This Side of Fifty: Bernie Mitten Memes

A Gig with Bernie and Ara

Amid all the back and forth, the accusations, the impeachment, conspiracy theories from every angle and idiology, radical this and reactionary that commentaries, dark money here and there, the inauguration, and Biden’s first days in office, OMG… I lost my train of thought in the dizzying spectacle that American politics has become. Oh yeah, amid all this Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has given us a respite, a diversion, from all this.

He showed up for the inauguration in a heavy coat and donning colorful mittens. He was very Vermonty. I assume they were LL Bean (they weren’t). A photo was posted, and some brilliantly clever mischievous person commented or photoshopped Bernie into another photo and posted it on social media. Others liked it, followed suit, and next thing you know, Bernie’s image is everywhere. Of course, this is my theory of how this whole thing began.

From the Washington Post:

Washington-based photographer Brendan Smialowski snapped the now-iconic shot. It stood in stark contrast with the other visuals of the day: a parade of U.S. politicians and celebrities dressed up in designer monochrome outfits, reaffirming the virtues of U.S. democracy after a tumultuous four years.

Perhaps Sanders’s seemingly grumpy appearance reflected peoples’ own annoyance with politicians and political systems at a time when the world is reeling from a pandemic that has exacerbated economic and social divides. Or maybe the democratic socialist, whose liberal foreign policies
Bernie with John and I

have made him popular abroad, at least in some corners, was the most relatable part of a day meant to display America’s democratic process. Or it could be that people just really needed something to laugh about together.

I think it was the colorful mittens that no one was wearing or dared to wear. Mittens? Gloves are more the norm for business attire in colder temperatures. I also think that people needed something to have some fun with and to cheer them up. Bernie’s photo was just the ticket.

When I first started seeing these delightful memes, I thought I needed to see Bernie with me at a musical performance. So, I set out to find out how to do it, hoping it wouldn’t be so complicated. The first website I found asked for a URL of the photo that you wanted Bernie in. URL? My photos are in the photo app on my phone and laptop. Ugh, it was already too complicated, so I reluctantly gave up.

My Middle Eastern Music Ensemble friend Phaedra posted some hilarious mitten memes on her Facebook story. I texted her saying how much I enjoyed them. I told her what I was trying to do, and she asked for a couple of photos. A day later, voila, my first Bernie with me and my buddies while we were playing music. I saw that she used a site, sitwithbernie.com, which was not the site I had tried. So, I checked it out.

At UW Parkside with Bernie and Jim

Wow… much easier. But the site was so busy the photos wouldn’t download so I just took screen shots and cropped them down and I was in business. I had a lot of fun making them this morning and sharing with family. What a great diversion.

There are mitten memes of Bernie everywhere and with almost everybody. He is sitting on a girder with the workers high above New York City. He is playing poker with dogs. He is at the Last Supper. He is at various restaurants, stores, national monuments… you name it, there is probably a mitten meme for it.

And Bernie? I guess he is taking it in stride. From the LA Times:

On Thursday’s episode of “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” Sanders said he was amused by the now-ubiquitous image, which has Twitter hailing the Vermont senator for his commitment to social distancing and utilitarian fashion choices.

But after he palyed with Oum...
Sanders couldn’t help but laugh when Meyers produced one of his favorite takes on the meme, placing Inauguration Bernie on a couch with the women of “Sex and the City,” and asked if Sanders had been tracking his social media fame.

“Yeah, I’ve seen ‘em,” the 79-year-old politician said. “What’s been really nice is the woman who made the mittens lives in Essex Junction, Vt. She is a schoolteacher and a very, very nice person, and she has been somewhat overwhelmed by the kind of attention that is being shown to her mittens.”