'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.

From what I've seen people call people it when they have a different opinion.

Most recently on someone's video where a lady who kindly pointed out and not in a mean way that this persons cot was very dangerous, thick pillows as cot bumpers etc and got about 200 comments calling her Karen. The mind boggles.

I am capable yes. But nothing matters more to me than racism. Nothing. In an ideal world, I shouldn't have to prioritise. But we don't live in an ideal world so I do. And yes, seriously.

Thank you. This

Personally I care about any “isms”. I can’t bear discrimination or prejudice of any kind. I call them all out.

This sounds like weaponising race to me

Surely there are Karens of all ethnicities. They're the people you're behind the queue in (not The Queue) who dont stop going on and moaning and holding everyone up because of a small thing that they've dramatised.

That's great. You are in an extremely privileged position to be able to do so and its great that you do. Have a nice weekend!

im not sure why I would get upset if I was called a Karen because I was being outspoken

being called a bitch is far more aggressive but Karen would just make me roll my eyes

it certainly not going to shut me up I don’t know any women who is middle aged who it would be silenced by this and it certainly wouldn’t belittle or humiliate me

I can understand why if you name is Karen you are upset that it being used

👆 This. Never heard it used in real life.

Who is weaponising race? And in what way?

@pinkbear95 'The original meaning referred to white women who weaponise racism. AND IT STILL MEANS THIS!'

This might be true where you live- but I''ve never heard 'Karen' used as an insult in this context. It has always been used to ridicule or silence someone who disagrees with the name-caller.

It doesn't seem like an effective weapon against racisim to me.
We need something more powerful and less easily misread.

The Karen's I know (there were 4 with that name in my class at school) were all good caring people and not ones likely to weaponise racism anywhere. Why use their inoffensive name in this way?

It’s not “great” it’s normal for most people I know thank goodness. Just the way I was brought up, same as how I’ve raised my 3 boys.
Have a lovely weekend yourself too 😎

I hear it used constantly, 5 times today by teenagers. All taking about muddied aged women who irritated them. Nothing to do with racism.

Yes teenage boys are usually the worst offenders! My ds wouldn’t dare, and he knows why it’s unacceptable anyway. But I’ve heard his mates - and I’ve called one of them out on it when I heard it in my house!

Surely it makes more sense to call racists racists rather than attach a random name to it. And a woman's name. Plenty of racists are men. Racism is vile. Doesn't seem fair to attribute it to women, middle age, or people with the name Karen.

do you think calling out someone who has been racist in an underhand way ie. not using racist language is going to admit to being racist.

that’s the point it’s more about behaviour that then words used

it will then turn into how was I racist proved to my I was racist what was it I said exactly and so on

I hate it too. I hate when younger women use it, so naive to the harsh reality that they are ten years away from being labelled a karen if they complain about anything. Men still free as birds to complain.

Every single thread about Karen goes this way on MN.

Apparently if you're white, of a certain age and female it's fine to be insulted and shut down if you speak out about anything. Because we're sooooo privileged.

Nah. I'm not ok with that. Fight racism all you want, I'm right there with you, but I'll be fighting other corners too and I'd rather not be insulted and dismissed whilst doing so.

Absolutely hate it & call out anyone who uses it on FB pages etc. I think it originated in America. All the people I know called Karen are lovely.

Yes and men too. But you don't need a stupid name for them, you just call them what they are - professional complainers. Or rude, or demanding, or entitled, or, maybe, they have a point about what they are complaining about.

Quite. They are not a "Karen", their behaviour is racist.

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

MN is a UK site. It is used differently in the US, although that still wasn't its origin, it was someone moaning about his ex-wife as far as I know.

And it is constantly used on social media to shut women up. If someone complains on a social media website, someone pops up and calls them a Karen. In the UK. Just because you've not noticed it, doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. Two concrete examples - I've seen an elite (female) athlete posting on Instagram about "Karens" who complained about her using an athletics track and even Adam Peaty referred to a "Karen" on his Twitter feed.

Why on MN Is the male equivalent aways ignored? Several posters have commented that it's aimed at women only (every Karen thread on here) therefore sexist and misogynistic...Its just not true, there are hundreds of Ken, Kevin, male Karen videos out there, if you've seen the female videos you seriously can't have missed the male ones 🙄

And I keep hearing about it silencing women...I am yet to see a video where being called a 'Karen' has had so much power that the woman shuts up..🤷‍♀️

Because most who are outraged don't understand there are male versions

Don't forget the average age for MN on the forums is 55-75

The only people pissed about the term usually are Karen's in my experience