GOOD STUFF.
THANK YOU.
>>> OKAY.
WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS.
THE ICE CREAM MAN MATTHEW
McCARTHY IS WITH US.
HE IS THE CEO OF BEN & JERRY'S.
YOU ARE FAR TOO YOUNG TO BE ONE
OF THE FOUNDERS.
>> I ONLY LOOK YOUNG.
ICE CREAM HELPS KEEP ME THAT
WAY.
STUART: I REALLY DO WANT TO TALK
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM WITH
YOU.
I WILL GET TO THAT.
YOU KNOW WHAT'S COMING.
I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY ANYBODY
IN BUSINESS, WHERE PROFIT IS A
VALID MOTIVE, WOULD SUPPORT
BERNIE SANDERS AND HIS
SOCIALISM.
CAN YOU GIVE ME 20 SECONDS TO
EXPLAIN THIS?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
FIRST OF ALL, I THINK THE BIGGER
POINT IS THAT I THINK IT'S A
TOTAL FALLACY THAT AMERICAN
BUSINESS SHOULDN'T BE ENGAGED IN
ITS COMMUNITIES.
I THINK ACTUALLY TO ASSUME --
STUART: COME ON.
>> SERIOUSLY.
STUART: WHY ARE YOU A SOCIALIST?
>> WE ARE NOT SOCIALISTS AT ALL.
STUART: WHY DO YOU BACK A
SOCIALIST POLITICIAN?
>> WE DON'T.
WE DON'T BACK ANY POLITICIAN.
STUART: I THOUGHT YOU BACKED
BERNIE SANDERS.
>> NO, WE DO NOT BACK ANY
POLITICIANS WHATSOEVER.
STUART: I THOUGHT BEN & JERRY'S
WAS BIG ON BERNIE.
>> NO.
OUR COFOUNDERS, BEN AND JERRY,
SUPERACTIVE INDEPENDENTLY AS
PRIVATE CITIZENS IN THE
POLITICAL WORLD.
STUART: DOES THE COMPANY SUPPORT
BERNIE SANDERS?
>> NO.
WE DON'T --
STUART: DOES THE COMPANY REJECT
BERNIE SANDERS?
>> OH, NO.
NO, NO, NO.
STUART: DOES IT EMBRACE BERNIE
SANDERS?
>> LISTEN, LISTEN, WE DO NOT
SUPPORT ANY POLITICAL CANDIDATES
WHATSOEVER.
BUT WE ARE VERY ACTIVE ON THE --
STUART: NOT THE CANDIDATES,
THEIR IDEAS.
DO YOU SUPPORT UPPING THE TAXES
ON WEALTHY PEOPLE?
>> THAT IS NOT A PRIORITY FOR US
AS WELL.
NOPE.
THAT'S NOT PRIORITY AS WELL.
OUR PRIORITY FOR DECADES HAS
BEEN AROUND --
STUART: DO YOU SUPPORT THE TAX
CUTS FOR BUSINESS WHICH WERE
PASSED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP?
>> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
I WOULD SAY THAT PERSONALLY, I
THINK IT'S A BAD IDEA FOR US TO
BE ASSUMING THAT TAX CUTS ARE
GOING TO HAVE THE INTENDED
EFFECT ACROSS THE ENTIRE
BUSINESS SYSTEM.
WHETHER TAXES GO UP OR DOWN,
IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT A BUSINESS
HAS CLEAR VALUES, KNOWS WHAT IT
WANTS TO STAND FOR.
IF YOU ARE AT THE VAGARIES OF
TAX AND TAXES AND THE ONLY WAY
YOU CAN MAKE IT AS A BUSINESS,
IF PEOPLE CUT YOUR TAXES, I SAY
YOUR BRAND PROPOSITION, YOUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR
CONSUMERS, PROBABLY ISN'T STRONG
ENOUGH.
STUART: LET'S TALK CRIMINAL
JUSTICE REFORM.
TO GET TO THAT, I WILL
PARAPHRASE WHAT I THINK YOU ARE
IN FAVOR OF.
WE ARE INCARCERATING A LOT OF
PEOPLE, IT'S NOT WORKING, STOP
IT, TAKE SOME OF THAT MONEY AND
INJECT IT INTO THE COMMUNITIES
FROM WHICH PEOPLE COME FROM.
THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT YOU WANT
TO DO.
>> THAT'S ABOUT PERFECT.
I THINK THERE'S A MOUNTING BODY
OF EVIDENCE AND ACTUALLY, OVER
30 STATES OVER THE PAST FOUR OR
FIVE YEARS HAVE REDUCED THEIR
INVESTMENT IN MASS
INCARCERATION, SHIFTED THOSE
FUNDS TO THE FRONT END TO
ACTUALLY HELPING BUILD
COMMUNITIES.
UNITED STATES HAS 5% OF THE
WORLD'S POPULATION BUT 25% OF
THE WORLD'S INCARCERATED
POPULATION.
IT'S BECOMING EVIDENT THAT NOT
ONLY FROM A CARING FOR OUR
COMMUNITIES PERSPECTIVE BUT
PURELY FROM THE ECONOMIC SIDE OF
THINGS, THE WAY WE HAVE BEEN
APPROACHING MASS INCARCERATION
HASN'T BEEN WORKING.
THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT THERE'S A
GROWING MOVEMENT TO SAY HEY,
LET'S INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITIES
AND BECAUSE WE ARE A BUSINESS
THAT HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN
COMMUNITIES FOR ALMOST FOUR
DECADES, THIS IS A NATURAL PLACE
FOR US TO WANT TO GET INVOLVED.
STUART: FAIR POINT.
FAIR POINT.
WHY BEN & JERRY'S?
BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIVIST
FOUNDERS AND YOU YOURSELF?
IS THIS CLOSE TO YOUR HEART?
>> I GET THIS QUESTION A LOT.
WHAT THE HECK DOES ICE CREAM
HAVE TO DO WITH --
STUART: IT'S A FAIR QUESTION.
>> THE REALITY IS WE DO THESE
THINGS BECAUSE THE PEOPLE AT BEN
& JERRY'S CARE ABOUT THEM.
IT'S ACTUALLY QUITE THAT SIMPLE.
I FIND THAT A LOT OF BUSINESSES
ARE TRYING TO CONNECT THEIR
BUSINESS OR THEIR BRAND TO
SOMETHING THAT'S SOCIALLY GOOD.
THAT'S A GREAT ENDEAVOR BUT YOU
DON'T HAVE TO.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS ACTUALLY
DECIDE WHAT ARE YOUR VALUES AS A
TEAM OF PEOPLE, AND OUR VALUES
AROUND SOCIAL AND CLIMATE
JUSTICE HAVE BEEN THERE FOR 40
YEARS.
STUART: BUT IT IS TAKING A
POLITICAL POSITION.
>> WE DO TAKE POLITICAL
POSITIONS.
YEAH.
NOT WITH POLITICIANS.
STUART: YOU ARE ALL RIGHT.
YOU ARE ALL RIGHT.
OKAY.
ENOUGH.
MATTHEW McCARTHY, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
STUART: WE WILL TASTE THE ICE