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Ben and Jerry and Bernie: A Spoonful of Support

It’s ice cream vis-à-vis politics vis-à-vis American distribution of wealth

by
Sara Ivry
March 11, 2016
Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Jerry Greenfield (L) and Ben Cohen listen to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) speak at a rally after endorsing him on stage in the Exeter town hall in New Hampshire, February 5, 2016Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Jerry Greenfield (L) and Ben Cohen listen to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) speak at a rally after endorsing him on stage in the Exeter town hall in New Hampshire, February 5, 2016Andrew Burton/Getty Images

“Bernie’s Yearning is essentially mint chocolate chip ice cream,” said Ben Cohen, of Ben and Jerry’s fame, about the flavor the iconic ice cream company created in honor of the presidential hopeful. “However, all the chips have somehow floated to the top.” And with this, Cohen explained the parallels between chocolate accumulation and wealth in the United States.

“The way you eat it,” he explained on NPR this week, “is you take your soup spoon and you whack it into a bunch of little pieces and then you mix it around and have a more equitable distribution of wealth.”

Along with business partner Jerry Greenfield, Cohen is supporting the Sanders for President campaign. It’s the first time the Vermonters have endorsed a candidate for president candidate because “there’s never been a presidential candidate worth campaigning for before.” And, for what it’s worth, Sanders has tasted the ice cream created in his honor, and he liked it.

To get an ice cream flavor named for you is high praise indeed, and begs the question of what one invented for Trump would be called, and what distasteful ingredients would go into it.

Sara Ivry is the host of Vox Tablet, Tablet Magazine’s weekly podcast. Follow her on Twitter@saraivry.