Agitation Nation: A Podcast From The Fenton Forecast

Ben Cohen: The West Bank Cost Ben & Jerry's Its Freedom

September 23, 2026·36 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

For decades, Ben & Jerry's sold ice cream with a mission. Then its independent board refused to keep selling in illegal Israeli settlements. Ever since, its giant corporate owners have been dismantling everything that made Ben & Jerry's what it is. When the White House turned against climate and DEI, a lot of companies dropped it fast. Ben Cohen says that tells you they never meant it. Can businesses change the world?The Ben & Jerry's co-founder discusses grossly excessive military spending, building a business with values in its DNA, and why staying neutral in the face of injustice means taking a side. freebenandjerrys.com00:00 They Want the Ice Cream Without the Activism01:15 Companies That Dropped DEI Never Meant It03:17 Build Your Values In From Day One07:33 Ignore the Experts10:07 Unilever Pushed Out the Board12:32 How the West Bank Started All This17:10 Totally Nuts: The War Budget22:24 A Democracy for the Many, Not the Few24:38 Speaking Out When Everyone's Scared26:50 What's the Doughboy Afraid Of?29:48 What a Free Ben & Jerry's Would Do33:15 Pass the Torch

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