To think they call us Karen because they fear us

[InformEducateEntertain]

I absolutely hate the term Karen. It's pejorative and deeply unpleasant.

Middle aged women (of whom I am one and to whom the term is most generally applied) are bloody amazing. Putting us down for our don't give a f**k badass attitude and willingness to fight back strikes me as lazy categorisation.

I'd go as far to say that those who use it are scared by the knowledge that looking the menopause in the eye has given us the courage to have a voice at last.

AIBU?

Oh dear god give up.

@LadyQuackBeth "Shame we don't have a term for the just-as-common US white men that just straight out shoot a black man if he seems out of place."

It's Police Officer.

Also some men in the 60-70 camp came looking to tell us off about some old crap and would actively seek out a middle aged woman to listen to them. A man or young woman would not suffice. You can make of that what you will.

Well you can't ask flowers what they think of it, can you, but many women called Karen have explained how much they hate it.

Yes, I would think "racist" is the more useful term here.

https://x.com/ferguscraig/status/1348597706294439936?s=12

And we can all agree it was wrong. So are we looking to change things are just do more of the same but with another social group?

What term do you suggest then?

I agree its deeply problematic in policy terms to lump all ethnic communities of (inset whatever word you are going to suggest) together as they have very different experiences and issues, which do need to be delineated when you are talking about specific policy solutions. . But there are times you want to refer to issues of racism against people because of their skin colour, regardless of what that skin colour is. I am aware that BAME has been criticised. Yours is the first time I have heard using people of colour being criticised. So what term do you suggest? Listing all the various different ethnicities of ( insert your suggested word choice here) is clearly not practical.

BTW in case anyone wants to make the case for gammon, Chad or Dick being the male equivalent, do a Google or social media search first. I beg you.

I'd say that the appropriate term would be 'racist', rather than 'Karen'.

This pic represents the majority of what you get when you put 'Karen' into an image search.

@2boyzNosleep I genuinely don't understand what a five year old article from the BBC contributes to the argument.

My thesis that the term Karen as used today in 2025 stems from feeling threatened by a group that historically have not had a voice but who now do.

Yes. It's fear. Also reductionist, controlling, sexist, ageist and v.v dull trope for middle aged women. Will never "get back in my box, or shut up."

Weaponising whiteness....?

Coming from someone who almost certainly weaponises ancient history and takes huge advantage of the latest political trends....I can tell you've been really enjoying the agenda since 2020 and have jumped on to the bandwagon and become a bully and a racist. Wow.

Your language is almost genocidal.

I've never seen that! Brilliant 🤣

Look, it's useful, it's here to stay. The term started for a reason. It won't stop being used.

That's brilliant. Spot on.

I don’t agree with the term Karen but I disagree on the service front - I worked as a bartender, waitress and barista from 15-25 and the rudest people on the whole were middle aged women. I had some creepy men but very few rude ones, the rudeness was nearly always women. Just my experience, still don’t think Karen is designed to be anything other than derogotary.

Seems perfectly reasonable to object to the way a word is used even if its origins are different. I mainly hear Karen used as a term for middle aged women in general, not for racists or bullies. I know it’s different in the US.

To answer your question, OP, people who use the term don’t fear us at all. They find us irrelevant, which is why they find it irritating that we haven’t also realised we’re irrelevant.

I was told in a work seminar that the new accepted term is 'global majority' meaning anyone who doesn't have white skin. They stated that the term ethnic minority shouldn't be used as in world terms white people are in the minority.

I hadn't heard this term before, what do others think of it? (Sorry to derail the thread)

Why wouldn't you just call that person annoying?

The answer is because calling that person annoying has less power. It limits them to be an individual who has done a specific annoying thing.

Calling them a Karen places them in a shamed group.

The point of the term Karen is to create a shamed group that no woman wants to be placed in.. And to use that fear of shame to control how women behave. That is, after all, the social point of shame. Just as women have been shamed in certain times and cultures into covering their bodies for fear of what they will be called if they do not, Karen operates now to try to stop women from standing up for themselves.

And again. The male term is?

Surely one ignores irrelevance. Not attacks it and thus feeding its fire.

But that's clearly total bollocks. An elderly man or a teenage girl who is awkward, obnoxious, racist or complaining is not ever going to be labelled as "Karen". This is a slur reserved for women aged 45-60. I am in this age group, Karen was the most common name around, there were so many girls called Karen in my year at school.

It's not you're such a Doris, or such a Brittany, or such a Demi-Lee. The term specifically refers to middle aged women. It's deeply misogynistic and offensive and I have NO hesitation in calling anyone out.

You can absolutely bet your house that the majority of people at the Tommy march today in London will be middle aged white men.

Edit : and they're all racist

Great analysis.