'The year of Karen' - Guardian article

The Guardian jumped the shark years ago. Telling women what circumstances they can call the police under is a new, woman hating low.

Maybe socialism will work better now that we no longer have freedom of movement? I have been searching for anything at all positive or hopeful about Brexit, is this a potential silver lining? Like some say about Nordic countries can we now expect greater community cohesion and people will be happier to pay higher taxes for better state run public services?

Anyway back to the point, name calling is never a positive or constructive communication tactic.

Should we reclaim the name? As a preemptive strike we could wear t-shirts with Karen written across the front in big letters. Or even “Proud Karen”.

I really think that to use a given name as an insult is low and seriously lacking in the kindness and compassion which are paid lip service to by so many who resort to name calling for lack of anything more coherent to contribute.

Once

This stuff is racist as well as sexist. Apparently it's only white women who have "agency" now? Tell that to my mother in law! Patronising, offensive rubbish.

@DandyMandy these days it's completely acceptable to save all of your hatred for white women post 40. The ageism I see all the time is astounding - on mumsnet and in real life. Some younger men can be respectful but some of that is because of their older woman fantasies. The women their age are openly disgusted by this. How can anyone want an old hag. Then there's men our own age. The media.

Ok if you're a mum doing mum things for people. Otherwise it's a bit like having leprosy 😁. Which of course has faded away!

It's weird too because I remember being in my 20s snd 30s very well and would actually have a lot in common with many of the people saying these things. Just as well there are still nice people like you around. They do exist it's just more acceptable to vent your (probably covid related) spleen onto 'safe' targets.

What a joke. As a young woman in my 20s, I feel disgusted that older women (the people I have always looked up to and aspired to be like) are being treated this way. My generation and the generation after mine are doing so much irreversible damage and because most of them are sheep, I wouldn't be able to say all of this. What actually happened to "respect your elders"? Did that fade away too?

Karen is a word used to tell women to shut up, and pretend you're in the right.

Mostly white women, but make no mistake, the misogynistic men who use it will happily use it to silence any black woman who disagrees with them, too.

Not the forum for this.
As I said before I am not going to derail the thread.
I just brought it up as relevant to the general publication output.

@TheBuffster the answer is that we have so many more people. Huge amounts of immigration plus were already crowded. When many of those people are paying minimal taxes but getting maximum benefits it's not going to end well. The world has changed and socialism doesn't work so well any more. People want their Amazon prime and ubers and cheap primark clothing and to have sky tv, a £1000 iPhone and a Michael kors handbag even if they earn minimum wage. 10 years ago those things didn't exist either.

Luckily I’ve never had to call the police.

But if someone was breaking into my house you betcha I’d call. Are we supposed to scrutinise the burglar and decide whether we are more privileged than he is before picking up the phone?

Hello officer, my wife's been murdered
Officer: when did it happen
Oh about 3pm she noticed a man following her but didn't feel the need to run or call the police as she's not that special
Officer: phew, fair cop. For a moment there I thought we had a real murder there. It's just a Karen though so not a real murder.

One: recognize the privilege and history of being a white woman in this society.

Has she actually read any history? That’ll be a ‘no’.

Two: avoid calling the police on people of color unless someone is in imminent danger of harm.

I will NOT be giving that advice pile of shit to
my DDs. What so the police only arrive once the harm has happened? I have no idea about the individual case she is using to excuse police/male violence and blame women, but women are physically weaker and sadly women have a need and a right to be on guard - irrespective of who the man is - and should act accordingly.

'Karen' just translates to: How dare women exist beyond an age where they are deemed fuckable?

Two: avoid calling the police on people of color unless someone is in imminent danger of harm

Oh, thank goodness The Guardian has put me right! I had no idea I shouldn't whip out my mobile to dial 999 whenever I see someone who isn't white.

I'm comparing education in this country to education 10 years ago. Changes I have seen with my own eyes in my own field. Yes, of course we have publicly funded education, that doesn't mean it's not being underfunded.
I have worked in Malaysia teaching so do know something of these things. Just because there were children there not able to get an education period doesn't mean I accept steamrollering of education here.
Anyway, don't want to hijack the thread as that wasn't my intention. Just merely pointing out that the left is eating itself.

A quite surprising number of Mumsnetters are happy to use Karen as an insult. Very disconcerting.

The only time the use of the word "Karen" raised a smile was when someone described Elon Musk as a "space Karen" on Twitter after he whinged about his coronavirus test results. (Story here: www.standard.co.uk/news/world/elon-musk-space-karen-coronavirus-b71634.html) I still don't approve of the term but it was funny in context.

@TheBuffster I can imagine these are hard times for you at the moment thanks to covid. The conservatives most certainly do not 'hate' teachers or education though. But as a country we spend a lot of money on education and healthcare - more than most. FAR more than most.

Many teachers would love to go and work in places like India helping poor children. Except their economy is almost as big as ours (we have only just overtaken them) so a good look at the world shows very clearly that as a country politically and economically we are extremely left wing and generous. In fact the 'welfare for everyone' is undoing us on the world stage currently.

As another example New Zealand does not have free healthcare. Their education is poor. There are council houses but they are few and far between and NOT for life. Housing is expensive. As is everything else. Taxes are not low. Yet to the left wing it is utopia. With a great PM! But it's not a free lunch and few have more than the basics.

There is no invisible privilege for Karen aged women. It's the smug little shits in their 20s that have the privilege. We have all been there - having middle aged men fawn over us and listen with rapt attention to our drivel because they really really want to shag us.

Don't fucking tell me that women in their 30s and older juggling disrespectful children, bosses and husbands are privileged.

Having said that kicking those further down the chain isn't cool. Instead of allowing yourself to be walked all over and then taking it out on the weaker get strong. Get real power and tell those walking over you to fuck off.

I see it on here a lot. Women with appalling husbands getting arsey on threads. Get pissed off with your shitty husband instead. Don't decide you are going to be 'assertive' when you think it's ok and be a doormat the rest of the time.

Get a decent career and stop putting up with shit at home then maybe you won't want to be a Karen when you are out. Maybe you won't be stressed and sleep deprived if your lazy DH and DC help around the house and treat you with respect.

As a woman in education everyone hates me, right or left.
Yes agree that right wing does not equate with evil, but people naturally fall on one side or another for a lot of things (I cannot forgive the conservatives for what they did to education.)
As naturally somewhat left I find my supposed allies are somewhat ghoulish, but many of my opinions clash with even well meaning people on the right.
I am politically homeless.
But now am complaining so probably will get accused of being a Karen soon.

Not to be hyperbolic, but that article is a fucking disgrace.

FestiveStrop Maybe I've become used to it as a mother of teens?

I’m 21, so probably could be considered the same generation as your teens. Please do not let them dictate what you find or don’t find offensive. They are not the arbiters of wisdom (probably quite the opposite!)

My “friends” seem to use the term to refer to any middle aged woman on a game show with short hair and a thick accent.

Yeah but the guardian hate women who aren't a) poor or b) black. Unless they are doing a 'worthy' job like social worker or nurse. And they especially hate the 'middle classes'. Well the women anyway.

In fact I find that most left wing people (I'm on the middle left on some things more central right on others) hate anyone white with money (hence the raging antisemitism centred around wealthy Jewish people because all Jews are rich surely)?

In fact alongside the hatred of tories I'm finding that the 'kind' party and 'caring' people are neither. You never hear this kind of hatred from the right-ish (as in 99% of conservative voters as the UK right isn't exactly super right).

Intolerance does seem to be the preserve of the left currently, overseen by the good old guardian which is every bit as biased as the daily fail.

Sorry to disappoint but my DC have never called me bitch, Karen or anything similar.

We are close and talk about everything which is why I was drawn to this discussion.

I'll bow out now.

But the fact that it's not Ken tells you what you need to know.