Two Scoops of Hypocrisy

“Would you like your socialism in a waffle cone or a bowl?”

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream were arrested while protesting at the Democracy Awakening demonstration Monday. They were just 2 of the 1,400 leftists arrested for unlawful demonstration activities. The founders of the Vermont-based ice cream company have yet to comment, but the organization released a statement on their webpage defending the two and bragging about their political involvements in the past. The Democracy Awakening weekend-long protest focused around sweeping money out of politics so that “one person, one vote” is the only means of influencing government.

Let the hypocrisy begin.

Ben & Jerry’s has been notorious for using the brand as a political platform to speak out on social issues. When the Supreme Court ruled to recognize same-sex marriages, the ice cream lovers renamed their chocolate chip cookie dough flavor to “I Dough, I Dough.” To advocate for climate change, they introduced a new flavor called “Save Our Swirled” with the slogan “If it’s melted, it’s ruined”. In support of Senator Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, Cohen made 40 pints of ice cream called “Bernie’s Yearning”. It is mint flavored and topped with a single, giant chocolate chip to represent “all the wealth that’s gone to the top 1% over the past 10 years”. In true socialist fashion, Cohen suggested to eat it one should whack it with a spoon to break up the chocolate chip, and then mix it around. A symbolic redistribution of wealth.

However, Mr. Cohen and Mr. Greenfield are part of that 1% they supposedly want to take down. According to figures from the Federal Reserve, to be included in the highest 1% of Americans based on wealth requires net assets of more than $7 million. Cohen and Greenfield are each worth $150 million.

Over the course of his life, Ben Cohen has personally donated $153,684 to candidates for office, political action committees, and foundations lobbying for political change. He has funneled even more funding to liberal causes through the True Majority PAC he founded, which is now part of US Action, a progressive group linked with various unions. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a lot money in politics.

Do these two entrepreneurs not realize that a market economy and free speech allow them to do what they do? Do they understand what it would mean if socialist Sanders were to win the presidency? They are free to use their brand as a catalyst for political change because money is a medium for expression, yet they advocate for big government to take over their lives. Ben and Jerry must be Half Baked if they champion socialism.