"Consumers appreciate this retreat: The brands we buy, the clothes we wear and the food we eat shouldn’t be political. Companies are increasingly realizing that — and that their shareholders may pay a price for unpopular or controversial stands."
Drowning my sorrows in a pint was a great consolation prize for my heartbreak.
"But in 2021, I soured on the brand when it announced plans to stop selling its ice cream in what it referred to as the “Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
"The good news?
"Recent pushback by critics — and consumers — prompted B&J’s parent company, Unilever, to respond, just as other companies have been shedding their DEI and woke images.
"And that’s major grounds for hope.
"In 2021, co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield defended the brand’s positions on Israel in The New York Times: “The company’s stated decision,” they said, “is a rejection of Israeli policy, which perpetuates an illegal occupation that is a barrier to peace and violates the basic human rights of the Palestinian people who live under the occupation.”
"Yes, their views have always been naïve, lefty nonsense, and they’re well-known for making their political beliefs a part of their business.
"In 1998, Ben & Jerry’s faced pushback when it announced it would no longer buy water from an Israeli company in the Golan Heights because of what it called an illegal occupation of the area.
"But after Oct. 7, the board of Ben & Jerry’s actually argued that pro-Palestinian demonstrations across US college campuses play a vital role in upholding democracy. The Vermont-based company, which sells its products at some universities, had also advocated for a lasting cease-fire in Gaza, never mind that the threat of future Oct. 7 attacks would remain."
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