Sick of being called Karen

[frog22]

Listening to Radio 4 and Caroline Hirons is on and she has already used the term Karen to refer to her followers. I'm just sick of it. It's as bad as calling a woman the B word or C word!

Why would she do it? Why do women do it to other women?

Yes. And we are not allowed to wear gym clothes or buy 4x4s either. Why? Can we not exercise choice and be pleasant people with these belongings? What crap we have to read about ourselves. Never judge a book by its cover!

Murders?

@MonkeyToesOfDoom

I find it hard to believe that I'd be eating a sausage in a restaurant. If I did and they had decided to freeze it before cooking it I'd let them know about their mistake and give them the opportunity to put it right.

Hahahaha hahaha

Just...

Lol..

Kay Karen.

This is an example of how Karen is used to mock and belittle an unknown person. See how @MonkeyToesOfDoom has taken a posters words and repeats them, I'm imagining in a childish voice. Monkey Toes then uses laughter to make the point that they think its impossible for a person to actually say those words. Then the word Karen is added, just to make absolutely sure that the poster is in no doubt that Monkeytoes wants to insult them.

I saw a woman calling someone a Karen on a Facebook group. Even though I'm not a Karen and as an adult don't know any Karens but I was itching to say something. She'd spelt it K A R E N and it came across as nasty and aggressive.

It comes from entitlement.

There is nuance in entitlement though, yes it can be believing that one is demanding special treatment but it's also the right to something.

I feel entitled to the the same pay as my male colleagues or to ask for a promotion/pay rise. I feel entitled to question someone in authority (doctor, teacher, etc) if I don't agree or am unsure about something.

My experience has been the same as slipperywhenspartacus. It's even worse now the racist element has been added to it. Not being able to express an opinion as people just smirk and say "OK, Karen" and then clap theirselves on the back for how witty they are.
I don't want to have to change my name, why should I? Because some mysogynistic person wants to silence middle aged women? Why choose someone's actual name for this? If a women is rude, entitled and racist, then she's an arsehole. And no, calling men gammon is not the same, no one in real life is called gammon 🙄
This whole thing has been gaining ground for a few years now and it doesn't seem to be one of these things that will just pass.

Paradiseinportugal, don't you think the OP finding it incredible she'd eat a sausage at a restaurant that might have been frozen beforehand or that she'd go somewhere she'd pay before the meal wasn't designed to elicit that sort of response?

@AlexisCarringtonColbyDexter

Again- why is there no name for white male entitlement? White male cops are killing black men on a regular basis. Where is their name?

Murderers

What’s a Karen?

Exactly! murderers- they are MURDERING people and yet karen is our biggest problem? its ridiculous.

Karen is now a misogynistic term.

‘Silence, women - older women who raise their voices must be laughed at and undermined!’

It lines up with the hatred of any woman who dares to express fears about the loss of women only spaces.

I dislike it intensely. I dislike any derogatory name that is put on a person purely based on their physical appearance in order to silence their concerns. This goes for race, sex, disability, nationality, religion etc.
I have no problem with their behaviour being questioned. For example, “the lady was acting so arrogantly and entitled”
I’m sad that instead of moving away from this kind of discourse, we’re actually coming up with new “cool” and “acceptable” ones.
It’s like no one learns anything from history.

@AtrociousCircumstance

Karen is now a misogynistic term.

‘Silence, women - older women who raise their voices must be laughed at and undermined!’

It lines up with the hatred of any woman who dares to express fears about the loss of women only spaces.

This.

I think it's awful too - sexist and ageist. I don't see it used in RL though - just social media

From what I can see it is used slightly differently here to the US but in neither place can I see that men are similarly shut down and denigrated

It's just another way to make women feel like they should shut up and not have an opinion, or complain about anything.

He's such a Keith.

Whatever original meaning it might have had, has been thoroughly co-opted. It's now nothing more than a socially acceptable way of being nasty about women, particularly older ones.
I immediately assume anyone using it is an idiot and not a very nice one at that.

Yanbu I totally agree op. Just another misogynistic name for women.

Karen thing will disappear soon. Load of boocks.

It’s offensive to me because it’s used to dismiss, belittle and shut down middle aged, white, working class women

It’s very much not aimed at working class women. Rather, middle class women who think they’re a cut above the rest and therefore have a tendency to treat people, mostly in retail and hospitality, like serfs and speak to them appallingly.

I’ve had extensive experience of such behaviour. You do get numb to it after a while. However what is less feminist - calling a woman who behaves in such a way a name, or being the woman who seems to thrive off belittling other women via verbal aggression and class privilege?

I do feel quite sorry for women actually called Karen at the moment. But the meme’s will pass long before the entitled, unpleasant behaviour from those currently being called “a Karen” does.

I had heard of Chad before I heard of Karen, but I do go to a US message board (or used to) quite regularly.

I don't like the term at all. It's simply used to belittle women. The horrible behaviour of women in the USA (videos that were mentioned) - yes it's awful and isn't right, but still no need to label it with a name like that, just as there's no need to use other offensive labelling.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

I'm fed up with misogynist ageist slurs.

If you want to call out someone, use your words properly instead of resorting to a lazy insults.

Completely agree with this. It's simple. If you are unable to understand why this whole Karen thing is tiresome and offensive to women then you are a little bit thick are being wilfully obtuse you don't have any imagination.

There's nothing wrong or 'Karen' like about complaining when faced with poor service or uncooked sausages - it's about the way it's done. As far as I see the term 'Karen' is used to describe a certain type of loud ignorant redneck type of woman who thinks that shouting and threatening is the way to address things.

Just to add - yes it is offensive, and yes it will pass. There's nothing new in this about belittling women, that's always been around.

I mentally file away anyone who uses 'Karen' as a put-down as an empty-headed crowd-follower, in the same category as the hilarious 'OK Boomer' dismissive types. You can't equate someone sporting a certain kind of hairstyle or driving whatever brand of vehicle with calling gun-toting cops on innocent civilians. It makes no fucking sense. Call out behaviour for what it is, sure. And if someone thinks I'm being a cunt, I'd rather they told me so, so that I can reflect on what they might have seen from me. A Karenning will be instantly disregarded as not worthy of consideration.