Conservatives oppose 'woke up ice cream' Photo: Bloomberg
Conservatives threaten to boycott Ben & Jerry's after calling on the US to return «stolen indigenous lands» in an Independence Day tweet.
The ice cream maker, now owned by the British multinational Unilever, called for a restoration on the 4th of July holiday Mount Rushmore. returned to the Lakota Sioux.
“It is time for the United States to recognize on July 4 that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it,” the message reads.
>“The faces on Mount Rushmore are the faces of people who actively worked to destroy the culture and way of life of indigenous peoples, depriving them of their basic rights,” the statement said.
On July 4th, it's time to recognize that the US exists on stolen indigenous lands and commit to reclaiming them. Learn more and take action now: https://t.co/45smaBmORH pic.twitter.com/a6qp7LXUAE
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) July 4, 2023
Conservative critics have accused Ben & Jerry about «biting the hand that feeds you».
«Make Ben & Jerry's Bud Light again.» — John Rich, member of country duo Big & Rich, said.
Laverne Spicer, a failed Republican candidate, also spoke out against the «awakened ice cream man.»
«Ben & Jerry used Independence Day to speak out AGAINST AMERICA,” said Ms. Spicer.
“Will the day ever come when these AMERICA-hating corporations will understand what happens when you bite the hand that feeds? She added.
The Vermont-based company has become the latest corporation to be accused of «waking up» in America's culture war. Brewing giant Anheuser-Busch has seen its Bud Light sales drop by about 30% after partnering with a powerful transgender man. Dylan Mulvaney.
Social media users warned of a similar decline for Ben & Jerry's message after interfering with Mount Rushmore was shown to 494,000 of the company's Twitter followers.
View of Mount Rushmore. Photo: Rapid City Journal. we have to go to the next freezer for another brand of ice cream, as if we were going to the next refrigerator to buy something other than Bud Light,” said Twitter user ShotGunBonnie.
Ben & Jerry's statement calls for a broader return of indigenous lands, starting with Mount Rushmore, South Dakota's cherished national memorial that features the heads of four American presidents carved into rock.
This, they say, represents desecration. mountain known as Tunkasila Sakpe.
The land has been in dispute for decades. In 1980, the Sioux refused to pay 105 million dollars for it, saying that the land was not for sale.
Four American presidents are carved into the rock on Mount Rushmore. Photo: Philippe Bursailer
Ben & Jerry's announcement marked the last political intervention for the Vermont gas station company founded in 1978 by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. Both are friends of left-wing Senator Bernie Sanders.
The brand's hipster reputation has been built on activity despite being owned by Unilever since 2000.
As part of the deal, Ben & Jerry's has a separate board that allows you to speak out on political issues. And it did not take long.
In 2019, the company launched «Justice ReMix'd» flavor, a cinnamon-chocolate blend designed to call for an end to «structural racism in our broken criminal justice system.»
And last year it fell. into British politics, attacking plans by then Home Secretary Priti Patel to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Unilever's approach to Ben & Jerry's activity ended in a clash over Israel.
Ben & Jerry's has announced that it will stop selling ice cream in the Israeli-occupied territories in 2021.
In response, Unilever sold its Israeli assets to a local company, allowing sales to resume, while Ben & Jerry's is suing its parent company.
After the latest controversy, experts have speculated that the company's July 4th tweet could end up being a major own goal.
«While Ben & ; Jerry's is one of the brands most associated with liberal ideas, and you could see that this message is a brand for them, they stumbled here,” said Professor Tony D'Angelo of the Newhouse School of Communication at Syracuse University. . Telegraph.
“The timing of such an extreme offer, July 4th, is intended to draw attention, but it is especially controversial because it is completely unclear how the US can even try to return all the “stolen indigenous peoples.” earth'.
“So Ben & Jerry's tweet sounds more like a signal of sanctimonious virtue than sincere support for social justice.”
The Telegraph turned to Ben & Jerry for the comment.
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