Eleanor (March 1, 2016). "Creepy, well-meaning, or sexist? Looking for love on Bernie Singles, the Bernie Sanders dating site". New Statesman. Progressive Media International. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  9. ↑ Walsh, Joan (27 January 2016). "Why I’m Supporting Hillary Clinton, With Joy and Without Apologies". The Nation. The Nation Company, L.P. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  10. ↑ http://usuncut.com/politics/bernie-bro-is-a-myth/
  11. ↑ http://www.women4bernie.us/
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, May 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.