The Baffling Case of a Bernie Bro

What does it take for anger to be ‘justified’?

The first time I heard the term ‘Bernie Bro’ it was well after the 2016 election was over. I saw it used on social media in critique of the anger associated with older white men. This seemed strange to me, and not because I doubt that old white men are angry, but because I had been a Bernie Supporter (a Bro myself then, assumedly?). In April of 2016 when he came to my hometown of Albany NY, I went to see him. It was one of the most positive memories I have of any time that year. Months later and just before the general election, when I needed to add a scene to a horrendously dark piece of socially relevant fiction I was working on, this was the scene I wrote into the manuscript.

I saw Bernie as hopeful, passionate, relatable, consistent and (finally!) someone who was channeling the anger of those who were not being served by the status quo, but who channeled that anger with a message of unity. He spoke at the Armory about the importance of backing the party candidate whether or not it turned out to be him. He spoke of his platform in comparison to Clinton’s. One of the few statements he made about Clinton directly had to do with her acceptance of a large fee to speak to a wealthy group. It was a statement of fact, not a defamation of character.

The next day the description of this event in local papers bore little resemblance to the event I attended. The crowd was upbeat and enthusiastic in our support of Sanders’ platform…