Ben and Jerry’s Stock Melts after Demanding U.S. Return ‘Stolen Indigenous Land’
“The United States was founded on stolen indigenous land. This fourth of July, let’s commit to returning it.” This was a tweet posted by the Ben and Jerry’s corporation on our nation’s beloved Independence Day. The ice cream company continued in an article-style post condemning the establishment of our reputable Mount Rushmore and putting down some of our most honorable presidents on a day set aside for celebrating our freedom and unity as a nation.
In the week following their bitter post, the company lost $2.5 billion in stock collectively in reaction. Their reputation is melting away more and more with every moment. It is clear that many patriotic citizens were strikingly offended by the un-American morale that Ben and Jerry’s advocated for on our nation’s birthday.
To be fair, our country does not have the best track record. But what country does?
This particular issue that Ben and Jerry’s is addressing dates back to 1927, when the land in South Dakota was dynamited for the establishment of Mount Rushmore. It’s true — this land rightfully belonged to The Great Sioux Nation, the native tribes in the area. This was an act of injustice by the U.S. government against the Native Americans that happened almost a century ago which was rightly accounted for by the Supreme Court in 1980 with an offer of $105 billion in damages, and recognition of the wrongdoing.
Despite the sins of our country’s past, we cannot jump in a time machine, go back in time, and undo what’s already been done. “The Land Back Movement” is borderline lunacy, considering we cannot physically retract the 25-mile colossal sculpture. And the audacity to advocate for it on our nation’s birthday — a holiday kept traditional, celebratory, and patriotic!
It is important to note that approximately 56 million acres of American soil are held by the United States as trust land reserved for Native American tribes, and there are 574 recognized Native American tribes in our country. Although our history is not unstained, our government actively makes decisions maintaining and protecting the Native Americans across the nation.
The ice cream company proclaims that “The Land Back Movement” is beneficial, and worth advocating for. “It’s about dismantling white supremacy and systems of oppression and ensuring that Indigenous people can again govern the land their communities called home for thousands of years.”
Many Americans have commented back to the business’s post with phrases along the lines of, “Since you have such loud opinions about taking other people’s things, why don’t you give the cows their milk back?”
Again, we see another example of a business, completely unaffiliated with politics, hopping in the conga line of others, feeling the pressure to speak vocally about various issues. The “go woke, go broke” phrase stands firm once again, validating yet another example of a company (see Budweiser and Target) falling prey to leftist ideologies, and then experiencing the consequences of their decisions.
