Understanding is one of the most powerful weapons in the arsenal of dealing with a contentious social environment during a Primary Election. In the interest of better arming folks with the why’s and wherefore’s of the Bernie Bro phenomenon, please consider this as a reference.
Despite holding significant advantages over competitors and forming the most logical conclusion for preference, many of my colleagues and compatriots in liberal politics have expressed misgivings over Bernie Sanders. The biggest complaint that emerges is “I may love Bernie and his issue positions” invariably followed by “…but his followers are horrible.”
Three items in response to this:
- A vocal, visible few most definitely are and there is no excuse for it.
- There’s a reason they are like that.
- That unexpected reason is a really good thing for all of us.
What’s a Bro?
A “Bernie Bro” is a catch-all epithet by Sanders critics intended to denigrate one of his supporters. It’s a bit more specific than a modern day “Clintonista” slur in usage. It is typically employed to refer to a Bernie supporter who is aggressive, positing strong opinions, and giving offense through disruption of social order and peace. The pejorative originated by The Atlantic in October of 2015 , but took off shortly thereafter and gained wide adoption by communications proxies of the Clinton ’16 campaign and media. It is currently employed with a variety of definitions.
Summed up, the “Bernie Bro” is socially maladjusted and not at all capable of engaging in civil political discussion in a rational and respectful way, though this is the singular focus of their attentions.
Note: This piece will not focus on the subject of “Bernie or Bust” as an aspect of the “Bernie Bro” malady, as that’s a matter for larger examination. [Bernie primary supporters outperformed all other cohorts in General Elections since Nixon in terms of defection rates.]
The epithet is unfortunately often utilized to circumscribe the expected behavior, attitude, ethnicity, and gender of a “typical” Sanders supporter. The presumption of this generalization is factually in error — but the stereotype expressly described is perfectly fitted to a very specific subtype of supporter of Bernie Sanders. This type of supporter, their origin, and why their presence is indicator of a spectacularly positive and beneficial effect is what we’re going to explore.
The Intense Diversity of Bro
Before diving into the archetype of the maladjusted “Bernie Bro”, it’s important to differentiate this type of supporter from the actual rank and file of Bernie support bloc. The Sanders support base is incredibly diverse and difficult to describe using narrow terms. The one that fits most directly is that it is significantly younger — Sanders leads by double-digits with 18–29 year olds.
- Fact: The candidate who has raised the most money from women (40%+) is Bernie Sanders.
- Fact: The candidate who has received the most individual donations from Latino voters is “Tío Bernie".
- Fact: 49% of Bernie Sanders supporters are white, compared with Biden (56%) and Warren (71%) blocs.
The average Bernie supporter is surprisingly diverse, and doesn’t fit the expected narrative of the “Bernie Bro” stereotype. However, this doesn’t mean that the malevolent Bernie Bro doesn’t exist and doesn’t cause issues — he does exist, and most assuredly makes life much less pleasant for those he interacts with online.
Yet, news reports still muse that the “Bernie Bro” epithet as racially and gendered stereotype has not yet expired, despite the diversity boasted by the Sanders support bloc. The Independent explores more in depth in The Bernie Bro is dead — but people are still trying to resurrect him for further reading on this. The Bro is most assuredly real, and you may even have encountered one in social media, but absolutely isn’t representative of or speaking on behalf of the rank and file.
From Whence the Bro Cometh
Nonvoters are disproportionately poor, young, and nonwhite, and if this sounds to you like an exact segment match for the Bernie Sanders support bloc, you’d be right. As laid out by The Intercept in a the brilliant piece, A New Electorate, the core tenet of the Sanders campaign strategy is to forge victory through engaging and activating those who have historically been nonvoters.
Interestingly enough, this long game is working. Sanders remains the most popular politician in the entire United States with an approval rating of 65%.
In fact, Intelligencer offers in “Leftism Isn’t Very Appealing to Nonvoters. But Bernie Sanders Is.” that “unreconstructed” Sandersism, “a bold anti-establishment message focused narrowly on health care and inequality” looks to be the best bet for swaying nonvoters. While there is no intrinsically-revealing reporting on the probability of nonvoter turnout in a hypothetical General Election matchup vs. Trump, perspective is provided via massive turnout spikes in 2016 primary states where Sanders was on the ballot.
That’s nice and all, but what does it mean in context of the bro? It means that for a large group of disaffected individuals who have grown intensely weary and disinterested in the politics of a system that continuously fails to deliver popular solutions to major national problems, Sanders serves as an unexpected beacon and provides a momentary reason to get involved.
Bernie offers what looks like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the attainment of a holistic set of highly desirable political goals for the otherwise disenfranchised. It captures the immediate focus of those in America who, through economic or social forces, have been stricken with political ennui. The attention of the disaffected is enrapt with Bernie and the prospect he represents. While this is not the typical path for the average Bernie supporter, who arrives at their position mostly through a series of reasoning or logical self-interest and preference considerations, an edge case conversion takes place along an accelerated timeline for the soon-to-be Bernie Bro. And it is quite the emotional roller-coaster.
A Bro is Born
At last, some hope. A light in the darkness. A reason to engage. Perhaps it will be different this time? Perhaps there is cause for expecting something different than all the other disappointments, if this is a different type of candidate? I will begin paying attention again. I will engage. I will donate. I will fight for this last chance that I see we have. I will start telling people about what I have discovered. I have to start sharing the news about this thing I’ve found.
Oh god, someone is attacking him. This is unfair! Don’t you get that this is our final chance? This is our very last opportunity to fix what’s wrong? This is so utterly critical — the world is falling apart and all is lost if we don’t do this right now, this moment. Please, please understand. I will make you understand. I’ve never been involved in politics because I’ve never had hope before, and it hurts that you’re attacking and being cruel to the only candidate I’ve ever really believed in.
Here are charts, here’s articles, here’s screencaps of Twitter fights I’ve been in about this. Why aren’t you changing your minds? Why aren’t you seeing what I see? Don’t you get that this is the most important? You are attacking my…our last chance.
Your candidate is evil. You support Republicans. You are monsters. HOW DARE YOU. HE’S DOING THIS FOR US, FOR YOU, FOR ME. CORPORATE SELLOUT WHORE NEOLIBERAL! #NeverWarren #MayoPete
I’m so sick and tired of people attacking Bernie who don’t understand him the way I do. You’re all idiots. You’re just doing the will of your corporate media overlords and don’t know any better. Why won’t you listen to me? Actually…actually. Sorry, but you’re wrong there. Hey, the article you just posted is wrong. The same thing is happening again that happened with Shillary. It’s going to be stolen from him, from us. I can’t let that happen. LOL look at this meme of Pocahontas.
Some of you are unfriending me, and that’s okay. You can’t handle the truth. Your candidates are DINOs and everyone except for Bernie sucks. I hate you for not getting this. Why can’t I make you understand?
Tomorrow Belongs to Bro
Populism has advantages and disadvantages, and various dimensions of emergence. Much has been said about how both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are populists (check out the deep dive “If Trump and Sanders are Both Populists, What Does Populist Mean?” at the Organization of American Historians). While the differences are enough for an entirely other discussion, the short explanation is that both seek to channel popular sentiment and redress of grievances with what is viewed as systemic imbalance. The core separation is intent and method; Trump has demonstrated intense levels of demagoguery and willful establishment of a cult of personality. Sanders takes every opportunity to disperse cult of personality, and uses rational argument rather than exploiting prejudice or calculated rhetoric.
As a case in point, the campaign slogan itself is an overt attempt to diffuse any formation of cult of personality. See the video below of Sanders on the Jimmy Kimmel show, skip to slogan discussion starts at 10:58.
Yet there is with any populist movement a level of fervor adopted by adherents. Candidates that channel popular frustration with the system and offer directed inspiration begin the process of transitioning from candidate-as-person and become candidate-as-idea. Barack Obama embodied this in his sweeping “Hope and Change”, and operated as more of an idea than a raft of policy or platform. Bernie operates within a similar dimension.
This has the side-effect of producing a political following with a non-zero number of advocates that blur the lines between logical support out of self-interest, and an irrational zealotry that approaches the religious. Sanders is not just a candidate for these new converts, but he is a momentary avatar. This is why his age, color, gender, accent, verbal slips, nuances and quirks are not — and never will be problems. He is functionally a bag of flesh serving as the anchor point for a sequence of incredibly important and ultra-urgent needs the American people have. The form is unimportant, but the currently designated vehicle of the Bernie Sanders engram is Bernie Sanders. Again, Trump operates with a similar level of immunity, but with a substantially higher conversion rate of follower-to-zealot with absolutely no check or safety brake on the funnel.
There’s incredible benefit to decoupling the persona from the idea sequence. It renders the candidate immune to certain types of political attacks. It allows support to metastasize without continuous electioneering. There are accompanying pathologies to this effect, as well, and these we see most prevalent in the actions of “Bernie Bros”.
“Bernie Bros” are aggrieved when their candidate is attacked, because it’s not just a candidate for them. It is rather a direct attack, taken personally, because they too are the Bernie. “Not me, us? Us. He is not the idea, we are the idea. I am as much the idea as he is...” goes the emotional reasoning. This triggers a defensive mode as the brain goes limbic during perceived attacks against The Bernie. I am Spartacus — with the ability to post and troll. This becomes guerrilla warfare in the social setting as a kind of introspectively-blind scorched earth, but in social media channels. It is a righteous endeavor and a moral imperative for the convert. It is why they are the loudest, most obnoxious, and most aggressive.
It is also why the mnemonic powers of his campaign are stronger than others at influencing a positive outcome in the General Election. Bernie doesn’t need to run ads, the issues ARE the ads. Bernie doesn’t need to exhaust a campaign war chest to secure a precinct, as advocates will self-organize and deliver it. The distributed campaign utilizes populism as the vector.
Facebook Groups
The entire impression one of my friends formed of Bernie was predicated on her encounter with a Bernie supporter Facebook group. It is a confirmed fact that Bernie Facebook groups were expressly targeted by cyberwarfare teams in 2016 acting under the direction of Russian intelligence. They are also currently the target of attempts by cyberwarfare groups to influence the outcome of the 2020 Primary elections.
Facebook is rife with trolls, bots, and extraordinarily bad and downright illegitimate representation of Sanders’ supporters. Twitter is similarly subject to bad actors, though less infiltrated. Neither are actively moderated nor receive structural systemic support by the social media platforms on which they are hosted. If your view of a candidate is predicated on how you perceive that candidate’s supporters, it is strongly encouraged that you view any groups or followings on Facebook or Twitter through a critical lens. This is not the consensus view of the supporters, at all.
Alternatively, despite expectations, Reddit does significantly better at self-policing and enforcement against cyberwarfare when it comes to political support groups for candidates. You can review an accurate cross section of the sentiment of Bernie Sanders supporters on the /r/SandersForPresident subreddit. The group on Reddit serves as the largest (375k subscribers) and most accurate example of Bernie Sanders’ supporters interactions and engagements. Please review the content and commentary there for a sense as to the thought process and considerations of the bloc. One will find intensely sharp contrast between the tenor of conversation in the subreddit versus disparate and non-representative Facebook groups.
Why This is Ultimately Good
That the Bernie Bro exists is exceedingly bad. The Bernie Bro evinces rage as a platform, dipping into the most egregious behavior that is hostile, sexist, racist, bigoted, vulgar, and seething. This is not good. However, the existence of the Bernie Bro is an indicator that an effect is occurring as edge case across a volume of the populace.
- The disaffected are being reached and activated.
- The disenfranchised voter and non-engaged are paying attention and desirous to get involved.
- The messaging of a progressive platform is penetrating segments of society it would otherwise have no chance to acquire traction within.
- The delivery mechanism is functioning and pulling in broad independent support, high levels of youth activism, and an diverse coalition of people.
In other words, the advent of a Bernie Bro is an intensely undesirable side effect that shows that the Democratic platform (Bernie’s version) is proliferating. A Bernie Bro is a nasty rash from rapid onset growth of a support base. It is an incredibly positive sign that there is a candidate who inspires high levels of advocacy and energetic evangelism that it ends up inadvertently converting from non-traditional sources in volume. It is a stitch from a surprising burst of speed on a sprint.
If we can more logically view the Bernie Bro as an undesirable artifact of disproportionately broader appeal, we can position ourselves in understanding and work to diffuse the undesirable effects. And, to paraphrase a line from the 1997 film Starship Troopers; “To fight the Bro, we must understand the Bro.”
Surviving Bro
Note, this piece is not intended to provide excuse or apologia for egregious offenders of civility and common decency on the internet. The activities of the Bernie Bro (the reality, not the mythical stereotype) are disgusting and offensive to most Bernie supporters as well as Bernie Sanders himself.
Sanders and his campaign have repeatedly reminded supporters to be respectful and never, ever attack people personally. His campaign issues the periodic reminder “Please remember to follow the Senator’s lead and be respectful when people disagree with you.” and there exists the expectation ‘What Would Bernie Do?’ on the subject of disagreeing without being disagreeable.
This does not phase the Bro, who like all zealots take of their chosen leader what they will, selectively. So how do you deal with a Bernie Bro? As a reminder:
Remember: You cannot reason someone out of a position they were not reasoned into.
The position the Bernie Bro has arrived in is not a logical or reasoned one. It is one founded and operating almost entirely in emotion.
- Tag in a friendly Bernie supporter. We self-police, and there’s nothing that makes us look worse than a Bro run amok offering perspective that is not held by the campaign or supporters.
- Use steps for discussing things with an irrational person — respect the points, but agree to disagree. Argue ideas, not people. Use “we” rather than “You” or “I” to dissolve the tribal/factional. Employ facts.
- Point to Bernie’s example. “Bernie is not attacking people.” “Bernie is not cruel to his opponents.” “Bernie has never said anything bad about this person.” “Bernie would never, ever say that. And knowing that you are saying that on his behalf would hurt him badly.”
- Retain compassion. The reason they are doing this is out of fear and terror. The Bernie Bro was disconnected and disenchanted, and this candidate raised their interest in politics for the first time to unimaginable levels. Understanding the motive makes the interaction (if you make the choice to interact at all) become more manageable.
- Add them to your ignore list with an option to return post-election.
Hopefully this will help you or someone you know understand why Bernie Bros you may encounter behave the way that they do, and some strategies for dealing with them. Additionally, that their presence is not seen as a result of an intentional malevolence or negligence on the part of the candidate or campaign, but as a deeply unpleasant side effect to conversion and activation at large scale of a sizable swath of the disaffected and politically uninvolved.
