As was practically every leftist millionaire and billionaire today.
Ben and Jerry have quite an interesting history
And I was there.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield were childhood friends from Merrick, New York.[3] Although Greenfield finished college, he found himself unable to make his way into medical school. Cohen dropped out of school.[4] In 1977, Cohen and Greenfield completed a correspondence course on ice cream making from Pennsylvania State University‘s creamery. …… On May 5, 1978, with a $12,000[4] investment (equivalent to $47,000 in 2019), the two business partners opened an ice cream parlor in a renovated gas station in downtown Burlington, Vermont. In 1979, they marked their anniversary by holding the first “free cone day”, now an annual event at every Ben & Jerry’s store.[4]
Sounds like the American Dream, two hippies make a product that people might want to buy. Take a risk by investing time, effort, money,and if you’re successful, you reap the rewards. Also as a byproduct of your success you provide jobs and an economic uplift to local dairy farmers and other suppliers.
Once they battled with giant corporations., but later Ben & Jerry sold out to virtue signaling multi-national corporation Unilever,
But were they ever true Proletariats. ?
Marxist philosophy considers the proletariat to be exploited under capitalism, forced to accept meagre wages in return for operating the means of production, which belong to the class of business owners, the bourgeoisie. Marx argued that this oppression gives the proletariat common economic and political interests that transcend national boundaries, impelling them to unite and take over power from the capitalist class, and eventually to create a communist society free from class distinctions.
So what are liberals and/or progressives to do when instead being the working class hero commited to the overthrow of capitalism; they become a successful bourgeoisie business owners who make seven figures a year. You certainaly don’t want the Social Justice Warriors (BLM and Antifa) thinking ill thoughts about you. And you do want to be true to your Progressive values. So you virtue signal. Especially when it comes to RACISM !
Perhaps not in the 1% but definitely in the top 10.
Ben Cohen’s net worth.
Jerry Greenfield’s net worth.
Via The Quartering