"Stop being a Karen"

[ValsCupcakes]

I heard this on Tuesday from a young, no more than 20, guy saying it to his girlfriend in the street in town.

Is this still going on? I'm out this afternoon at my friend's house. She is called Karen and is sick of it. I heard a woman phone into the radio too the other week saying her husband's satnav was an annoying female voice so he called it Karen.

Some are I'm sure, yes. Because as humans sometimes we act like arseholes and need calling out on it. Some people more often than others for sure. Men and women. Of all ages and colour

But my experience is this is a lazy label often used my twats who just want to embarrass an older women into shutting up. In a way they probably wouldn't with a man or somebody younger

Okay Karen x

(Before I get flamed, I was called a Becky for asking a question about the racist connotations.. so thought I'd return the favour.)

:)

I was in Iceland last weekend. A woman of around 50 was telling off the young boy at the till and then looking everyone in the queue in the eye angrily and telling us that she wouldn’t be shopping there again because they had closed off the door she liked to use as it was closer to her house.

We all just stood there awkwardly. Once she had stormed off a man in the queue said “And I believe that is what they call a Karen.” It did get a laugh.

This is the type of person it’s supposed to mean. I see a lot of comments saying it’s women sticking up for themselves, but it’s more a combination of entitlement and self-importance.

In this case the poor boy on the till was just doing his job, we were just trying to shop. Literally no-one cared if she never shopped there again, in fact it would be preferable now that she’s making a scene - but she seemed to think everyone should.

Juts to clarify, I’m not supporting the use of the name, I’m just talking about the “type” it is used for and sharing an example.

It's a lazy and cheap way of trying to shut women up, but is unfortunately often defended - and even used - by people who should know better.

According to this thread. People have been saying that the word Karen just means bitch.

Sure, there are people like that, but why does a common female name have to be attached to them?

No, who says Karen doesn't mean bitch? Who is the authority on what it means to the person being insulted?

'Sure, there are people like that, but why does a common female name have to be attached to them?'

You could say that about any insult though. Why is calling someone an arsehole if there being an idiot, linked to one's end of digestive system.

But why didn’t he just say ‘what a rude woman’, why would he use the name Karen? Can’t men be rude too?

The problem with using ‘Karen’ means that women who are complaining justifiably get dismissed as being ‘Karen’s’ - what if a waiter was very rude to you and you complained to the manager, to have a man at the next table say loudly ‘and that’s what’s we call a Karen’

People don't have Arsehole as their name.

So you saw someone have a meltdown about a change to their routine, where she was being over the top but from what you've said not aggressive (you don't mention her shouting for example) and you think the reaction being to mock her because it's not something that would have been an issue for you was all good?

I mean yeah maybe she's just a horrible entitled person whose main aim in life is to make sure everything goes her way, or maybe (just maybe) there was some reason that it actually was a big issue for her.

This is the type of person it’s supposed to mean. I see a lot of comments saying it’s women sticking up for themselves, but it’s more a combination of entitlement and self-importance.

///

Alternatively - it's more a case of making a massive generalisation about women. Probably by people who aren't called Karen themselves but think they are funny.

That woman sounds like she wasn't particularly nice but that bloke sounds like a twat.

She could have had a mental health issue that affects her behaviour. I don't know, but then neither did the people in the queue probably. Anyway I don't think it's appropriate to publicly mock a stranger, even if she wasn't
there to hear it.

On another note I was thinking of Iceland the country and didn't immediately realise you probably mean Iceland the shop 😂

I was once called a fucking bitch at a petrol station and threatened with more of if I didn't pay for my petrol quicker by a guy I'd guess in his 30's (I'm almost 50 and hate confrontation) waiting his turn. I acted like I wasn't bothered, went into the kiosk, walked to the back and burst into tears shaking like a bloody idiot.

His behaviour was witnessed by at least 10 other customers and the kiosk attendant. No one said a word and avoided eye contact even with me.

Funny how so many people and often men, feel the need to correct the behaviour of a woman but no one did here. Even after he'd left. Apparently that's ok.

The only person who put their head above the he parapet was an older lady (maybe 70+) who was already in there when I entered. She came over to me, asked if I was ok, gave me a cuddle and a tissue, said some choice words and glared at the idiot when he came in. I'd love it if she was called Karen

@MelodyMalone they do as Dick and Willy and Fanny though.

Hardly anybody's called those names any more, though.

Well, there are quite a lot of Scottish men called Willie, but since when was that a term of abuse? Don't think I've ever heard anyone say "he's such a willie" or similar 😂

That guy is such a Willy!!😡

Maybe in primary school. "You're a willy!" [hysterical laughter]

Where does it say what I did or how I felt about it? Read my last sentences.

I actually did nothing at all with my face, I don’t like to get involved. I just observed and relayed my example.

I think it’s the person using it that gives it the meaning and in most contexts the person saying it means something more specific than just bitch.

Like a woman who steals from a friend might be called a bitch but wouldn’t be called a Karen.

I understand. So the teenager in the example given up thread, who called the woman a Karen for asking him to stop smoking, is the arbiter. He has decided that the us of Karen is just, does not mean bitch and she shouldn't be insulted.

I wasn’t saying she shouldn’t be insulted. I was just saying that the term isn’t simply interchangeable with the word bitch.

Men use it to replace the word bitch