Misogyny

[GoodnightGrandma]

I got quite upset the other day, not sure if I’m hormonal or unreasonable or what.
My DD was laughing - yes laughing - because I was explaining how the ‘Karen’ thing is misogynistic, and some people say racist, and how laughing at it is doing women and her future self down.
She just laughed at me, wouldn’t have a discussion because she knows everything.
I felt very middle aged, ridiculous, invisible and sad.
Give me a wobble and sort me out please.

Ugh. I’m sorry, it’s horrible.

In the plus side, now she knows everything you can retire from parenting, and she can cook, launder, drive, and finance for herself.

Fridge magnet!

I like that !
I’m just sad that she can’t see that she’s doing all women a disservice, and that she will be a middle aged woman one day.
Where did I go wrong 🤷🏼‍♀️

It's not because she disagrees, it's because teenagers know EVERYTHING. So you are wrong. Doesn't matter what about.

Could you explain how it's misogynistic and even racist? I don't think it's racist at all

You’re a poor sad creature who never had a life, an original thought or were ever young.

She’ll grow up, life will knock the corners off.

I’d say it was misogynistic and ageist. I find that, whenever I’ve discussed this with someone who uses the word, their defence boils down to “it’s not misogynistic or ageist, it’s just that I don’t like middle-aged women making themselves visible”.

Your DD will learn, OP. Sadly for feminism as a whole young women are rarely able to distinguish between systemic ageist misogyny and finding their own mum a bit annoying.

I'm sorry, I'm very confused as to what you mean by misogynistic and racist. "Karens" are white and racist, this is what makes them "Karens". Are you suggesting that it's racist to make fun of racist white people for being racist? Also, just because "Karens" tend to be middle aged women doesn't mean this is what they're being made fun of for, aren't they just being made fun of for the way they act? Does this mean that if we make fun of a woman for gender-unrelated things, we're being misogynistic and if we're making fun of a black person for race-unrelated things, we're being racist? This would mean we could only make fun of rich, young, white, straight, able-bodied men.

Sorry, I just find your statement very confusing. And I'm a pretty hardcore feminist. Would you mind explaining?

@emma342 I think most British teens now use Karen just to mean a generic middle-aged woman. I know it started as a term for a racist woman and then was used more broadly for any overly-entitled white woman, but British Gen Z don't use it like that. So going to a Take That concert would be a Karen thing to do, or getting a sensible haircut, or (according to a friend of my DD) getting your car serviced. It's a bit like "basic bitch" but specifically for older women.

I think the way it's used in the US is very different.

@JumperandJacket I've never heard the term Karen used in that way at all. Maybe some teenagers have started using the term differently but I agree with @emma342 in the way that these people should be called out

Have a look at some of the threads on here eg

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3975054-Got-my-first-Karen

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/feminism/4383809-karen?msgid=112087422#112087422

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4094597-Cant-stand-people-referring-to-others-as-a-Karen

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3964714-sick-of-being-called-karen

It's very widespread. It may once have been a term for racists but these days it's just a way to refer to a middle aged woman making herself visible.

Laughing at someone is rude, however may be she did n’t want to listen to a lecture. Ask yourself how respectfully you listen to her opinions.
Also is Karen misogynistic? I understand it as a term to describe middle class women who re rude to service staff.