"How the 'Karen Meme' Confronts the Violent History of White Womanhood"

I see the rest of this thread turns into what is in essence assuming that USA cultural references etc apply here too.

Becky and beck have been used here well before the 90s and it's related to Jewish people (male and female).

Sir mixalot (?) Something on friends about that but I wasn't a big fan of friends and I've not heard the song

I don't know what the shaniqua phase and memes are

TBF age could be a factor here as well

Yes white women can be and are racist, best racist. Plenty of women involved in NF, BNP and etc

White men are pretty bad though let's face it. They get less flack. Always the same.

I personally have no issue in recognising the way different axes of oppression add up. Intersectionality in the original sense.

I also don't like the oppression Olympics 'is a rich white women less oppressed than a poor white man' etc it gets us nowhere.

I still haven't read the whole article.

SamsMumsCataracts
Yes, I've also considered changing mine. I can't say anything without some smart arse shutting me down with "OK, Karen..."
Sick of being ridiculed, it is bullying.

Reading Right Wing Women by Dworkin gave me a better understanding of the women who made these choices.
I can't deny the terror I see in their eyes when confronted by those they were trained to believe are a deadly danger to them and must be silenced in whatever way possible. The fact that they cling to the belief, all evidence to the contrary. That is the point where they choose to do evil.

Of course it may have referenced Jewish people in USA as well, that I don't know.

Just running through.

Becky or beck was referring to a certain type of Jewish person where I grew up.

This stuff doesn't translate from usa to UK. Time and time again it happens.

We are not the same country and we don't have the same history +++ so many other differences.

I'll read on now.

Just started reading and the first incident it seems that the woman and her partner (male/ female?) were awful but the focus is all on her.

Because of this I would put money in the partner being male.

I'm sorry, that sounds really unpleasant. You're right about the bullying, that's exactly what it is.

It's not much fun being an actual Karen right now. I've been shouted down because of my name so many times recently. I'm actually considering changing it by deed poll, which makes me want to cry. It's taken me right back to the school bullying I went through and has made me realise that bullying is becoming an accepted behaviour by and increasing portion of the population.

And yes 'now it's your turn' is a laughable defence. I've seen it used elsewhere too. I read an article saying that straight people shouldn't be allowed to have a civil partnership, because it's their turn to be denied something.

Mental.

Spreading the racial stereotyping and prejudice around more evenly isnt progress, though, and memes being treated like serious political theory is just crazy.

The shaniqua gotcha doesn't work because most of us have never seen or heard it.

I certainly haven't.

Im really interested if everyone here as offended by the shaniqua phrase and memes? Or are we only not cool about women being taken the piss out of if they’re white names?

If 'Karen' was mostly aimed at Black women I doubt Mumsnet would be half up in arms about it.

Agree.

This whole “Karen” thing reminds me of Jelly.

In the States, Jelly is a type of jam whereas if you told a Brit that, they would think they were talking about gelatine or what Americans call Jello.

Karen in the US is used to describe a white woman who harassed or becomes unnecessarily aggressive towards minorities and threatens them with police or calls the police on them for doing everyday things that they believe them doing is suspicious. The US has a long history of white women who have used their status to hurt or even kill minorities, especially black people.

In the U.K., there isn’t the same history nor do you have countless examples showing up on a weekly basis of such women calling and harassing minorities. The U.K. does not have the blatant racism that is shown in the States so Karen has instead been used as something else here and that is to seemingly silence women, specifically white women.

If Karen was aimed only at racist women, I doubt Mumsnet would be half up in arms about it.

There. Corrected it for you.

Round and round it goes.

But racism.

But misogyny.

But racism.

But misogyny.

I'd rather fight outwards against both than inwards against each other. As a white person living in a very white part of the UK I'm limited in how I can actively fight racism though. And I don't think American links, memes, books etc necessarily help.

women of all races are targeted by the ‘Karen’ meme

If 'Karen' was mostly aimed at Black women I doubt Mumsnet would be half up in arms about it.

I think the issue some white feminists have is that they are privileged in every sense except their sex, and as such struggle to see past or relate to anything other than Misogyny as being the sole cause of oppression.

I mean even when the topic of racial oppression is discussed, it always manages to find its way back round too ‘poor women’. It’s sad. But unsurprising.

Defences are already up on this thread though, so not the time or place to discuss.

This is the usual tedious misogynist fiddling while Rome burns.

White male officers are standing on the necks of black men, so who shall we blame?

Women.

Slow hand clap.

*Now it's your turn. Big deal’.

You assume that ‘Karen’ is only a term of abuse for white women’.

The Karen thing isn't a big deal, you are hardly being "oppressed" Jeez.

All women, regardless of race are oppressed because when they voice an opinion they are ‘shrill’ or ‘too loud’ or ‘nagging’ and women of all races are targeted by the ‘Karen’ meme.

The Karen meme as defined by urban dictionary is just an excuse for abusive men to attack their partners - see ‘Karen took the kids’.

George Floyd was murdered by a male but no one cares that white men are going around killing black men and women (and other white people too) because the truth is, black men benefit from the patriarchy but refuse to admit it.

What utter tosh. The killing of George Floyd was the last straw after Ahmad Aubree was killed by white men while jogging months before the public was told because their lawyer was trying to clear their name and it backfired and the case of Breona Taylor, an EMT who was shot in her own home after plain clothes police stormed her home looking for someone who they had already caught the day before and the white police officer who signed the no-knock warrant lied to cover himself. It took protests to even have those police officers arrested and for action against the men who stalked and killed Aubree, and the ones for Breona Taylor have yet to be arrested.

Please also tell me how black men benefit from the patriarchy, especially in the US. They are imprisoned at a higher rate than white men for the same offences, receive harsher sentences than white men, and more force is used against them disproportionately compared to white men. This makes it more difficult for those men to vote in several states (if they can) and get a job which often causes them to repeat-offend. Even Dylan Roof after killing a church full of black people who he admitted were kind to him before he killed them was treated a hell of a lot better than George Floyd who died over an alleged counterfeit bill.

Karen is not the only word that has ever been used to abuse women. It's just one of the words that people use when they would like to say "cunt", "whore" or "bitch" but think that might make their misogyny just a little bit too obvious. See TERF.

The Karen thing isn't a big deal, you are hardly being "oppressed" Jeez. Suck it up like everyone else has to. It's not even aimed at all white women anyway, only a certain type. Other races/minority groups have had (much worse) names lobbed at them (usually at the entire race) for eternity. Now it's your turn. Big deal.

It is not divide and conquer and that crap about ‘the sisterhood’ and needing to join together is bullshit too.

I really dislike any implication that it is more important to show loyalty to your ‘siblings’ than stand up for your rights.

I’m sure you weren’t trying to imply that white women being racist does not happen in the UK but that is how it came across.

No I was genuinely interested. The bird watcher/dog incident seemed to have lots of coverage, but I have not seen coverage of this incident at all. It doesn’t seem to be on Guardian or BBC websites.

The woman in the video uses racist language, is generally abusive, refuses to leave his home and was arrested. Good. He should be able to ask somebody not to feed his cats without facing racist abuse.

It’s very obvious that racism exists in the U.K. and of course women are as capable of racism as men.

‘Karen’ is still generally used to attack women disagreeing with white men.