I'm sick to death of Karen memes and the gleeful way in which they're used to shut women up and call them 'c*nts'. A friend of mine posted one recently saying 'Karen you twat' and then referring to something that has nothing to do with the original use of the word (think a mundane pet hate). I'm fully aware of the type this word was originally meant to refer to ie. entitled, overbearing, petty women, often using racial slurs - and having come up against these women myself I have no desire to defend them. But the word has been weaponised as a way of calling any woman you don't agree with a 'dumb bitch', and it's being done with such misogynistic glee. Bad enough when men use it, when women use it it's just depressing that they are so desperate to gain approval for chastising those women who they're keen to point out are nothing like their young, desirable selves.
Thing is, the original Karen 'type' doesn't even translate well to a UK context. People in general in the UK don't complain, we expect bad service! I've only ever complained a handful of times in my life, when something was really unacceptable and should have been complained about eg. being sprayed with concrete whilst walking past a building site! Now, I'd feel even more uncomfortable about complaining in case I'm branded as a 'Karen'. It's a way of silencing women, who already feel inhibited due to social disapproval of women being assertive. Are 'Karens' really the ones responsible for systemic racism, or is it just another case of women being blamed for everything?