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Bernie Sanders mittens dubbed 'white privilege' by teacher, Internet says 'his family was murdered in Holocaust'

The op-ed left many angry and confused on Twitter, most of whom could not understand how Sanders could be accused of white privilege

Twitterati were confused as to how Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders could be accused of white privilege just because he donned a pair of mittens on President Joe Biden's inauguration day on January 20, which became an instant Internet sensation. The confusion was created by a San Francisco high school teacher who hailed Sanders as a "wealthy, incredibly well-educated and -privileged white man."

Ingrid Seyer-Ochi, a former UC Berkeley professor, wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle that she had mentioned the fact that the Chair of the Senate Budget Committee wore the meme-evoking recycled wool mittens during her class discussion on US diversity and discrimination. Although the class in question was not focused on Sanders initially, he grabbed their attention when his mittens and brown parka went viral over the Internet. 

“I puzzled and fumed as an individual as I strove to be my best possible teacher. What did I see? What did I think my students should see?” Seyer-Ochi wrote. “A wealthy, incredibly well-educated and -privileged white man, showing up for perhaps the most important ritual of the decade, in a puffy jacket and huge mittens.” She said the senator “manifests privilege, white privilege, male privilege and class privilege, in ways that my students could see and feel.”

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Seyer-Ochi added in the op-ed that many people without privilege would not be able to dress like Sanders during the swearing-in ceremony. “I don’t know many poor, or working-class, or female, or struggling-to-be-taken-seriously folk who would show up at the inauguration of our 46th president dressed like Bernie,” she said.

The op-ed left many angry and confused on Twitter, most of whom could not understand how Sanders, who is a lawmaker known for fighting for the middle-class and the underdogs of the society, could be accused of white privilege.

Political journalist Glenn Greenwald wrote: "What a stupid and appalling article: all based on how Bernie dressed. As stupid and gross as it is, it represents a large and growing sector of left-liberal thought." BBC journalist Benjamin Ramm commented, "Imagine having a platform to write about anything, and choosing to dunk on Bernie's mittens."

"So he manifests privilege by dressing like an average person instead of an elite. Absurd," one of them said while another noted, "Like yeah, Bernie is a white dude so he has got privilege there but his life has appeared to be one of using that privilege to fight for the disadvantaged. Also wtf do his mittens have to do with any of this."

"Bernie wears a coat and mittens because it's cold and he is apparently embodying privilege and class inequality It was cold outside.." a third noted. One of them said, "Bernie sanders had white privilege yes but like. what tf does that have to do with his mittens. did they secretly cost $500 or something." Another commented, "Detachment from reality is hellvadrug."

The next remarked, "Right?! I consider myself pretty woke but apparently there's a level of woke where Bernie is the embodiment of privilege because he wore a winter coat (Vermonters wear good gear because it's freaking cold) and homemade mittens."

One more said, "Since I've hammered Far Right lunatics recently let me not neglect Far Left crazies who think the Bernie Meme with his mittens and jacket represent white, male & class privilege. Sure. What did Bernie do with the $1.8 million he raised? Charity. Capitalist." Another reacted with, "Maybe I’m crazy, but Bernie is an older man wearing what looks like a down parka and mittens and I don’t understand wow that can be considered 'white privilege'. In fact, as a balding man myself, I say he should be wearing a hat. Oh no, more white privilege. This is ridiculous."

A Twitter user wrote: "Most of Bernie's family was murdered in the Holocaust. How is that white privilege?" Another tweeted, "I saw this earlier today and it bothered me. I mean, how is this privilege? It's an older man in a brown jacket wearing funky mittens sitting away from people like he's supposed to. I just don't see it. I'm just...so confused."