Do you find the term/meme 'Karen' an insult?

[VladmirsPoutine]

This is a discussion I have recently read a few opinion pieces about.

Do you think it's indeed classist, racist and misogynistic to describe certain women as a Karen?

It would seem not.

There are an awful lot of people who have a knee jerk reaction to anything they perceive as “woke”, and so dismiss women calling out sexism and classism as special snowflakes wokesters.

Plus the trolls impersonating women are careful to word their tweets in an inflammatory way, eg claiming Karen is exactly the same as the N word, then use those fake tweets to claim white women are racist and tone deaf.

Plus the trolls impersonating women are careful to word their tweets in an inflammatory way, eg claiming Karen is exactly the same as the N word, then use those fake tweets to claim white women are racist and tone deaf.

Are you sure these people are always trolls?

I have had some very odd conversations with Americans who I knew were not trolls about certain non-PC language issues.

My DD (11) gets called Karen a lot when she points out what she sees s injustices on the yr 6 thread. Never meant kindly.

I had to Google it and got swept into a Twitter hole where I was truly horrified at the racism that it led me to (apparently it's a white thing/on brand to be concerned about CV amongst many other things etc).

Goose I was talking about the Discord/Karen hoax that was exposed a couple of days ago.

Goose I was talking about the Discord/Karen hoax that was exposed a couple of days ago

Oh, I hadn't heard anything about that. I've been avoiding news though, we had a mass killing near me a few days ago and I'm just finding the media coverage too much.

Where is the coverage of that Discore/Karen hoax?

Seems women or older white women to be specific are under criticism for not being keen on random white blokes calling them Karen to put them down as we should be putting the need for black women to be able to call white women Karen first - or something. I’m struggling to keep up and understand.

How can you be for inclusiveness and equal rights (as the Mash Report pretends to be) when you are derisery and sneering contempt at a whole section of society, ie middle aged women.

Quite agree. I hate the smug faux virtuousness.

If you don't like being called a Karen, just sign out of Facebook on your Samsung Galaxy 6. Not that hard? I'm forty-two, drive a Range Rover & a mother of two. If I see any inappropriate messages from Nia, Loren or Kenzie... I just sign off my Motorola 67. Hope this helps!

You're a wee gem ^motherkaren* aren't you?

Now off you fuck.

If you don't like being called a Karen, just sign out of Facebook on your Samsung Galaxy 6. Not that hard?
Translation: if you don't want to get sexist comments, stay off the internet, otherwise put up and shut up.

Lol no.

Again, where is the media coverage of the Discord/Karen hoax? I'm usually pretty up on my internet news, that particular one has passed me by.

Or Kodie, I had an abusive message from a Kodie today after posting here previously on another name. All the trolls are flocking to this thread.

The Discord/Karen hoax was being covered by the British journalist Kate Maltby who has been tweeting about it, and there was also an extensive article about it in Forbes a few days ago.

Thanks, I had googled but couldn't find anything.

Absolutely - and genX is by far the coolest demo.

@FredericcaPotter ‘Wendy’ originates from a MN post about a woman called Wendy. We can’t really call her anything else just to avoid sexism, because that’s what she was called

That motherkaren post tho'.. it was like one of those shitty books that are full of product placements, non?

The smell of Charlie was still in his nostrils as he looked at his Rolex watch; it was time to pick up the kids in the Bentley but he would have to stop off at Vulgari the jeweller....cont. pg 94

Kyle is the male equivalent just so you know. Scumbag Steve was also a popular one.
I worked in hospitality and retail. Always got a lot of kyles and steve's in hospitality and a lot of Karens in retail. I would say be mad at the people going into retail making a scene, not the people joking about them on social media. I still remember a really agro woman shouting at me while heavily pregnant about why my manager was taking so long to come out from the office, even though I'd phoned through right in front of her so there was really nothing I could do 🙄

It's quite clearly used by people, often men, to sneer at all middle aged women and dismiss everything they say. As if what women say has no value. It's shitty casual misogyny.

It's quite clearly used by people, often men, to sneer at all middle aged women and dismiss everything they say

Judging from what I've read on MN, including this thread, there are plenty of women happy to use as well.

Or from this thread people have also heard it used in different circumstances that isn't a blanket insult to all middle aged women and there's a difference between explaining an alternative experience of a term and agreeing with its use.

I'd only heard it used with regards to a woman who is belittling and bullying towards shop workers/service staff. Despite explaining this and saying I'm not a fan of the term was enough to be reprimanded for not agreeing with some hive mind. Heaven forbid someone shared a different experience.

I'd only heard it used with regards to a woman who is belittling and bullying towards shop workers/service staff. Despite explaining this and saying I'm not a fan of the term was enough to be reprimanded for not agreeing with some hive mind

Do you not understand that even if an individual was behaving in the way you describe using the blanket term "Karen" is still wrong?

There is a perfectly adequate word to describe the conduct. It's "bully". A "bully" can be any age, race or either sex. And has the benefit of being unambiguous about what is being described.