Meraas: Karen was a term coined by black people in the US after abysmal treatment from white women. It's a shame that it was hijacked by white men on reddit but the reasons it was coined remain true to this day.
No. This is a specifically racist and sexist myth spread by misogynistic edgelord dudes on the internet at the expense of black American women - who have already, and repeatedly, asked people to STOP blaming black women for white men’s problems.
Sure, it’s common in black communities in the USA (among others) to use a personal name as a general or descriptive term - your family or community know or know of the person and understand the shorthand. In my family - just for example - a Sylvie is someone who complains if you put hot peppers in food and a Lenny is someone who tells the same story over and over and a Roscoe is a handsome man who’ll flake at the first signs of trouble. (The Original Roscoe was married to my great grand aunt and would be over 100 if he were still alive, so some of these names endure.) If someone’s family or community has or had an objectionable Karen, then go ahead. No one here is suggesting going into communities and policing local language.
However, widespread and online use of “Karen” as a universal pejorative doesn’t originate in US black communities as claimed. Its origin is in Reddit, where a (white) teenager in California created a story about his fictional “ex-wife” and launched a subreddit “fuckyoukaren” encouraging men to vent their anger against non-submissive women. Surprise, surprise - the sub went viral, and (some) men vented their anger against women, often in an extremely violent sex-based and sexualized way. Stop blaming black women for white men’s problems.
Don’t take my word for it - you can go on Reddit right now (you don’t need a login) and do a search for Karen - but I warn you, it’s an unpleasant education in rape culture. Now, do a search for any male name you like - Kevin and Chad have been suggested on this thread - and compare results. And once you’re done - stop blaming black women for white men’s problems.
Even if you somehow remarkably are completely insulated from history, reality, and context and genuinely believe you’re fighting the good fight against racism by shouting “Karen!” on the internet, you’re wrong. Do you call your female friends and relatives cunts, and then snigger about how “it just means a coin purse - it’s a compliment!” Well, maybe you do - and if I see you, I’m going to call you out for that too. Stop blaming black women for white men’s problems.
Regardless of your intentions, VladmirsPoutine, Bluntness100, and Meraas, your arguments on this thread are blatantly and transparently racist and sexist (and anti-American, but I’m not about to go to battle on that front, at least not here and now). To put it bluntly - you’re racist and sexist as fuck. Stop blaming black women for white men’s problems.
As for instances of racist and sexist terms being used by women, black people, black women - yeah, internalized misogyny and internalized racism are commonplace; how could they NOT be in a system which self-replicates racism and sexism? Stop blaming black women for white men’s problems.
We, as individuals, don’t have to capitulate to and replicate that system. I say we shouldn’t. What you do is on you - but don’t come on here trying to sell your racism and sexism as progressive and not expect a pushback. You’re going to get a pushback, my dudes: British people aren’t stupid. You are gonna get a whole hell of a lot of very well deserved pushback, and THIS black American woman loves to see it. STOP blaming black women for white men’s problems.