Schrödinger’s Bro

Bernie Bros are a myth. They’re also the most annoying people on the left. To put the ‘Bro’ to bed, first we must understand its staying power.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigns with Bernie Sanders in 2019. Photo by Matt A.J., via Flickr.

What if I told you that Bernie Bros don’t exist?

If you’re like many progressives, (including many friends in my social media feeds), you might agree with this statement wholeheartedly. Some evidence you might cite to corroborate this take:

• Bernie Sanders supporters are a diverse coalition of men, women, and nonbinary folks from all walks of life who believe that policies like Medicare For All will benefit everyone.
• Bernie is the most popular candidate among young people of all demographics, who will have to bear the brunt of climate change and the legacy of Trumpism, and whose outrage at inaction on these issues and more is not only justified but crucial.
• “Bernie Bro” is a media narrative which, after being coined by Robinson Meyer in 2015, was pushed hard by Clinton supporters in 2016. (Interestingly, in 2008, a similar attempt was made to dismiss some Obama supporters as “Obama Boys.”)

Not only are all of these things true, reports have suggested that in 2016, the “Bernie Bro” narrative was amplified online by troll accounts that were later revealed to have aggressively reinforced the reductive and inaccurate notion that Bernie’s supporters…