By Guy Page
A July 4 public relations statement by Ben & Jerry’s that “the US was founded on stolen Indigenous land” and should be returned has elicited strong pushback on social media.
“Ah, the Fourth of July,” wrote the ice cream giant founded in Burlington. “Who doesn’t love a good parade, some tasty barbecue, and a stirring fireworks display? The only problem with all that, though, is that it can distract from an essential truth about this nation’s birth: The US was founded on stolen Indigenous land. This year, let’s commit to returning it.”
The company with considerable property in Vermont and across the United States then declared, “we need to start with Mount Rushmore.”
Mt. Rushmore!? Why not start with the land holding the company ice cream factory?, many Twitter followers said. For example:
- “Your factory is on stolen land. Native Americans, primarily from the Abenaki tribe, have lived in Vermont for 10,000 years. In 1609, French explorer Samuel de Champlain was the first European to set foot in Vermont.”
- “Cool. Your original location in Waterbury used to be territory between the Mohicans and Pennacook people. You starting the land return or you just gonna tell everyone how good you are, Unilever?”
- “If you want to impress me, build a factory on Native lands and share the profit with the tribe. But no, you’re using a minority as a political tool to sell ice cream instead.”
- “Ok, you start. Relinquish your headquarters.”
- “I’m Oglala Lakota Sioux (related to Chief Sitting Bull) and Navajo, and you embarrass me. We don’t need you to be offended on our behalf. Why don’t you go to Pine Ridge, S.D. and help for real, that rez is a hellhole and needs all the help it can get, if you want to help Natives.”
- “Look at all that profit you’ve made over the decades with your ice cream company that sits on stolen land. When are you handing it all over to the natives along with all the property and assets you’ve accumulated along with your wealth?”
To date, Ben & Jerry’s has not responded to these comments.
Categories: Society & Culture
Virtually every single nation in the world was founded on land taken from others.
Thank you
Bingo!!!
Someone as smart as these people are supposed to be, should stop and think before opening mouth and inserting foot!
Who ever said Ben or Jerry were smart ?
Fruitcake refugees !
New Flavor! “Pandering Pistachio with Brownnose Bits”
What a bunch of history-ignorant half-wits. Buy Wilcox…they’re Christians and mind their own business – which is simply making ice-cream.
And Wilcox is really good ice cream !
I find your closing sentence extremely offensive.
I find leftists extremely offensive.
Bahahahahahahahahaahaha! That flavor is GREAT!
Looks like there ice cream money is not where there mouth money is
Ben & Jerry’s is owned by Unilever – a global conglomerate with headquarters in the United Kingdom. Will they demand the Crown return all UK territories to the original inhabitants? No other nation stole more territory across the globe than the Crown. What do you say snowflake social justice warriors? Why not demand the Crown vacate their occupied territories? Why not start with the original invaders and enslavers in the UK? Learn history from the beginning instead of cherry-picking what suits your misguided and freak of misery agendas.
Melissa – Have you considered running for POTUS? I’ll be happy to be a campaign manager. Give it some serious thought.
Amen and Amen, again!
I agree with all of the comments you post Melissa. I think that you should run for Senate or Governor of Vermont or, as Kathleen J Gaffney suggested, POTUS. I think we all know that “our” votes for President will be a complete waste of time until elections are made legal. I don’t believe our Vermont State elections are legal either. You have Bernie with China ties and Epstein flights, headquartered over a Free Mason lodge (has anyone ever investigated that other than Kevin Hoyt claiming it is there, of which I DO believe). Good ole Becca Balint who got a million in campaign donations from FTX and Phil Scott, enough said. I would gladly help with your campaign, if you should so choose.
Thank you, my fellow citizens, for your votes of confidence. I would gladly step up or step into a position that would allow me to repeal every unconstitutional, unjust, and unfair law (taxes into servitude first and foremost.) I would prosecute and seize the assets of every fraudster and corrupt entity operating in the State. With that bundle of ill-gotten money alone, the lives of every citizen in this State would be blessed beyond measure! I would work to eliminate the scourge upon our society, starting at the very top of the dog pile known as our government. If that is what God needs me to do, I would gladly serve to take back Vermont from Satan and his army. I encourage and support all fellow warriors to join the fight – no retreat, no surrender.
So, according to this insane standard Native American tribes should also return lands taken through warring with other Native American tribes?
All snowflakes do not believe that Native American tribes warred against one another because it doesn’t fit their idyllic agenda. Only white men killed the Indian.
How many more reasons do we need not to purchase this woke nightmare of a companies products?
Try this new flavor you ESG motivated slime-o’s:
B&Js Boycott Blunder
Alex A. I walked a long time ago. When the insertion of their politics into their products became too much to bear. The final straw for me was after VT passed same sex marriage and they renamed Chubby Hubby: Hubby Hubby. That was the end, haven’t purchased since.
Nasty unhealthy ice-cream conglomerate founded by two woke Chubby Hubbies goes Chunky Monkey and Cookie Dough bonkers for Indigenous hoo-haa. Not a surprise.
Interestingly enough, while B&J are “defending “ the rights of the indigenous peoples of the US and demanding we return the land to them they despise Israel and advocate against them at every opportunity. The Jews are indeed the indigenous peoples of Israel. The “Palestinians” that they support came on the scene much later and never had a nation there. I’ve been boycotting their ice cream for years; will continue to do so.
And the ethnicity of the B&J? Can’t talk about that…..
Complete and utter hypocrites.
@ Alex A
I think you can talk about that. Ben and Jerry, while no longer the owners of the company,probably do still have some level of involvement although I don’t know that for sure. But they both are the epitome of the self-hating Jew; one that bends over backwards to harm fellow Jews. Bernie Sanders is another example. As a proud Jew who isn’t into self hate or hating my people, it puzzles me greatly and causes me much distress to see this in others. And yes, why many Jews continue to vote Democrat is beyond me. And why they support causes and people that would harm them is a mystery. Some believe this is a result of the thousands of years spent in exile, being treated as second class citizens, only barely tolerated and repeatedly kicked out of country after country. Sort of a Stockholm syndrome perhaps? But there are Jews such as myself, many who are often religious, who support conservative causes and viewpoints and aren’t full of self hatred.
To Alex A.- Do we need to talk about their ethnicity? Why?
To VTIndependent- Wiki “What does Self-hating Jew” mean? It is a very interesting read.
Truly left leaning hypocrisy !! Unilever and founders, Ben and Jerry should be happy to give up the stolen land and pay reparations on all the profits. Also, Sen. Elizabeth Warren should lead the charge to boycott Ben & Jerry’s ice cream until all settlement is paid.
Ha… Liz Warren, the lady who made all her money in OKC flipping homes foreclosed from Cherokee families and then claimed to be one? That Liz Warren?
An Anglo/Dutch concern telling us what to do?
Thanks but no thanks.
We won two wars against the Brits, so they could no longer dictate policy to us.
Go lecture your king, not we, who defeated you twice!
As to Ben and Jerry, turncoats, for sale to the highest, non American, bidders.
Took the money and run!
Thanks but no thanks.
Vote American, buy American, damn the naysayers, and the fruit loop crowd.
I had enough of their self righteous manure.
Isn’t that what Hitler did? Remove the foreigners? Not trying to be mean, considering my family was killed in the Holocaust, but B&J have some nerve looking to get rid of people from a country that doesn’t belong to B&J either, as they claim.
Typical progressive liberals……we made our millions now you people give back what you have and we’ll take our millions and live in luxury. Lead the way Ben and Jerry, give 98% percent of your net worth and show us Indian conquers how it’s done.
Ben & Jerry’s, net worth nearly half a BILLION mullahs. Give their land back.
Ben and jerry out to do the right thing, and deport themselves to where ever their ancestors came from. That will fix their part in the steal.
So….Time to Bud Lite B+G? There are so many good ice creams out there that haven’t gone completely woke. Let’s take a stand against these commie freaks!
By B&J’s logic their ice cream 🍦 is made from milk stolen from cows 🐄
This is called publicity. They don’t mean it because like the responses say, they would have to “walk the walk” which Liberals never do.
Let’s not forget that these two ungrateful, hypocritical hippies came to the once-great State of Vermont to EXPLOIT it’s marketing panache to sell their artery-clogging treats. Just like Bernie, these interlopers came here from Brooklyn, New York City to be big fish in a small pond.