"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.

I am afraid the only Karen I know completely fits the description. Maybe that's just her bad luck.

Bye Felicia

Men have many. Nigel, Ken and Keith are most popular.

All these examples of crap behaviour and demonstrating what you think is a Karen are just missing the point. Yes, there are shitty racist people in life, but they are exactly that - shitty, rude, racist arseholes. There's just no need to use a woman's name for this, I just don't understand how people can justify this?

You should change driving instructors! I am one and I don't waste my clients' valuable time talking about myself. They pay to learn to drive, not listen to my personal stuff. I'm also called Karen and, when the term reared its ugly head when I was a secondary school teacher, the verbal abuse I suffered from lippy teenagers was unbelievable (annoyingly, our full name was printed on our lanyards - most unacceptable 😡).

Yes, exactly. Nobody is disputing that these people exist. But why attach a name, held by many people most of whom aren't racist arseholes, to it?

@MelodyMalone I think because the typical woman who fits the Karen insult is a middle aged white woman with slightly dated dress sense and slightly dated hair. And a very dated attitude towards race (sometimes)

The name Karen is a dated old fashioned white name to millennials and genZ's. If it wasn't Karen, it would've been Andrea, Linda, Mandy or Sharon.

That's my guess anyway.

I'm not saying I think those things btw, I don't. But I think that's what people think who insult people calling them karens.

I was not familier with the Wendy term. It happend to me many times and I am actually happy that my friends are now friends and go on doing things together even without me. I can't see an issue on that. I thought Karen was used for racist women.

and exactly how do you think someone whose name is actually Karen feels reading that? I agree people exist with exactly those attributes you describe - but to call them 'Karen' is insulting to those of us with the name.

This is exactly the correct meaning. I'm tired of people rewriting history.

Yeah it's awful to take a name to be negative 😕 Sadly that's society, no imagination to come up with something different. Well, actually the one person who started it all off and then humans as sheep continue it. X

I understand it as a term a man uses when a woman displays any emotion or behaviour that the man doesn't like, to completely belittle her. Is she upset about something? Don't worry about considering her and understanding why she's upset. Karen. Is she speaking articulately about a subject that a women shouldn't know about, like engines or football, and is frustrated that he can't keep up? Karen. Is she angry that the headteacher (usually a man) is ignoring her child's needs? Karen. There you go, all sorted. She was unreasonable and shouldn't be bothering you anyway because you're more important because you're a man. See? Just one word is all it takes to show how much better all men are than women. So easy.

I was called a "Karen" last week when a delivery driver stole £100+ of groceries from me. I had placed an order & was tracking on their app when I saw it marked as "delivered" a mile from my home in a parking lot. I contacted the store & the delivery service. Five hours later, the driver left the (now spoiled) groceries in front of my door, shouting at my doorbell camera that I was a Karen for complaining.

It went from "unreasonable and entitled" to "insulting any woman who dares to speak" quite quickly, didn't it?

Victoria Smith writes about the demonisation of middle-aged women in her book: Hags. “Karen” is the latest in a long line of slurs to shut down women of a certain age. It’s the modern equivalent of “witch”.

The worst racist behavior I've encountered was white women. Hands down. Most white women in my experience have no self awareness of their own racism, and play the victim a lot.

I worry about my son in the future around white women.

That’s awful. Is that in the UK?

There’s definitely a male equivalent too, but he throws in some sexism/racism usually and likes to call everyone a snowflake while being utterly unable to take a joke back. Possibly Simon or Nigel.

Simon and Nigel aren't used as insults in the same way though, are they? Although I reckon Nigel has other connotations - being a bit of an anal dweeb.

I live in Canada, but travel a lot.

I've had the same experience working in the UK and in the States.

There's no male equivalent. A name that is used by women to shut down men if they dare to speak their mind or exhibit an emotion. You really think there's an equivalent?

So sorry to hear that. Awful.

What about mansplaining? It's not the same as Karen, but a specific insult for men.

Thank you. 💕

I worry a lot for my son in the future.

I find it an extremely offensive term to all women but especially those unfortunate enough to be called Karen in this day and age.
For other women to be justifying the term and explaining exactly who a ‘Karen’ is just don’t - you are showing your prejudices and or superiority/envy.
Yes there will always be people wealthier/more vocal than us but that does not mean they are not entitled to a point of view. So they are labelled a ‘Karen’ when empathising but are callous/ out of touch when not doing so.
There is no real male equivalent because there is no real malevolence behind a ‘Kevin’ for example. Be careful when you justify this misogyny as your name could be next.

Having an opinion

I would love to know what you mean by ‘showing your superiority/envy’…

Who specifically do you think is envious?

People on this thread have explained the origin of the word (whilst condemning its use in the wrong contexts and agreeing that it shouldn’t be an actual woman’s name).

It is more nuanced than just a shutdown for any woman expressing a point of view.