"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.

And by "you", sorry I mean people who use Karen, not you!

No, no it is not.

There is absolutely not a single male name being used in this fashion.

Besides men are allowed voices and allowed to complain if not happy.

There was an excellent article in the Guardian recently about a transman who was detransitioning. She was fascinated by just how much NICER everyone was to her when they thought she was a bloke.

Compare that to the silencing effect of yet another misogynistic slur. The poor woman in the OP who is having her own partner try to control and shut her down. Heartbreaking really.

We should all change our name to Karen before things get much worse for women.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/sep/04/gender-equality-stalling-or-going-backwards-for-1bn-women-and-girls

It would just be nice if someone posted ‘I saw this racist thing happen to a BAME woman and I or my sister/mother/husband stepped in’. I never see it. The focus is always on the feelings of white women.

Another technique to silence women. Stops you communicating in a way that expresses any negative emotion. Stops you advocating for yourself, your family, other women. Fear of being labelled a Karen, is going to keep you nice and quiet and biddable.

Detest this expression. I have made the mistake of challenging people who use it on social media which of course only gives them even more reason to say it, this time about me!

'You're obviously a well informed and educated person, do you give lecturers?'

@Overbearingndn
Well there's a sign that you lack intellectual thinking.

I was using the same analogy as the example you gave me, so perhaps you could redirect that question to yourself.

Horrible term.

Why are we importing sexist, ageist Americanisms?

Well I didn't have 'won't someone think of the Dicks' on my bingo card today but this is the internets rich tapestry 😂

It pairs well with "won't someone think of the Karens".

It less about the linguistic origin and more about how the word applied has had an effect. Hysterical wasn’t just an old word for ‘woman acting in an over emotional manner’, they were sectioned, lobotomised, locked away and died without seeing family ever again for being labelled as such. People fall over themselves trying to ‘reclaim’ words for their own agendas and history is erased.

Blueybanditbingochilli How can your Driving Instructor have "never worked" if she is teaching people to drive FFS ,Unless she gives free lessons!

Yip, absolutely the same. Silly me 😂

I hate it, just a sneery way to try and put middle aged women who stand up for themselves “in their place”

Except you weren't. Your "analogy" was not analogous.

If the word "phone" had been used as a tool of sexist /ableist / racist oppression for centuries, then yes, there would be a case for saying that the use of the word "phone" was inappropriate. But it hasnt.

Yes.

Having a Christian name that is now out of fashion because it became a by word for chavvy, common, tarty, thick you name it. I absolute hate the Karen term and have such empathy for anyone with what I think is a beautiful name and what they go through having been there myself. I never use the term and ask others not to.

Because of the negative associations with my own name I am known by my second name. I made the change after I went for a job and was told, by a woman interviewing me, that:

'We didn't expect to interview someone with a name like yours'

35 years later and I still don't tell anyone my full name unless I absolutely have to. These days younger generation just think of it as an old female name and do not even understand why I don't use it (unlike Karen it predates social media). The prejudice aganist my name was largely fuelled by a tv comedy (no longer shown) and an adult comic magazine that featured the 'Two Slags' (I kid you not) one of which had my name. The magazine still exists but it is nowhere near as popular as it once was. However, my name still get smirks from people my own age, including women and comments such as:

' you don't look like a ....' (WTF is that suppose to mean?)

I don't know of any male names that carry the same connotations as Karen or are thrown around as casual insults. Yes we use terms such as dick etc but not for simply voicing an opinion or asserting their rights.

What is the male equivalent of a Karen? There are plenty of entitled middle aged men. I prefer bitch or cunt because there is the equivalent male version (wanker, dick/prick). Arse is good because it is gender, race and age neutral. Anyone can be an arse.

I think, although could be wrong that it used to be Susan that was used an insult and then it changed to Karen (or perhaps Susan means something else).
Why is it always women's names? Are men so perfect that we can't use a male name. It's so stupid anyway.
I have a friend called Karen and she uses her middle name now. Why should she have to just because some people are stupid and childish?

It's lazy, misogynistic and most blatantly an attempt to shut down women who disagree with you but you can't be bothered/ are unable to critically argue against their behaviour or opinion.

There's no real male equivalent tbf given the power dynamics.
The intention of snowflake, gammon etc is the same as are MN favourites "what about the menz/ not my Nigel/cool wives" in that they're intended to shut down and dismiss other posters without being axle to engage with them.

There aren't male equivalents of any female specific insults.

If you think there are, then imagine those male insults being applied to your son or your father, and then the female ones being applied to your daughter or your mum.

They are not the same.

There are plenty of men who are the male equivalent I call them Darren.

I dont understand where "Karen" became an insult? Its a perfectly normal name. My friend is a "Karen" and she is perfectly nice .Its just another stick to beat up older women (of which I am one!)into submission ,I mean how dare we have an opinion at all ,let alone voice it.Yes I will complain if something is not right,but I wont belittle people working in a shop to do it . And yes I will not let bloody men push in front of me at the checkout without fuss( A young guy started to move my shopping so he could "slide in front of me and I wouldnt mind!") and so many more incidents ,Male drivers rude and aggressive .

Cool! Nobody else does though and it isn't used to shut men up.

How do you determined what is said to ‘shut people up’ and what isn’t?

By observing how the term is used, and the effect it has in society.