I remember eating Ben & Jerry’s. Many, many years ago. It was so long ago, in fact, that I honestly can’t remember when it was. I probably stopped because the ice cream is ridiculously unhealthy, but even when I want to treat myself, Ben & Jerry’s is no longer an option. It basically comes down to the radical leftist politics espoused by the company.
For example, in 2018, the company created a limited-edition ice cream flavor called Pecan Resist, which, they said, had “a powerful message about resisting the Trump administration’s regressive and discriminatory policies and building a future that values inclusivity, equality, and justice for people of color, women, the LGBTQ community, refugees, and immigrants.”
Can you hear my eyes rolling?
A visit to the company’s Twitter page is like listening to your crazy leftist uncle off his meds. Ben & Jerry’s has expressed support for defunding the police, radical climate policies, H.R. 1, and accusing Republicans of being racist. And, of course, they gave a glowing review of the dumpster fire known as the Biden presidency after the administration’s first 100 days.
Generally speaking, I don’t vote with my wallet. Most mornings, I drink Starbucks coffee. I shop on Amazon. My computer is an iMac, and I have an iPhone. If I spent all my time caring about the politics of every company I support by buying their products, I’d be a miserable person with no time. But Ben & Jerry’s keeps finding new ways to inspire me not to give them my business. This successful company boasts its progressive values on its website and bemoans that “capitalism and the wealth it produces do not create opportunity for everyone equally.”
I’m sure that when the company’s founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, sold their company to Unilever for $326 million in 2000 they gave most of that money away to the less fortunate because they had enough wealth.
But I digress.
Ben & Jerry’s, always ready to make “a statement” about some issue, has announced that it will no longer sell its products in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Why? Because, just like the Orange Man, Israel is bad.
“We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT),” the company said in a statement. “We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners.”
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“We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region,” the statement continues. “We have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year.”
While Ben & Jerry’s will no longer be sold in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the company will stay in Israel “through a different arrangement.” Oh, is that right? I guess taking a stand won’t go as far as leaving the entire country. You don’t want to hurt revenue too much when you virtue-signal your anti-Israel nonsense.