That's not irony, it's hypocrisy, and it's straight out of the Leftist Playbook. (How can you get to write for the Wall Street Journal and not know that?)
Hmm, a socialist practicing capitalism. Who would have thought. Wonder if the thought has ever crossed their minds about how much money from there business would actually make it into their own pockets in a socialist nation.
The only problem was that someone did a little research and found out that Ben & Jerry's had already signed an agreement with Wal-Mart to open an ice cream concession inside the store.
Nothing wrong with hedging you bets by hitching your wagon to a "greedy giant corporation" that's looking to "destroy your small-state way of life," I guess.
It was purchased by the Dutch conglomerate Unilever a few years back after the incompetent CEO Ben and Jerry hired to succeed them ran the company into the ground.
Chunky Commie Ice Cream-- In April, America bid a fond adieux to Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc. $326 million million capitalist dollars was the bloody ransom paid for the greatest social experiment since Twentieth Century Motor. This funky ice cream brand now sits in the Unilever portfolio, alongside Skippy Peanut Butter, Helmans Mayonnaise, and Pepsodent Toothpaste. And with the Ben and Jerry's deal, Unilever also acquired Slimfast, to insure they have you as a customer, both coming and going.
Unintentionally, founders Ben and Jerry Cohen had stumbled into the greatest marketing scheme of the eighties. Their ice cream is nothing more than a frozen one pound candy bar. Flavors like "Chubby Hubby" mock how truly decadent their confection is. This would normally cause your average liberal to shiver with guilt, adding lipids to their already excessive form, while societies are starving in Africa.
Ben and Jerry’s Ice cream was the biggest vendor of guilt relief in the modern world. Health consciousness had forbidden the kind of fat laden, cholesterol rich delight that lives in those recycled paper tubs. But who can resist? Instead of relieving your guilt by promising 100% of your daily vitamin requirements, Ben & Jerry offer something a little more substantial, Social Nutrition. Sure your clogging your arteries and gaining weight, but never mind, We’ll help save the earth with every mouthful. Yum, was that a saturated fat filled nut I just sank my tooth into? Yes but don’t worry, It was a brazil nut from the South American rain forest, every one you eat saves a little bit of forest. Sure that was a mouthful of rich Swiss Chocolate, but it came from a chocolate company that never starved infants. Yes our cream is 100% milk fat, but that milk fat came from family farmers, and was blended with 100% pure cane sugar in a plant where everybody makes almost the same wage.
The company also became an unintentional experiment in the nature of the CEO. Marxists like Michael Moore find humor in the fact that the CEO of IBM cannot reconfigure a hard drive. The assumption of course is that anybody can be a CEO. Women and minorities constantly decry the "Glass Ceiling" that prevents their ascending to the top floor offices, held back solely by their gender or race. When Ben & Jerry decided to retire (wealthy), they went in search of a Socially responsible CEO. Certainly a woman or minority would be preferred. but because they organize their corporate structure in a socially equitable pattern, the highest paid employee could only make five times the pay of the lowest. The company was flooded with applications for the 60K/year position, but not one was qualified.
To great fanfare they announced in February of 1994 they had succeeded in their search for a qualified CEO. Robert Holland, an African American, took the helm of the company for a much greater salary than the 60K advertised. The truth is that Qualified Women and Minority CEOs can pretty much write their own ticket, as their demand for diversity in the boardroom is actually quite high. Mr Holland was forced to resign two years later amidst rapidly plummeting stock prices.
Ben and Jerry, obviously consumed with greed then hired a white male executive from a gun manufacturer to replace him at a substantially higher salary. Apparently social justice only is important when your stock price is up Ben and Jerry, now very well educated in the truth about capitalism decided to take the money and run. God speed blessed comrades, god speed.
Man, ain't that the truth.
This is called progress. What is Ben & Jerry's proposed solution, anyway? To turn back the clock and abolish the tractor? Many Americans seem to be under the illusion that the small family farmer has lived a carefree idyllic lifestyle. In truth, this livelihood has traditionally involved backbreaking toil, work-days that last from sun-up to sundown, and monotony--which is why sons and daughters have been fleeing the farm for five generations. The only people who actually want to save small farms are people who've never worked on a farm.
The Ben & Jerry's ads moan that the corporatization of farming is a horrid trend. I couldn't help asking our tour guide during the Q-&-A why, if corporatization of farming is such a bad thing, that isn't also true of the corporatization of ice cream. Those same 22 pairs of eyes glare back at me.
LOL! Read the whole article - well worth it. I prefer Vanilla Heath Bar Crunch myself!
The author is wrong....Marsha Marsha Marshmallow is the best flavor.
Weren't Ben and Jerry involved in trying to prevent unions from forming in the company some years ago?
Sorry Steve.
All Ben and Jerry's Blows.
The Worlds Best Ice Cream, and none of the Hypocrisy.
http://www.2dips.com/ice-cream-reviews.php?id=30
I've tried B&J's ice cream twice and it's no better than Pet, Mayfield, or Bryers. When you consider the price, it boarders on nasty.
My wife and I visited the same place last month. I had the same reaction as the columnist. These guys sold out to Unilever!! This is capitalism built on cows -- where are the animal-rights activists when you really need them?