'Karen'

[teaandtoastwithmarmite]

Does anyone else despise this term? I see it on Facebook posts (public ones not friends). Also a boy in my DD's class called my DD one after she asked him to be quiet in class. I did say she shouldn't taken it upon herself to tell him off but where has he got that term from? It annoys me.

@badbaduncle
I remember seeing something similar last year where they were reporting about central park karen or other stories which made big news and you would insert your own name and read it about badbaduncle and it was really disturbing seeing your own name all the way through. It has to have had an effect on real life Karen's across the globe. One thing for sure is that they are never allowed to genuinely complain about anything for the rest of their lives. How crazy is that 😳.

Every now and then I do come across women that fit the bill 🤷🏽‍♀️

God I hate it so much... reminds me of the 'dumb blonde' stereotype and is used to keep women in their place. Absolutely misogynistic.

Wholeheartedly agree
its a lazy trope to control and silence women

I hate it. Misogyny.

I'm sorry you felt you had to change your name. My Mum (rip) called me Karen and loved the name. I'm not changing it for anyone. I don't give a shit and just roll my eyes when I hear the term. It's a lazy shortcut and says more about the person using it than me.

I’ve known it to be be used as it was originally intended

fair enough

never been called Karen myself not sure I would get particularly upset if I was called a Karen becuae I was making a complaint it’s hardly impacting my life

My name is Karen and it absolutely infuriates me to hear my name used as an insult 😡

I hate it. I agree that it is misogynistic and sexist. I hate people's names being used as insults too.

Cant get worked up about this tbh

I see that one or two posters are pulling the "too easily offended" card. It's a disgusting term imo and certainly has no place on a site like this - or in the classroom as mentioned above.

Seems like you can't say anything these days without offending someone🙄. Its like people don't have any "real things" to get upset over tbh.

Then fast forward thirty years and ask yourself how you'd feel if the name you'd chosen for your daughter became an ageist and misogynistic insult. With lots of other women doing a faux "I've never heard of it being used like this" or "does it matter"
It matters because it is, as others have said, yet another tool by which women are told to keep quiet.

Oh here we go... 🙄

Yep, plenty of them about

And plenty of apologists for ageism and misogyny, seemingly.

Yes here we go. That is exactly the type of comment people post on the BMN board all the time. Telling posters on the board that they are too easily offended, that they should focus on "things that matter". Just thought I'd try seeing how it works the other way around. As expected really.🙃

To me thats far lower down the list of priorities than racism.

@Lndnmummy
Given your numerous other threads in which you give details of things said to you and your family that you find offensive (and fwiw, I agree with you 100%) perhaps walking in the shoes of "Karen" may be a useful exercise in empathy and education.

I'm ok thanks. My children teach me about empathy and education every single day.

The original meaning referred to white women who weaponise racism.

AND IT STILL MEANS THIS!

All these, ‘it’s used to silence women’ remarks are absolute bullshit. Just because someone uses it in, ‘you’re such a Karen’ way doesn’t mean it takes away from it’s original meaning.

Yes it’s not nice to use the name Karen as it doesn’t actually make any sense. What does make sense is holding white women accountable for using their privilege in situations with black people. There’s countless videos that have been viral on social media of white women asking black people to leave certain areas (despite them actually living there). Verbally abusing black people and then having crocodile tears once the police show up. This is a Karen.

The phrase is definitely used more in the US as that’s where it started but I don’t get all these, ‘it’s an ageist, misogynistic term.’ Like since when? I’ve never heard anyone in my life use the word Karen to simply shut women up.
Just seems like another reason for some white women to play oppression olympics

I do see reference to it, I assumed it was a piss take out of chavvy mouthy types, however there appear to be a number of contradictory views about what a 'Karen' is on here so clearly no one knows what it is.

You aren’t capable of caring about more than one thing? You think if we don’t want to tolerate misogyny/ sexism/ ageism then we must be perfectly happy with racism?? Seriously?

If you have never been on the receiving end of it as a put down it doesn't mean others haven't. A man treated me to it on a local page last week, just for disagreeing with him.

Objecting to it doesn't mean I find racism acceptable either.

Exactly.