Feminist Suggests “Karen” Is A Sexist Slur Against Women, People Drop Some Knowledge On What “Karen” Really Means
Now that the majority of the world is in lockdown, much of what was happening outside has moved into the cyberspace that we call the internet. And, as we all know by now, everything that happens on the internet is out there for good.
UK journalist, author, and feminist campaigner against sexual violence Julie Bindel has sparked a heated debate on whether anyone else thinks the term (or as she put—slur) “Karen” is considered woman-hating and is based on class prejudice. And the internet was torn on this issue.
There are a lot of questions being asked online, but rarely do they cause heated debates such as this
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Journalist Julie Bindel asked if “Karen” is a derogative slur and voiced her opinion about it
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Julie also ventured to say in her next few tweets that the term “Karen” is definitely used by enough white men for it to have morphed into a misogynistic slur, furthering her point that it is classism and ageism. She also reminded her followers that there were other names used as “slurs” in the vein of “Karen,” including Sharon, Tracy, and Becky.
On one end, there were people who were in support of Julie’s remark. For example, Hadley Freeman, author of the book House of Glass, said that the term is sexist, classist, and ageist, specifically in that order.
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She drew analogies to other female names in history to support her idea
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People who uphold this idea claim that the word “Karen” is a slur because it is used in a derogatory fashion to pin a stereotype of a white upper-class woman in her 30s–40s to a person. So, in that sense, yes, it is sexist, classist, and ageist.
Julie followed up with another short tweet nearly an hour later saying that she has a friend named Karen and she loves her dearly, which was interpreted by some as “I have friends named Karen, so I can use that slur and not get in trouble.”
Not only did she say that “Karen” was sexist and classist, but it was also racist
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Some supported her idea, like Hadley Freeman, author of the book House of Glass
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Besides meaning self-entitled, obnoxious, and middle-aged woman, Karens also have the following haircuts
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However, a vast majority of Internauts were of a completely different opinion
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However, the vast majority of responses to Julie’s tweet were of a different opinion, not only shedding light on how “Karen” Julie’s comment actually sounded, but also on the fact that the term doesn’t even come close to actual slurs and proceeding to explain what a “Karen” actually refers to.
While some were against this idea in their regular jokey fashion, others took it seriously and challenged Julie’s statement by explaining what actual racism and slurs are. Others ventured to explain the origins of “Karen” and how it is not really a slur as much as a word used to describe an entitled, obnoxious, middle-aged white woman, who may or may not be racist. Also, it’s a meme.
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Many went to explain how “Karen” Julie’s comment actually sounded
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Others explained that the term doesn’t even come close to actual slurs and said what a “Karen” actually refers to
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Here’s how the rest of the internet reacted to this tweet
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So, what are your thoughts on the term “Karen”? Is it a slur, is it actually racist, sexist, or classist, or are people in the wrong here? Let us know in the comments below!
I only saw a few arguments on how its a slur and a lot on how its not. Others may disagree but i think being called a Karen has a lot to do with being disrespectful and entitled. I think if you don't want to be called a Karen, don't act like one. If you disagree please comment, I would like to hear don't just start heavily downvoting any other opinions. Thanks stay safe
I agree. You should only be called a Karen if you act like one.
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"Karen" refers to a personality type, and I don't think it's got a whole lot to do with color. ANY woman of any race can be a Karen - it's about BEHAVIOR, not gender. ...//... Men can be Karens to, you know. I've seen a couple in action and yep, those guys are total Karens.
The correct term for a male Karen, I believe, is “Kyle”. Chad also is used.
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Speaking as a black woman, I don't see how anyone can say that being called a Karen is similar to the N-word. Being called out for being disrespectful to people in the service industry is what being called a Karen is about. If you don't want to be called a Karen don't act like one. These so called Karens have more privilege than the people they say are insulting them.
I really agree with you. I am not african-american so I cannot say that I have been called any words like that. But I am Jewish and I have been called some nasty words and told to do some bad stuff (Someone told me to take a hot shower, a hot shower is a gas chamber) And to think that people are getting mad because they are privileged, entitled people makes me mad.
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It was stated there’s no male equiv. to a Karen. I disagree, Karen, his name is Chad.
Here's proof that people can get butt hurt over ANYTHING. This b***h is a snowflake and I wish she and her fellow "everything is offensive" snowflakes would just melt. It's a joke, not a d**k. Don't take it so hard.
People these days have faaaaar too much free time. Instead of being creative and start a hobby or watch TV they come up with these idiotic complaints.
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I find all this rather amusing, as my wife's name is actually "Karen". And she's nothing like the Karen described by all these articles. I've known many "Karen"s over the years, of which none of them were actually named Karen. So, I don't get how this whole acting like a Karen even came along. But I find it amusing every time I see another article, comment or meme and show my wife, Karen. We get a good laugh out of it.
Do these women understand how much they denigrate the average woman? The woman who actually does things and doesn't just sit around and think up things to be outraged about?
No they don't understand the average woman and probably never will.
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I think it's not a slur, because those are meant to degrade others solely for their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, expression, etc, even if they did absolutely nothing wrong. Whereas "Karen" is used to call someone out for being entitled.
It's starting to be used about any middle-aged woman who asserts herself or complains, though. So why is that okay?
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Wow, people really are reading too much into a childish taunt from social media memes.
Ikr they were referring to it as a tool for systemically oppressed people and I was like no its a meme
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As with most things, "Karen" started out as a way to describe a particular type of woman - the one that calls the police on people being people, the one that tells others to move just because she is annoyed. It was a humorous way to categorize the entitled, middle-aged, white woman that asserts her "authority" over others. Karen has now evolved into an insult for any woman that dares question anyone or anything. If you ask if the store has any bags because those aren't any at your checkout lane, you are called Karen. If you ask to be seated at a table rather than a booth, you are called Karen. I truly believe that calling women Karen is another way to hold them down.
Pressing X to doubt. If people ask for something in a normal friendly way they will not be called Karen's they will be assisted or at least informed why they cant have something in a normal way.. It's all in the attitude taken when demanding (traditional Karens never actually ask) something. A little politenes never hurts and makes people more inclined to help you out right?
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I've never heard of this before, but it doesn't sound insulting to me. Why had this name been chosen, is there a Karen Kardashian that i don't know about.
Wow, people are really reading far too much into a childish taunt from social media memes.
I usually respond w light-hearted comments, but this cooks my goose. Do any of these people even seen that they are racist hypocrites? Stop bringing skin colour into innate things like this. SMH.
Skin colour? This idiot brought ageism, misogyny and classism into this too. She is the worst type of public figure you can have in the western world. People like her do more harm than anyone because they advocate for ruining lives over nothing. At least greedy corporations make money for their shareholders (including public sector pensions etc). Bitches like this contribute nothing, yet seek to actively hurt people. They are the only people who go out of their way to hurt people.
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This is one of the dumbest arguments I have ever heard words like boomer and karen aren't slurs slurs are words like the n-word and the f-slur (both apply to me) are because of REAL history like being murdered discriminated burned and verbally abused to name a few. slurs ARE NOT when your little baby feelings are hurt by a little nickname given to you by your entitlement and rudeness >:( this article hit close to home because as a person who has REALLY been slurred before I am insulted by these white people calling us slurrs and saying we are snowflakes and then doing this mess honestly I am hurt
In real history women have also been murdered, raped, tortured, kidnapped, and treated as second class citizens. It still happens all over the world. A woman who has white skin who's been raped and harassed by men is still "privileged." A millionaire's daughter who is black is somehow Deeply Oppressed. It doesn't really make a lot of sense. We need to accept that all prejudice is bad prejudice and stop making it a competition.
Load More Replies... Karen isn't racist. Karen is just a whiner like all you victims. Choose to not be offended. Your life will improve dramatically.
I don't think you have to choose to not be offended. It should be the natural state. I think you choose to BE offended.
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I don't like how often people of any race are lumped together. Everyone is pointing to others as the source of racism and classism. (And ageism) I don't care who's "more ism"- any amount of any of those things is wrong. And you can't cherry pick which ism's are ok and which are not. You are for ism's, or you are against ism's.
For the record, women like Julie are why I stopped proudly claiming I was a feminst. Yes I believe in women's rights. No, I don't believe in being whiney and looking for ways to pretend to be oppresed. Stop it. We really need to take back the moment from these whineholes.
Very, VERY few people aren't all for equal rights. Women are more highly educated than men, they get treated better in divorce cases, chivalry still exists for their benefit, and it's illegal to pay them less or discriminate against them in every way. The feminists won, but the new ones can't accept that. Being hot is more of an advantage than being a man, so is being friendly and confident. Being fat or ugly will hold people down far worse than being a woman will. There are all sorts of privileges. Men have some, women have some, pretty people have some, very smart people have some. It's all equal in that sense.
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I don't think it is about colour. A 'Karen' is a 'Karen'. We call guys a 'Henk' if they act like one (Hank in English I gues). So it is about behaviour, not where you come from. Just like "How do you still not get this?! Henk." "Henk, mute dude, we can hear your kids screaming in this meeting"
We locally have the Eddie. This describes a rather dull bully who just lives to make everybody's life harder mostly out of sheer spite.
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Well we call the boy equivalent 'Kyles', so... it's not just women. It's the attitude that makes Karens/Kyles.
Although I find all if this ridiculous; but if you're going to sport that haircut & dye job you're just asking for it!
Being a “Karen“ is not Ethnicity/ gender / species specific , heck I call my dog a “Karen”
Getting second-hand-offended is such a Karen thing to do 🙄. Bonus points for: 1) Saying that white men have made it misogynistic. 2) Claiming that it is classism because Karen is a "classically working-class" name. 3) Making it about race, by blaming white men again "It is often used by white men, including towards women of colour". If you can't say it to everyone, THEN it would racist. Do these same white men also use the Karen joke about white women? Yes? Then it wasn't racist. This woman is just trying to stir sh*t up. We cannot progress as a society if we are all getting offended about everything. This woman was getting offended about something that didn't even apply to her... Until NOW. She's a Karen now. But, a big shout out to Karen Pollock; that response was very funny!
Very interesting. Being a middle aged Caucasian woman myself, I have used the term “Karen”, but never to describe a woman who yields any power or wealth or brains at all. I have used it to describe exactly the OPPOSITE of that. One who’s brain cells are clearly stunted, has no common sense and has an overblown misconception about her own importance. Never one who is entitled, but yes, disrespectful and insulting.
I'm a Karin so I guess none of those characteristics can be affixed to me. Really though, if any woman, specifically black women, want to use Karen derogatorily or derisively, it's not going to my world apart. Black folks have been oppressed, ridiculed, beaten, segregated and a host of other heinous acts by the causation ethnicity, I'm embarrassed by how egregious our history is. So, if you want to call Karen a Karen, go right ahead. We have it coming.
Karin, thank you for being so understanding and not jumping on this bandwagon of getting offended over a joke.
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It’s like calling someone a “boomer”, it’s not a predetermined title, it’s a state of mind.
Oh and she definitely has NO IDEA as to what it means to be called “Becky”! That is very clear from her tweet. It has nothing to do with being anti-Semitic. I don’t know where she is getting these definitions from or if she is just making them up herself, but she definitely needs to do more research.
"Becky" and "Beckie" was definitely used in an anti-Semitic way when my son was in his mid-teens ~45 years ago. A group of the youngsters used to meet up at the local bus station to go to their club each week, and one of my non-Jewish neighbours said sneeringly "I see your son and his friends are meeting up with their Beckies again - do they take it i turns to you-know-what to each of them?"
Honestly, everybody just needs to drink some tea and chillax... I'm not offending anybody and not saying slurs should be tolerated but people are getting riled up over a slang word WE NEED THE TEA! ☕
I guess what this REALLY boils down to is: if you KNOW that a word is a slur, should you still be using it? My opinion is simply that if *any*one has created any term to belittle another person based on sex, race or class, it shouldn't be used. There's no justification for ANY racism in this day and age. End of story.
This women is literally the worst. She somehow packed racism, misogyny, classism and ageism into people noticing that a certain haircut was usually had by women who wanted to speak to the manager. They are usually aggressive and the meme is funny. This woman is NOT a journalist. She's an editorial peddler of woke-ism.
"Karen" is well-to-do, self-centered, and oblivious to the feelings of those around her. The young women in the 1963 photo would like to be Karen, but they will never be anything other than Betty Jo, Francine, or Mary Lou.
I don't get it do maybe im out of touch. Karen, to me, is just a term I've seen used when being sarcastic. However that pic with the white student...i see those and i always wonder if they ever changed or ever saw their behavior as disgusting and ugly as it looked and was. Totally off subject, i know.
Another fine example of Karen ruining something funny by over analyzing it and making it into something it's not. Thanks Karen.
Yes Mr. Waterford. May be be truly worthy Mr. Waterford.
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The only problem with this is now the name Karen has been stigmatized to mean something negative. My best friend's name is actually Karen. She's been extremely upset by all of this because she is a loving open hearted person that now get's treated like she's a white entitled snob simply because of her name. Just like girls named Isis were getting teased and bullied in school because they just happened to have a name that was the acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. No one should be calling anyone else a slang term that's hurtful. That goes for any use of the "N" word by anyone and any of the slang names that can be confused with someone's given birth name. Get off of it people!
We are all Karens. It starts with just the white women and the water is merely warm. Eventually it will start to boil and before women know it we will all be effectively shut up.
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OMFG, the lady is not only a "Karen" but also a "snowflake" even tho by the Internet laws she is too old :P
Ok Serena. Pointing at Julie: "hahahahaha. Karen karen karen"
Load More Replies... What's the name equivalent to a Karen? How do we call it if men act disrespectful and patronizing towards people (who are predominantly women) of the service industry? Fact is, Karen is gendered, and unless we have an equivalent derogatory male word, we have yet another derogatory term for women, and for women only. It highlights negative behaviour of women while ignoring equivalent behaviour of men. If you think this is trivial, think of the many, many stories here at Bored Panda highlighting 'entitled' behaviour of women. We never hear about men, and it is ridiculous to assume that this kind of behaviour is gender specific (look at orange president...). By coining the term and elaborating the narrative, women are being called out for their behaviour, while men's 'entitled' misbehaviour is readily accepted. If this isn't misogynist and sexist, I don't know what is.
I have heard them referred to as "Chads" or "Todds"....
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There has already been evidence posted that this nonsense was created by a neo-nazi trolling group, it takes less than a minute to verify this in a Google search. https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccabellan/2020/04/06/yes-the-karen-twitter-poll-is-a-parody-so-chill-out-twitter/
Maybe apply the normal punching down rule here. If you have more privilege and you're a dude using Karen to mock real concerns of women in general, stop, people hear what you're actually saying and putting it in a trendy form isn't going to veil your intent. If you are living a life where you're stuck with the negative outcomes of a horde of Karens Karening in your face, by all means call it out.
A Karen is a middle aged white woman who is mean to people in the service industry... it can be used to just refer to any white middle aged woman who doesn't let some lazy employee get away with something because they don't feel like doing their job... But if you are a Karen, you are the person in control of the situation... so maybe a put down or sexist, but when you are the one with the power, do you get to complain?
Most examples I heard of are wmaw bullying others to get their way often threatening people wit loss of a job if they dont get their way. So not in control just acting like the worst dregs of humanity essentially.
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Karen is an insult to personality, it being mostly middle class white women is the fault of white women. Read the EntitledParents subreddit and you'll understand why Karen is a name traditionally given to white women.
Nothing more funny than a naggle of Karen's, of all racial backgrounds, discussing how they aren't a Karen, only that Karen over there is a Karen.
The Karen meme needs to die. It IS implicitly ageist and racist, but I would certainly no say it equates to the "word" for obvious reasons. However, I think it is overused and used to make sweeping generalizations. Also some of the tweets referenced strike me as incredibly hypocritical. The general idea is "They were/are discriminatory towards us so now we are discriminatory towards them".
I thought the Karen thing was about women who wanted to return something at the store, or something like that, but it was against corporate policy, which was out of line with whatever Karen was trying to accomplish in the store. I thought the Karen thing was more about the subjugation, that corporate policy inflicts on the subservient consumer class, workers and patrons included?
It's about someone who feels like they are entitled to the best treatment but they are rude and obnoxious.
Load More Replies... Black racist code words will evolve faster than anyone can track. So let's drop the entire issue, which is basically supported by photos that are approaching 60 years, and absolutely do not reflect current society. Unless, of course, one WANTS to promote racism.
I am 34 years old and I have been judged because of my race, so no the problem is not 60 years old. It's ongoing. Unless you can say that you were followed around a store just to make sure you didn't steal anything keep your opinions on racist code words to yourself.
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I agree. We should switch to Martha. Any other earth shaking problems that need solved?
TOTALLY agree! Karen has been over played. I propose we move on to Carol.
As far as the equivalent name for men, I've heard Chad before. One of the things at least with the guys I grew up with, as soon as someone acted the twat, their name became the insult. Don't be such a John(name picked at random). Or we would just call said d**k a...d**k, or assface, or shiteater, or whatever insult we could think of. Usually we would all end up laughing. I guess my point is many men tend to be pretty crude so a "name" might not carry the same sting. My two cents.
I thought I understood the Karen phenomena until now. I saw the classist aspect, the sense of entitlement. But I don't understand how it's inherently racist. I'm sure many others who don't identify as white AS WELL AS people who are white have had to deal with a Karen being a Karen. Also, the best one was: "Only a Karen can call another Karen Karen." XD ALSO, it's definitely a slur. (make damaging or insulting insinuations or allegations about.) -via the bing search bar. Misogynistic slur? I have called many a man Karen, okay?
It is about elitism. I have no idea why this woman is bringing race into it and comparing it to the N-word.
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Karen is a female Chad. So no, it isn't specifically woman hating. It is calling out the actions of specific women.
Karen: Homophobic, tell you you're going to hell, racist, ageist, etc.. basic scum of earth. Karen (Not the same as above): Has a good marriage. Her kids visit her regularly. She helps out wherever she can. Helps others when they need it. A good person. Now replace them with any other stereotypical names. (Becky, Stacy, etc...) They're not the same person. It's not a slur-it's just a description of someone. Yet there's GOOD PEOPLE out their with those names. Don't classify people just because they have a name like that. It's not their fault that they got named that way. It's okay to make light-hearted jokes about it, but it's not okay to immediately label people with that name as human scum.
If it refers to just women and not men, then it's a sexist term. I know that in the hierarchy of prejudice we have decided sexism is always less bad than racism, but the gleeful tossing around of this term comes off as a bit hypocritical.
Karen is being used to shut up any woman who express an opinion in social media. It was born as a funny meme but it evolved into what we are so used to: another word to shup up women and erase their voice and point of view. The moment that articles are written about "Kyle" and Karen is not trend on Twitter I will believe it is not sexist. Whoever doesn't see this needs to think if they have an unconscious bias against women. It seems now that the "me too" movement is so 2018 that it went outdated so women should be finally silenced again (how hysterical they are, all Karens). As always, women will be critisized for speaking up and many men will write articles explaining (mansplanning) that only white middle age women are annoying. I've worked in customer service and I've had many other annoying male customers yet no one seems to remember those or to call them by names. The term Karen will be remembered as sexist by history. Is it a slur? Who knows, but language is a powerful weapon.
I don't think "Karen" is anything even close to the "n" word. However I also think that it is negative stereotyping, which reeks of prejudice. The implication that women who fit a certain demographic (and hairstyle!) are racist as a group is nonsense. It would perhaps be nice if racism could be so neatly contained, as it might be easier to eradicate it in that case. However, the sad fact is that anyone can be a racist. We have a perfectly apt word to describe racist behavior: "racist." There's no need to give it a woman's name. The world would be a healthier place if we could beat down negative stereotyping instead of creating new ways to indulge in it. Negative stereotypes don't solve problems -- they create more distance between people.
Karen isn’t racist, sexist, ageist, classist, or anything else. It’s just an insult to describe a person (ANY person) who is the type of person to give retail workers a hard time and asks for a manager. That’s it. It’s just an insult and doesn’t have to be more than that.
When why are only women called it? White men are not calling any women who dares challenge their opinion . “Karen “.
Load More Replies... Also, Karen wasn’t created by black women to describe racist white women. Good god man.
So like 90% of this article is just twitter posts from other people. It made this article very hard to read. Oh, and Karen isn’t sexist, racist, ageist, classist, or anything. It’s just an insult. It doesn’t have to be more than that.
Yes Mr. Waterford. Thank you for explaining that Mr. Waterford.
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For every Karen, there's a Kevin. We have to talk about Kevin. Boring. Middle aged. Know it all. Stuck in their ways. Been there/done that, but hasn't. Bangs on and moans about the same old thing. Brags. Never lets you get a word in. Prattles on while you feign interest and back away. Micro-manages everything. Armchair expert. Tight/stingy. Opinonated. Parks car across two bays. Leaves their dogsh*t on the pavement. Smug. Why should I attitude. Ok Kevin. Calm down, Kevin. Poor Kevin. How exciting, Kevin. Tell me more, Kevin. Sorry to hear that, Kevin. Good for you, Kevin. Nevermind, Kevin. I never knew that, Kevin. Adios, Kevin. Best of all.... don't be a Kevin.
Us younger generation just use it as a joke to describe a White Middle Aged soccer mum who throws her coffee at the barista when she isn’t satisfied.
Yes Mr. Waterford. Thank you for explaining it to me Mr. Waterford.
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The author is.. interesting. WHITE MAN EVIL, WHITE MAN EVIL, RACIST, SEXIST, AGEIST, ANTI-SEMITC! Like, calm down, Jesus. And the included comments are bad too, because they are racist as all get out.
A bunch of Karen's calling other Karen's. "Karen."
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So this is the female, english version of the male Kevin- Version in germany. In germany anyone knew what a Kevin is. XD (Its a very stupid guy, too dumb to breathe, for example or someone who doesnt get the easiest things right .) .... There are articles about Kevin... "Its not a name its a diagnose" Or "those names damage your kids..."
I thought Karen was a term made up by a bunch of memers to laugh at/ call out obnoxious American women. (Mainly white but I've never seen it used for black women) At the worst, it's just an insult. But it's not a racist or sexist slur.
"Karen" isn't a "tool to help the historically oppressed" and its not a slur its literally a meme
Yeah "Ladies"...Men don't act like nuts, Karens can be a "fem" males too. Pajama pants boys are Karens. I have had to ask a Karen to live my home, after she went nuts because one of my guests said she supported the President. No one wants Karens around...they will be lonely old ladies.
Of course a man wrote this s**t . Of course it is a slur as it has been used out of context and used as an alternative for “b***h “. Also few people call men Karen nor is there a male alternative. It is to the point where if a white woman has an opinion a white man will call her Karen. Nobody ever uses the male alternative . Women are also a marginalized group . I got called Karen for walking across the street during a walk light and making a stop motion to a man that nearly hit me with his car . So , now men have made it a sexist slur . Anything specific for women is made a slur.
"If you're comparing the badness of two words and you can't even say one of them, that's the worse word." - John Mulaney
It's pretty simple. Using a word to generalise anyone based of race age sex etc is lazy. It causes people, especially young people, to attach labels to certain types of people based on appearance. And this is how racist sexist and ageist attitudes are born. As a society, we need to ask ourselves if it's time to stop using labels and names for everyone, or if we think it's ok to use it on some.
It’s hate speech, it’s a slur and since it’s usually directed at white women it’s a racial slur. I’ve been called Karen 100 times for merely mentioning its a slur, that makes people gleefully want to throw it at me vindictively and as an insult. The way the name is thrown around and why tells you all you need to know about it’s intent. It’s intent is to harm and disparage a certain race of women. I’m not comparing it to other racial slurs, I’m just saying it is one. The fact that some of the pics above show black women almost gleefully saying ‘too bad, it doesn’t compare to what we’ve been called’ shows the true vindictive nature of what ‘Karen’ means. It is not even close to Becky which I’ve rarely heard anywhere except in Beyoncé’s song. ‘Karen’ however has become a weapon and it’s become very abusive and is everywhere and directed for many reasons but only at white women. It needs to stop
I love the term "Karen." I think it is the perfect name for the millions of entitled, obnoxious, white women who , for decades, have been weaponized and indulged by the feminist hate movement. "Karen's" have been allowed to act like reprehensible bitches without any consequences for their hate and elitism for far too long. Julie Bindel needs to look no further than her bathroom mirror,
As long as we can call white dudes- sons of Karens. It is all fine.
Karen is lately being used to shut up any woman who express an opinion in social media. The woman two published the Tweet wanted a debate, yet most of the replies were simple attacks and name callings, not a debate. It was born as a funny meme but it evolved into what we are so used to: yet another word to shup up women and erase their voice and point of view. It seems now that the "me too" movement is so 2018 that it went out of fashion so women should be finally silenced again (how hysterical they are, they got their 15 mins now they should go back to their corner). As always, women will be critisized for speaking up and many men will write articles explaining (mansplanning) that only white middle age women are annoying. I've worked in customer service and I've had many other annoying male customers yet no one seems to remember those or to call them by names. The term Karen will be remembered as sexist by history. Is it a slur? Who knows, but it is used now to silence women.
I only saw a few arguments on how its a slur and a lot on how its not. Others may disagree but i think being called a Karen has a lot to do with being disrespectful and entitled. I think if you don't want to be called a Karen, don't act like one. If you disagree please comment, I would like to hear don't just start heavily downvoting any other opinions. Thanks stay safe
I agree. You should only be called a Karen if you act like one.
Load More Replies... "Karen" refers to a personality type, and I don't think it's got a whole lot to do with color. ANY woman of any race can be a Karen - it's about BEHAVIOR, not gender. ...//... Men can be Karens to, you know. I've seen a couple in action and yep, those guys are total Karens.
The correct term for a male Karen, I believe, is “Kyle”. Chad also is used.
Load More Replies... Speaking as a black woman, I don't see how anyone can say that being called a Karen is similar to the N-word. Being called out for being disrespectful to people in the service industry is what being called a Karen is about. If you don't want to be called a Karen don't act like one. These so called Karens have more privilege than the people they say are insulting them.
I really agree with you. I am not african-american so I cannot say that I have been called any words like that. But I am Jewish and I have been called some nasty words and told to do some bad stuff (Someone told me to take a hot shower, a hot shower is a gas chamber) And to think that people are getting mad because they are privileged, entitled people makes me mad.
Load More Replies... It was stated there’s no male equiv. to a Karen. I disagree, Karen, his name is Chad.
Here's proof that people can get butt hurt over ANYTHING. This b***h is a snowflake and I wish she and her fellow "everything is offensive" snowflakes would just melt. It's a joke, not a d**k. Don't take it so hard.
People these days have faaaaar too much free time. Instead of being creative and start a hobby or watch TV they come up with these idiotic complaints.
Load More Replies... I find all this rather amusing, as my wife's name is actually "Karen". And she's nothing like the Karen described by all these articles. I've known many "Karen"s over the years, of which none of them were actually named Karen. So, I don't get how this whole acting like a Karen even came along. But I find it amusing every time I see another article, comment or meme and show my wife, Karen. We get a good laugh out of it.
Do these women understand how much they denigrate the average woman? The woman who actually does things and doesn't just sit around and think up things to be outraged about?
No they don't understand the average woman and probably never will.
Load More Replies... I think it's not a slur, because those are meant to degrade others solely for their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, expression, etc, even if they did absolutely nothing wrong. Whereas "Karen" is used to call someone out for being entitled.
It's starting to be used about any middle-aged woman who asserts herself or complains, though. So why is that okay?
Load More Replies... Wow, people really are reading too much into a childish taunt from social media memes.
Ikr they were referring to it as a tool for systemically oppressed people and I was like no its a meme
Load More Replies... As with most things, "Karen" started out as a way to describe a particular type of woman - the one that calls the police on people being people, the one that tells others to move just because she is annoyed. It was a humorous way to categorize the entitled, middle-aged, white woman that asserts her "authority" over others. Karen has now evolved into an insult for any woman that dares question anyone or anything. If you ask if the store has any bags because those aren't any at your checkout lane, you are called Karen. If you ask to be seated at a table rather than a booth, you are called Karen. I truly believe that calling women Karen is another way to hold them down.
Pressing X to doubt. If people ask for something in a normal friendly way they will not be called Karen's they will be assisted or at least informed why they cant have something in a normal way.. It's all in the attitude taken when demanding (traditional Karens never actually ask) something. A little politenes never hurts and makes people more inclined to help you out right?
Load More Replies... I've never heard of this before, but it doesn't sound insulting to me. Why had this name been chosen, is there a Karen Kardashian that i don't know about.
Wow, people are really reading far too much into a childish taunt from social media memes.
I usually respond w light-hearted comments, but this cooks my goose. Do any of these people even seen that they are racist hypocrites? Stop bringing skin colour into innate things like this. SMH.
Skin colour? This idiot brought ageism, misogyny and classism into this too. She is the worst type of public figure you can have in the western world. People like her do more harm than anyone because they advocate for ruining lives over nothing. At least greedy corporations make money for their shareholders (including public sector pensions etc). Bitches like this contribute nothing, yet seek to actively hurt people. They are the only people who go out of their way to hurt people.
Load More Replies... This is one of the dumbest arguments I have ever heard words like boomer and karen aren't slurs slurs are words like the n-word and the f-slur (both apply to me) are because of REAL history like being murdered discriminated burned and verbally abused to name a few. slurs ARE NOT when your little baby feelings are hurt by a little nickname given to you by your entitlement and rudeness >:( this article hit close to home because as a person who has REALLY been slurred before I am insulted by these white people calling us slurrs and saying we are snowflakes and then doing this mess honestly I am hurt
In real history women have also been murdered, raped, tortured, kidnapped, and treated as second class citizens. It still happens all over the world. A woman who has white skin who's been raped and harassed by men is still "privileged." A millionaire's daughter who is black is somehow Deeply Oppressed. It doesn't really make a lot of sense. We need to accept that all prejudice is bad prejudice and stop making it a competition.
Load More Replies... Karen isn't racist. Karen is just a whiner like all you victims. Choose to not be offended. Your life will improve dramatically.
I don't think you have to choose to not be offended. It should be the natural state. I think you choose to BE offended.
Load More Replies... I don't like how often people of any race are lumped together. Everyone is pointing to others as the source of racism and classism. (And ageism) I don't care who's "more ism"- any amount of any of those things is wrong. And you can't cherry pick which ism's are ok and which are not. You are for ism's, or you are against ism's.
For the record, women like Julie are why I stopped proudly claiming I was a feminst. Yes I believe in women's rights. No, I don't believe in being whiney and looking for ways to pretend to be oppresed. Stop it. We really need to take back the moment from these whineholes.
Very, VERY few people aren't all for equal rights. Women are more highly educated than men, they get treated better in divorce cases, chivalry still exists for their benefit, and it's illegal to pay them less or discriminate against them in every way. The feminists won, but the new ones can't accept that. Being hot is more of an advantage than being a man, so is being friendly and confident. Being fat or ugly will hold people down far worse than being a woman will. There are all sorts of privileges. Men have some, women have some, pretty people have some, very smart people have some. It's all equal in that sense.
Load More Replies... I don't think it is about colour. A 'Karen' is a 'Karen'. We call guys a 'Henk' if they act like one (Hank in English I gues). So it is about behaviour, not where you come from. Just like "How do you still not get this?! Henk." "Henk, mute dude, we can hear your kids screaming in this meeting"
We locally have the Eddie. This describes a rather dull bully who just lives to make everybody's life harder mostly out of sheer spite.
Load More Replies... Well we call the boy equivalent 'Kyles', so... it's not just women. It's the attitude that makes Karens/Kyles.
Although I find all if this ridiculous; but if you're going to sport that haircut & dye job you're just asking for it!
Being a “Karen“ is not Ethnicity/ gender / species specific , heck I call my dog a “Karen”
Getting second-hand-offended is such a Karen thing to do 🙄. Bonus points for: 1) Saying that white men have made it misogynistic. 2) Claiming that it is classism because Karen is a "classically working-class" name. 3) Making it about race, by blaming white men again "It is often used by white men, including towards women of colour". If you can't say it to everyone, THEN it would racist. Do these same white men also use the Karen joke about white women? Yes? Then it wasn't racist. This woman is just trying to stir sh*t up. We cannot progress as a society if we are all getting offended about everything. This woman was getting offended about something that didn't even apply to her... Until NOW. She's a Karen now. But, a big shout out to Karen Pollock; that response was very funny!
Very interesting. Being a middle aged Caucasian woman myself, I have used the term “Karen”, but never to describe a woman who yields any power or wealth or brains at all. I have used it to describe exactly the OPPOSITE of that. One who’s brain cells are clearly stunted, has no common sense and has an overblown misconception about her own importance. Never one who is entitled, but yes, disrespectful and insulting.
I'm a Karin so I guess none of those characteristics can be affixed to me. Really though, if any woman, specifically black women, want to use Karen derogatorily or derisively, it's not going to my world apart. Black folks have been oppressed, ridiculed, beaten, segregated and a host of other heinous acts by the causation ethnicity, I'm embarrassed by how egregious our history is. So, if you want to call Karen a Karen, go right ahead. We have it coming.
Karin, thank you for being so understanding and not jumping on this bandwagon of getting offended over a joke.
Load More Replies... It’s like calling someone a “boomer”, it’s not a predetermined title, it’s a state of mind.
Oh and she definitely has NO IDEA as to what it means to be called “Becky”! That is very clear from her tweet. It has nothing to do with being anti-Semitic. I don’t know where she is getting these definitions from or if she is just making them up herself, but she definitely needs to do more research.
"Becky" and "Beckie" was definitely used in an anti-Semitic way when my son was in his mid-teens ~45 years ago. A group of the youngsters used to meet up at the local bus station to go to their club each week, and one of my non-Jewish neighbours said sneeringly "I see your son and his friends are meeting up with their Beckies again - do they take it i turns to you-know-what to each of them?"
Honestly, everybody just needs to drink some tea and chillax... I'm not offending anybody and not saying slurs should be tolerated but people are getting riled up over a slang word WE NEED THE TEA! ☕
I guess what this REALLY boils down to is: if you KNOW that a word is a slur, should you still be using it? My opinion is simply that if *any*one has created any term to belittle another person based on sex, race or class, it shouldn't be used. There's no justification for ANY racism in this day and age. End of story.
This women is literally the worst. She somehow packed racism, misogyny, classism and ageism into people noticing that a certain haircut was usually had by women who wanted to speak to the manager. They are usually aggressive and the meme is funny. This woman is NOT a journalist. She's an editorial peddler of woke-ism.
"Karen" is well-to-do, self-centered, and oblivious to the feelings of those around her. The young women in the 1963 photo would like to be Karen, but they will never be anything other than Betty Jo, Francine, or Mary Lou.
I don't get it do maybe im out of touch. Karen, to me, is just a term I've seen used when being sarcastic. However that pic with the white student...i see those and i always wonder if they ever changed or ever saw their behavior as disgusting and ugly as it looked and was. Totally off subject, i know.
Another fine example of Karen ruining something funny by over analyzing it and making it into something it's not. Thanks Karen.
Yes Mr. Waterford. May be be truly worthy Mr. Waterford.
Load More Replies... The only problem with this is now the name Karen has been stigmatized to mean something negative. My best friend's name is actually Karen. She's been extremely upset by all of this because she is a loving open hearted person that now get's treated like she's a white entitled snob simply because of her name. Just like girls named Isis were getting teased and bullied in school because they just happened to have a name that was the acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. No one should be calling anyone else a slang term that's hurtful. That goes for any use of the "N" word by anyone and any of the slang names that can be confused with someone's given birth name. Get off of it people!
We are all Karens. It starts with just the white women and the water is merely warm. Eventually it will start to boil and before women know it we will all be effectively shut up.
Load More Replies... OMFG, the lady is not only a "Karen" but also a "snowflake" even tho by the Internet laws she is too old :P
Ok Serena. Pointing at Julie: "hahahahaha. Karen karen karen"
Load More Replies... What's the name equivalent to a Karen? How do we call it if men act disrespectful and patronizing towards people (who are predominantly women) of the service industry? Fact is, Karen is gendered, and unless we have an equivalent derogatory male word, we have yet another derogatory term for women, and for women only. It highlights negative behaviour of women while ignoring equivalent behaviour of men. If you think this is trivial, think of the many, many stories here at Bored Panda highlighting 'entitled' behaviour of women. We never hear about men, and it is ridiculous to assume that this kind of behaviour is gender specific (look at orange president...). By coining the term and elaborating the narrative, women are being called out for their behaviour, while men's 'entitled' misbehaviour is readily accepted. If this isn't misogynist and sexist, I don't know what is.
I have heard them referred to as "Chads" or "Todds"....
Load More Replies... There has already been evidence posted that this nonsense was created by a neo-nazi trolling group, it takes less than a minute to verify this in a Google search. https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccabellan/2020/04/06/yes-the-karen-twitter-poll-is-a-parody-so-chill-out-twitter/
Maybe apply the normal punching down rule here. If you have more privilege and you're a dude using Karen to mock real concerns of women in general, stop, people hear what you're actually saying and putting it in a trendy form isn't going to veil your intent. If you are living a life where you're stuck with the negative outcomes of a horde of Karens Karening in your face, by all means call it out.
A Karen is a middle aged white woman who is mean to people in the service industry... it can be used to just refer to any white middle aged woman who doesn't let some lazy employee get away with something because they don't feel like doing their job... But if you are a Karen, you are the person in control of the situation... so maybe a put down or sexist, but when you are the one with the power, do you get to complain?
Most examples I heard of are wmaw bullying others to get their way often threatening people wit loss of a job if they dont get their way. So not in control just acting like the worst dregs of humanity essentially.
Load More Replies... Karen is an insult to personality, it being mostly middle class white women is the fault of white women. Read the EntitledParents subreddit and you'll understand why Karen is a name traditionally given to white women.
Nothing more funny than a naggle of Karen's, of all racial backgrounds, discussing how they aren't a Karen, only that Karen over there is a Karen.
The Karen meme needs to die. It IS implicitly ageist and racist, but I would certainly no say it equates to the "word" for obvious reasons. However, I think it is overused and used to make sweeping generalizations. Also some of the tweets referenced strike me as incredibly hypocritical. The general idea is "They were/are discriminatory towards us so now we are discriminatory towards them".
I thought the Karen thing was about women who wanted to return something at the store, or something like that, but it was against corporate policy, which was out of line with whatever Karen was trying to accomplish in the store. I thought the Karen thing was more about the subjugation, that corporate policy inflicts on the subservient consumer class, workers and patrons included?
It's about someone who feels like they are entitled to the best treatment but they are rude and obnoxious.
Load More Replies... Black racist code words will evolve faster than anyone can track. So let's drop the entire issue, which is basically supported by photos that are approaching 60 years, and absolutely do not reflect current society. Unless, of course, one WANTS to promote racism.
I am 34 years old and I have been judged because of my race, so no the problem is not 60 years old. It's ongoing. Unless you can say that you were followed around a store just to make sure you didn't steal anything keep your opinions on racist code words to yourself.
Load More Replies... I agree. We should switch to Martha. Any other earth shaking problems that need solved?
TOTALLY agree! Karen has been over played. I propose we move on to Carol.
As far as the equivalent name for men, I've heard Chad before. One of the things at least with the guys I grew up with, as soon as someone acted the twat, their name became the insult. Don't be such a John(name picked at random). Or we would just call said d**k a...d**k, or assface, or shiteater, or whatever insult we could think of. Usually we would all end up laughing. I guess my point is many men tend to be pretty crude so a "name" might not carry the same sting. My two cents.
I thought I understood the Karen phenomena until now. I saw the classist aspect, the sense of entitlement. But I don't understand how it's inherently racist. I'm sure many others who don't identify as white AS WELL AS people who are white have had to deal with a Karen being a Karen. Also, the best one was: "Only a Karen can call another Karen Karen." XD ALSO, it's definitely a slur. (make damaging or insulting insinuations or allegations about.) -via the bing search bar. Misogynistic slur? I have called many a man Karen, okay?
It is about elitism. I have no idea why this woman is bringing race into it and comparing it to the N-word.
Load More Replies... Karen is a female Chad. So no, it isn't specifically woman hating. It is calling out the actions of specific women.
Karen: Homophobic, tell you you're going to hell, racist, ageist, etc.. basic scum of earth. Karen (Not the same as above): Has a good marriage. Her kids visit her regularly. She helps out wherever she can. Helps others when they need it. A good person. Now replace them with any other stereotypical names. (Becky, Stacy, etc...) They're not the same person. It's not a slur-it's just a description of someone. Yet there's GOOD PEOPLE out their with those names. Don't classify people just because they have a name like that. It's not their fault that they got named that way. It's okay to make light-hearted jokes about it, but it's not okay to immediately label people with that name as human scum.
If it refers to just women and not men, then it's a sexist term. I know that in the hierarchy of prejudice we have decided sexism is always less bad than racism, but the gleeful tossing around of this term comes off as a bit hypocritical.
Karen is being used to shut up any woman who express an opinion in social media. It was born as a funny meme but it evolved into what we are so used to: another word to shup up women and erase their voice and point of view. The moment that articles are written about "Kyle" and Karen is not trend on Twitter I will believe it is not sexist. Whoever doesn't see this needs to think if they have an unconscious bias against women. It seems now that the "me too" movement is so 2018 that it went outdated so women should be finally silenced again (how hysterical they are, all Karens). As always, women will be critisized for speaking up and many men will write articles explaining (mansplanning) that only white middle age women are annoying. I've worked in customer service and I've had many other annoying male customers yet no one seems to remember those or to call them by names. The term Karen will be remembered as sexist by history. Is it a slur? Who knows, but language is a powerful weapon.
I don't think "Karen" is anything even close to the "n" word. However I also think that it is negative stereotyping, which reeks of prejudice. The implication that women who fit a certain demographic (and hairstyle!) are racist as a group is nonsense. It would perhaps be nice if racism could be so neatly contained, as it might be easier to eradicate it in that case. However, the sad fact is that anyone can be a racist. We have a perfectly apt word to describe racist behavior: "racist." There's no need to give it a woman's name. The world would be a healthier place if we could beat down negative stereotyping instead of creating new ways to indulge in it. Negative stereotypes don't solve problems -- they create more distance between people.
Karen isn’t racist, sexist, ageist, classist, or anything else. It’s just an insult to describe a person (ANY person) who is the type of person to give retail workers a hard time and asks for a manager. That’s it. It’s just an insult and doesn’t have to be more than that.
When why are only women called it? White men are not calling any women who dares challenge their opinion . “Karen “.
Load More Replies... Also, Karen wasn’t created by black women to describe racist white women. Good god man.
So like 90% of this article is just twitter posts from other people. It made this article very hard to read. Oh, and Karen isn’t sexist, racist, ageist, classist, or anything. It’s just an insult. It doesn’t have to be more than that.
Yes Mr. Waterford. Thank you for explaining that Mr. Waterford.
Load More Replies... For every Karen, there's a Kevin. We have to talk about Kevin. Boring. Middle aged. Know it all. Stuck in their ways. Been there/done that, but hasn't. Bangs on and moans about the same old thing. Brags. Never lets you get a word in. Prattles on while you feign interest and back away. Micro-manages everything. Armchair expert. Tight/stingy. Opinonated. Parks car across two bays. Leaves their dogsh*t on the pavement. Smug. Why should I attitude. Ok Kevin. Calm down, Kevin. Poor Kevin. How exciting, Kevin. Tell me more, Kevin. Sorry to hear that, Kevin. Good for you, Kevin. Nevermind, Kevin. I never knew that, Kevin. Adios, Kevin. Best of all.... don't be a Kevin.
Us younger generation just use it as a joke to describe a White Middle Aged soccer mum who throws her coffee at the barista when she isn’t satisfied.
Yes Mr. Waterford. Thank you for explaining it to me Mr. Waterford.
Load More Replies... The author is.. interesting. WHITE MAN EVIL, WHITE MAN EVIL, RACIST, SEXIST, AGEIST, ANTI-SEMITC! Like, calm down, Jesus. And the included comments are bad too, because they are racist as all get out.
A bunch of Karen's calling other Karen's. "Karen."
Load More Replies... So this is the female, english version of the male Kevin- Version in germany. In germany anyone knew what a Kevin is. XD (Its a very stupid guy, too dumb to breathe, for example or someone who doesnt get the easiest things right .) .... There are articles about Kevin... "Its not a name its a diagnose" Or "those names damage your kids..."
I thought Karen was a term made up by a bunch of memers to laugh at/ call out obnoxious American women. (Mainly white but I've never seen it used for black women) At the worst, it's just an insult. But it's not a racist or sexist slur.
"Karen" isn't a "tool to help the historically oppressed" and its not a slur its literally a meme
Yeah "Ladies"...Men don't act like nuts, Karens can be a "fem" males too. Pajama pants boys are Karens. I have had to ask a Karen to live my home, after she went nuts because one of my guests said she supported the President. No one wants Karens around...they will be lonely old ladies.
Of course a man wrote this s**t . Of course it is a slur as it has been used out of context and used as an alternative for “b***h “. Also few people call men Karen nor is there a male alternative. It is to the point where if a white woman has an opinion a white man will call her Karen. Nobody ever uses the male alternative . Women are also a marginalized group . I got called Karen for walking across the street during a walk light and making a stop motion to a man that nearly hit me with his car . So , now men have made it a sexist slur . Anything specific for women is made a slur.
"If you're comparing the badness of two words and you can't even say one of them, that's the worse word." - John Mulaney
It's pretty simple. Using a word to generalise anyone based of race age sex etc is lazy. It causes people, especially young people, to attach labels to certain types of people based on appearance. And this is how racist sexist and ageist attitudes are born. As a society, we need to ask ourselves if it's time to stop using labels and names for everyone, or if we think it's ok to use it on some.
It’s hate speech, it’s a slur and since it’s usually directed at white women it’s a racial slur. I’ve been called Karen 100 times for merely mentioning its a slur, that makes people gleefully want to throw it at me vindictively and as an insult. The way the name is thrown around and why tells you all you need to know about it’s intent. It’s intent is to harm and disparage a certain race of women. I’m not comparing it to other racial slurs, I’m just saying it is one. The fact that some of the pics above show black women almost gleefully saying ‘too bad, it doesn’t compare to what we’ve been called’ shows the true vindictive nature of what ‘Karen’ means. It is not even close to Becky which I’ve rarely heard anywhere except in Beyoncé’s song. ‘Karen’ however has become a weapon and it’s become very abusive and is everywhere and directed for many reasons but only at white women. It needs to stop
I love the term "Karen." I think it is the perfect name for the millions of entitled, obnoxious, white women who , for decades, have been weaponized and indulged by the feminist hate movement. "Karen's" have been allowed to act like reprehensible bitches without any consequences for their hate and elitism for far too long. Julie Bindel needs to look no further than her bathroom mirror,
As long as we can call white dudes- sons of Karens. It is all fine.
Karen is lately being used to shut up any woman who express an opinion in social media. The woman two published the Tweet wanted a debate, yet most of the replies were simple attacks and name callings, not a debate. It was born as a funny meme but it evolved into what we are so used to: yet another word to shup up women and erase their voice and point of view. It seems now that the "me too" movement is so 2018 that it went out of fashion so women should be finally silenced again (how hysterical they are, they got their 15 mins now they should go back to their corner). As always, women will be critisized for speaking up and many men will write articles explaining (mansplanning) that only white middle age women are annoying. I've worked in customer service and I've had many other annoying male customers yet no one seems to remember those or to call them by names. The term Karen will be remembered as sexist by history. Is it a slur? Who knows, but it is used now to silence women.
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