Leftist ice-cream chain Ben & Jerry’s would do well to acquire a dictionary and look up the word “fascism.” Perhaps then they’d finally discover the true meaning of the term. But they never will. There’s a lot of power in slinging the label “fascist” at anything or anyone whose political views you disagree with.
In a move reminiscent of 2016-era activism, the uber-progressive ice cream shop announced it’s helping organize a “People’s March” in Washington, D.C., “against fascism” ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
“Power to the people! On January 18, we’re joining the People’s March in Washington, DC (and beyond!) to send an urgent message to the incoming administration: You work for the people, and we’re here to hold you accountable,” Ben & Jerry’s wrote in its newsletter. “Together, we will fight for our rights and our future and defend our freedoms against fascism. It is our right to protest and safely dissent policies and practices that do not represent our beliefs — regardless of who is in power. We are more united than we are divided. Let’s make sure they know it!”
A note on fascism to the good revolutionaries at Ben & Jerry’s: fascists typically eschew liberal democracy, capitalism, and any opposition party. President-elect Trump and the Republicans have done none of these things. In fact, Trump handsomely won both the Electoral College and the popular vote this past election, sweeping all seven battleground states in the process. In his first term as president, Trump passed historic tax cuts that boosted economic competition and growth. He plans to do the same this time around by lowering the corporate tax rate to 15%. And as for dealing with opponents? Trump did not jail or kill any Democrats during his first term. And he did not stop them from taking back the House in 2018.
Now a traditional fascist would normally seize political power through coercion and violence, establish a one-party state with a puppet opposition party, and control the economy through authoritarian corporatism. A traditional fascist would also have no qualms with exterminating anyone deemed a threat to his power. Clearly Trump has done none of those things and poses no threat of doing them in the future. Yet Ben & Jerry’s insists that Trump and his party are fascistic. What gives?
The ice cream brand has a long history of supporting progressive causes. In 2020, it was a supporter of Black Lives Matter and the Defund the Police movement. During that time, the company donated food to the infamous rioters who occupied a neighborhood in Seattle. It has repeatedly talked about systemic racism in the United States and the need to dismantle white supremacy. More recently, it has opposed legislation protecting children from transgender medical interventions that irreparably harm their bodies.
On its website, the company states, “We have a progressive, nonpartisan social mission that seeks to meet human needs and eliminate injustices in our local, national, and international communities by integrating these concerns in our day-to-day business activities.” A list of Ben & Jerry’s progressive values follows the statement. Ironically, the company champions an anti-capitalist framework.
While Trump and the Republican Party may oppose the policy proposals of progressives, they do so in a way conducive to liberal democracy. No one in America is being jailed for their opinions on racial equality, corporatism, or gender. And that will still be true once Trump takes office. Yet progressives like the activists behind Ben & Jerry’s see the radical policies they espouse as fundamental human rights, and anyone who opposes such “rights” as authoritarian. This is why they keep to the same tired, 2016-era schtick of “Trump-is-a-fascist” while the facts on the ground say otherwise.
Progressives will continue this line of attack as long as the Left and the Right hold differing definitions of the good, what constitutes human flourishing, and the rights owed to human beings. These fundamental questions must be answered and agreed upon for any stable society to flourish.
This article appeared originally here.
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