Democracy Now- Bernie's Yearning

Andreas Wenzel

Soc. 122 M-W 5:30-6:45

Democracy Now

May 18, 2016

Bernie's Yearning to End Financial Corruption in Washington

On April 11, 2016, a two-week protest against the financial corruption that exists in Washington took place on Capitol Hill, arresting more than 1,200 participants involved. Twelve of the participants handcuffed themselves to the building, while police managed to arrest 300 people on a single Monday alone for crowding, obstructing, and incommoding. One of the things the protesters pointed to was the flow of unregulated funds into election campaigns by special interests, influencing the advertising power of candidates long before the public has any say. Though the protest was not tied to any of the current presidential nominees, the protest took place while Bernie Sanders was simultaneously calling the campaign finance system "rigged," "broken, and "corrupt."

                Police also arrested Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen during the protest, the co-founders of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. They were pleased by the coverage their arrests brought to the protest as it only furthered their goal of bringing as much attention to their cause as possible. Apparently Ben and Jerry are also loyal Bernie Sanders supporters as well. In the attempt to support the Vermont Senator, in combination with bringing more public attention to income inequality and the large separation of wealth that exists in the United States, Ben and Jerry released a Bernie Sanders signature ice cream called Bernie's Yearning that consists of plain mint ice cream with a thin solid disk of chocolate at the top of the tub, symbolizing the small number of individuals holding the nations power and wealth at the top of our class system. The protest did a good job at framing the general topic to showcase how underhanded the campaign finance system can be, and with Bern, Ben, and Jerry pushing for the same goals with millions of citizens listening in, I think they did an equally good job at mobilizing the resources they had available to gain further attention.

 

Story Originally Found on Democracy Now, but a more informative version on: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/ben-jerry-s-founders-arrested-for-protesting-in-washington-dc-a6991391.html