Karen

[strawberrydaquiari]

The use of Karen as an insult isn't going away is it?
I'm fed up. I feel silenced. I can't stand up to the insult without being accused of acting "like one" and being shut down.
It's everywhere and I hate it.

[quote emuloc]@Why2Why, Yes she did admit to lying years later. Even then she did not seem too bothered or remorseful that her disgusting actions led to such violence on a poor black boy. I cried when I first came found out about it years ago. I could not believe that people could be so cruel to a child. I see the outrage and frothing on here regarding the use of the name Karen. How many people on here are okay with the term "Woke" being highjacked and turned into an insult though, eh.[/quote]
The word woke isn’t a woman’s name though is it? That’s the whole point.

[quote Squills]@emuloc

If the connection is so blindingly obvious to you why don’t you share it?[/quote]
Why don't you read the replies from myself and Why2Why who has already explained it?

Woke isn't a woman's name but it certainly is a term that was hijacked from a black community and turned into a pejorative term for anyone who dares to have a perspective social justice. It gets bandied about on here far more than Karen does.

I can honestly say that I don't remember the last time I ever heard it bring used. It might depend where in the country you are.

@Squills, Fair enough, I know it is not a women's name. I was just saying that people are quite happy to use it as an insult.

@WeDontTalkAboutBrunoNoNoNo

Woke isn't a woman's name but it certainly is a term that was hijacked from a black community and turned into a pejorative term for anyone who dares to have a perspective social justice. It gets bandied about on here far more than Karen does.

This.

You really don’t have an answer do you?

To go back 66 years in an to attempt to defend your being offensive to women today is illogical.

@Squills

You really don’t have an answer do you?

To go back 66 years in an to attempt to defend your being offensive to women today is illogical.

How was I offensive to women?

@Bigfathairyones

Not wanting to set the cat among the pigeons here but if you've looked an any of the 'classic Karen' clips being shown on social media, does anyone think that their behaviour is just 'standing up for themselves'? Every 'Karen' example I've seen is of a woman whose behaviour is well into the unreasonable bracket. I would be happy to have a 'Keith' category for unreasonable behaviour from men, but I don't think we should be accepting the behaviour, even if the term offends.

I take it your name is not Karen??

Nothing I say is taken seriously, I am now just 'a Karen'

I no longer have a voice.

Car parked on a footpath, struggle to get around with my mother wheelchair - typical Karen moaning about nothing

Nut allergy child given food with nuts- I am just a Karen moaning, sure the child is fine what's the problem

Dog attacked by an off lease dog - shut up Karen, your dog most hate living with you

Cold coffee drink it say nothing, can't face the backlash

@Squills

You really don’t have an answer do you?

To go back 66 years in an to attempt to defend your being offensive to women today is illogical.

And there it is.

Because when you say things like this, you make it very clear that women= white women unless otherwise stated.

Not this pish again. Karen has pretty much died a death hasn't it? I'm a proud Karen and have written many a nuanced rejoinder on here but I'm bored now. If we stop mentioning it I'm pretty sure it'll get forgotten. Like the Fortnite dance, or 'wasssssuuuuup'.

There is something pathetic about clinging to a misogynistic slur and complaining that people don't think you're morally righteous in using it. If you truly can't think of any other words to describe racist behaviour (as if that's what the Karen slur is generally used for, do me a sodding lemon), then take the opportunity to widen your vocabulary. There are much better insults out there that don't rely on misogyny.

This.

Thirded. The end.

@WeDontTalkAboutBrunoNoNoNo

Not all women called Karen are white. You say I made it clear that I was referring to white women… I did nothing of the sort.

It's awful. Women have been silenced forever, and this is just another example. The awful thing is, loads of women use it as well! I have been called a Karen by a man, and also by a teenage girl when I was trying to stand up for myself. I feel really really sorry for all those who are actually called Karen, but the existence of this term as an insult is a problem for all women.

Karen is a horrible misogynistic term used to silence women

Karen colloquially is used about women who complain, women who 'speak to the manager' women who are uppity in some way, it is essentially used to scare young girls into staying silent. I have only ever seen it used in the context of racism to justify the use of karen by explaining it was originally used about racist behaviour. Whether this is how it originated or not, this is no longer how it is used.

I even read a twitter thread the other day where 30% of people legitimately said they wouldn't complain to the manager if they were served a food they were allergic to after telling the waiter they were allergic?! Girls are being scared into compliance

Even the 'karen' videos of women behaving very badly, no context is given. Its normally a video of a woman crying and shouting and a man pretending they've done nothing to invoke this behaviour. Whilst the behaviour is wrong, did they indeed do nothing? Doubt it.

If someone is racist, call them a racist. Do we need a name for female racists? No. We have the word racist.

At least if people started using cunt instead their intentions would be clear.

I got called a 'stupid fucking Karen' on the park last week by a bunch of ten year olds after I asked them to watch their language around the little ones.

I'm a Karen and I'm absolutely fine! When they say Karen they mean Cathy, Sandra, Debbie, Claire and Amanda too. Women over forty. I love my name, it means purity and strength. Not a haircut or meme.

Karen has become a catch all term for older women who dare to express any objection to anything or who stick up for themselves.

Nobody who uses it is righteously "calling out" anything. They're using it as a slur to shut women up, and only women.

@ClinkeyMonkey @DrSbaitso as someone who’s a minority, I’ve actually experienced ‘Karen like behaviour’ MANY times. Especially when working in Retail as management. In my own personal experience (and that of my friends) this term has never been used to stop women ‘who dare to express themselves’ or it being used as a slur to ‘shut women up’ so I genuinely do not know where this dramatic conclusion has come from. Yes, using the name Karen is wrong but everything it stands for is absolutely correct. Let’s remember this is a phrase that came from America. Will some people hear it and use it out of context over here? Absolutely. That doesn’t mean the phrase exists to solely ‘shut women up.’

I do wonder if anyone has actually heard the term used in real life/send the viral videos where these entitled women are referred to as ‘Karens.’ Or do you read something on a forum where someone says ‘I was scared to ask for pain relief in case I was called a Karen’ and just develop your own understanding of the word…

Yes, using the name Karen is wrong but everything it stands for is absolutely correct.

Find another word.

Did I create the meaning? Seems people are more hung up on the fact that a woman’s name is being used instead of the actual behaviour that’s being displayed. Why am I not surprised

Did I create the meaning?

No, a misogynistic incel loser on Reddit did, and now a whole load of people all over the world are defending and perpetuating it while thinking they're being brave and edgy. Don't be one of them. Be a clever person and find a different word.

I’m not interested in using the word at all. Just interested in the behaviour pattern that’s all🤷‍♀️

@babywalker56 'Karen like behaviour'? Of course you're going to defend the use of a term when you toss it about so casually yourself. When some asshole is calling a woman a Karen, I'm pretty sure they aren't delving too deeply into the etymology of the expression. I would suggest, as I did to another poster, that your, um, 'personal experience' and that of your friends does not definitively end the debate in your favour.

@ClinkeyMonkey if the word ‘Karen’ is used to label entitled women who speak to someone a certain way, how do you expect me to say I’ve been on the receiving end if said behaviour. When it’s literally described as being a ‘Karen’….. let’s not be obtuse now. I’ve already said that I don’t agree with a name being used to label said behaviour but at the same time, said behaviour is very relevant and shouldn’t be dismissed. It’d be interesting to know if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of such behaviour or if you’ve actually heard someone get called a Karen in real life? Or do you just read all these stories on the Internet