Are we not allowed to complain since the birth of the term “Karen”

[Willitstopraining]

This is lighthearted. Maybe it’s just me but it seems now I can’t complain about anything without being labelled a “Karen” by my dc. Even when I have completely legitimate reasons. I don’t look for things that annoy but if I see kids eating a box of KFC outside in the street, and leaving loads of rubbish (including rat attracting chicken bones and skin) behind them, you better believe I’ll call them back and tell them to take it home with them, or dispose of it in one of the various bins in the area. If I go to a restaurant that’s pretty much empty and am not eating within 1hr 10 minutes ( a good 45 minutes after the starters were ordered) then I think it’s fine to remind staff we’ve been here a while. And if I pay to get my dc hair cut and it’s uneven surely I’m allowed to bring this to the hairdressers attention. I’m never cheeky to staff anywhere,I always tip hairdressers and wait staff regardless, and try to be as courteous as possible, and to their credit most agree if I point something out and the situation is quickly rectified. However we will no sooner be in the car than dc are saying things like “come on Karen, you’ve more people to tell off today”or “ I know a few pigeons that need taking down a peg or two” 😂. Surely if something is wrong I can say it.

Karen's are white women who weapons their tears to harm black people.
It still means that in the US, but in the UK its just a middle aged women who moans.

Or.. it's just someone's name.

That's interesting, @BBno4 - I suspect that African Americans are more at risk from the racism of white men, than some white women crying. However, it's the same thing - an accusation of unreasonable behaviour, stereotyping older women.

This is the stalest of stale memes. In USA it's a racist, sexist, ageist meme meant to put white, middle-class women over 35 in their place. "I want to speak to the manager" meme. It's years old. Why are British children parroting that still?

Because people are letting them, @SadieOlsen . Allowing and permitting the disrespect and the shut downs.

It's not though.

This term only refers to women who are being rude and entitled, often treating service workers like shit.

No nice woman who respectfully complains gets called a Karen.

All the women on this thread seem to want to be able to get away with being rude and nasty but not have to take it while dishing it out.

This term only refers to women who are being rude and entitled, often treating service workers like shit.

a) No it doesn't, it's a catch all to shut women up

b) if it's about service workers, why no equivalent for when when men are arseholes to them?

No nice woman who respectfully complains gets called a Karen.

Hahaha.

And it’s clear from this thread that it’s upsetting to woken who are genuinely called Karen. For that reason alone it should stop.

Call out racism, every time. Amy Cooper should be named and shamed for her disgraceful racism under her own name.

Does anyone have any good come backs for if you're called one? It's really difficult, because saying anything ranty feeds in to it! So it has to be good. I quite like the response upthread 'that's queen Karen to you'

No nice woman who respectfully complains gets called a Karen.

Lol.

Even on this very thread people have just said women should laugh along with sexism. The bar for women’s behaviour is insanely high. Basically opening your gob to say anything other than complimenting men is seen as unreasonable

All the women on this thread seem to want to be able to get away with being rude and nasty but not have to take it while dishing it out.

Can you give an example of rude and nasty behaviour that’s been described on this thread?

It's the veil of decency for the misogyny. Hey, I'm not being a sexist dick, I'm nobly standing up for abused service workers! Just don't ask what I do when men are pricks to them!

Brilliant!

The men are just sorting out problems! We're being rude and nasty by doing the same!

Karen is a horrible sexist term designed to put 'older' women in their place.

Why should we adopt nasty Americanisms?

Define 'nice woman'.

My name is Karen. These days I hate having to say what my name is. Often people smirk or actually laugh out loud. ☹

Indeed

Oh dear, I see I wrote ‘woken’ where I meant to write ‘women’. 🤣

Very mean of them to laugh or smirk. I’d be upset if my name were used all the time as a casual insult.

Obnoxious people should be called out but not memed with a label many carry as their personal names. It’s the very definition of stereotyping, blanketing entire group of people with unfair accusations and prejudice (whether women, men, USA, racism, etc).

Yes I have a few friends called Karen, so people using it as an insult can bog off!

In every stage of our lives, females have been put down. As teens, we are patted on the head and patronised as "ditsy", especially if blonde and not listened to.

When we become mums we arent listened to as have "baby brains".

In every age if we dare to be annoyed about something or have another opinion, there are snide remarks re PMS/ on our periods.

In middle age we are not listened to as we are "menopausal and hormonal."

Now "Karen" is the catch all for any woman from the ages of 25 to 65 who DARES to not agree with something, mainly with males.

It means no-one has to listen to her, and patronising is acceptable. Misogyny at its finest.

No, white women who weaponise their tears to harm Black people are vile racists.

No it isn't. The OP wasn't rude when she made her complaints, she was merely "guilty" of making them.

Elon Musk gets called Space Karen but that's from the US.

This is a great post. Bookmarking!

I worked in retail for years and customer facing roles.

It was/is always, always the men that act entitled. I cannot think of a single example from retail and my other areas even the 'hard work' women had a point and could be worked with.

I did have a man over 6ft try to throttle me and the police were called because I implemented something perfectly logical he wouldn't have done that way.

And another man who did their best to get me sacked by essentially stalking me.

So apart from it being sexist, Karen is in no way a helpful term for those in 'services'.

I was entitled today. Asked for a full breakfast but got a single. Sent it back because it wasn't what I ordered. Nobody died by heading beans and a hash brown on the plate. No body outlines, no shaking traumatised staff.

Sure they did a little eye roll, but I fail to see why they get to provide you with not what you ordered. If I was scheduled for eye surgery and they started drawing cut here lines on my foot I'd certainly speak up. It doesn't hurt to have a little pride in what you do, even if you don't want to do it. Most of us 'Karens' had service jobs, that's how we learned to complain assertively and politely. It's also how we learned to do well at things that are not important to us but might be to someone else.

Until all professionals can hide their ineptitude behind the shield of Karen (shudder, horrible thought) then people should just accept that asserting your boundaries, needs or rights is not entitled, as having entered a contract (bought a coffee etc) you are, by definition, entitled to what you paid for.

This concept is older than the bartering system so there's no excuse not to get it.