'The year of Karen' - Guardian article

[ArabellaScott]

More tedious pish on the 'Karen' phenomenon.

An article that directly equates women calling the police (however unjustifiably, all they did was call the police, hardly an illegal act) with a policeman murdering a man. Because of course the two are equivalent. In fact, I think the article's logic is that the woman who has called the police has actually directly caused the death of the man - it's almost as though the policeman disappears and is absolved, the blame shifted neatly from the (utterly fucking monstrous) actions of the policeman to the (perhaps racist, presumably highly-strung) actions of the woman. (Of course these were two completely unrelated incidents, but never miss a chance to use the correlation = causation fallacy when it helps your argument).

Quoting the last particularly nasty paras so you don't have to read the article:

'Complaints about Karen being sexist were noteworthy mostly for how neatly they re-enacted the Karen dynamic. Confronted with evidence of their own agency and complicity, some white women responded by reasserting their victimhood.

What I’ve found especially useful about Karen memes is the way they’ve given willing white women a tool with which to assess their own behavior and, if they want, improve it. My own mother, who is white, has on rare occasions demonstrated behavior that verged on the Karen-esque. This summer, for the first time, she acknowledged some of those Karen tendencies to me and stated her intention not to act like that any more – a conversation I’m not sure we would have had absent the meme.

Williams recalled similar conversations with white friends, and offered three simple rules to avoid being a Karen. One: recognize the privilege and history of being a white woman in this society. Two: avoid calling the police on people of color unless someone is in imminent danger of harm. And three: “Understand that it’s just not always about you, period. People are not out to get you for the most part, people are not trying to hurt you or harm your property or make you uncomfortable,” she said. “You’re not that special, Karen. You’re not that special.”

By people, presumably the writer means 'men', but it seems striking to me how men have been absolved of all responsibility here. The demon is clearly the writer's mother, and all women who dared to think they were 'special'.

This is pure, naked, misogyny. I would not want to be a woman or girl in the US at the moment.

“especially useful about Karen memes is the way they’ve given willing white women a tool with which to assess their own behavior and, if they want, improve it.”

Ah, the old ‘do better’. How thoroughly patronising. Whoever wrote this can get to feck.

That’s a terrible article and just confirms my decision to avoid the Guardian as much as possible in 2021.

''the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house.''

You can't use misogny to tackle racism, they are too alike. Do better, The Guardian.

@FestiveStrop

Wasn't there a similar internet phenomenon concerning 'Chads'? Supposedly good looking but dim jocks who everyone took the piss out of?

The Chads meme was bandied about by incels. There was def no Guardian article proclaiming the virtue of the chads meme.

they’ve given willing white women a tool with which to assess their own behavior and, if they want, improve it

So if you're not in the habit of calling the police on random black people, which 99.99999999% of us have never done, how's it meant to improve our behaviour?

Also, how do they square 'complaining to the manager' with racism? They are two different things.

Is the message that we can just never stand up for ourselves?

Yes, the Chad's and the Stacey's were just another stick to beat women with.
I'm not a stunner or anything, but had quite a few nasty boys and men implying I was a horrible person for not considering sleeping with them. Because of course IT'S ALWAYS WOMEN'S FAULT.

A Chad is an alpha male type who has little difficulty finding female sexual partners.

A Karen is a woman of a certain age who assertively defends her rights and entitlements, perhaps sometimes overly so.

How does that Venn diagram look?

I’d prefer they just used bitch rather than Karen because that’s what they mean & at least that would be honest

The guardian is a fucking joke these days.

I will admit that's the dominant theme I've seen online. Even though there are male versions on YouTube which I can link.

From what I have seen though it's like (for a generic example) someone's Macdonalds order going wrong at a drive through and culminating in screaming/abuse/throwing food and drinks at the people in the serving hatch etc...

It's highlighting that behaviour, regardless of sex.

Yes to the guardian being a joke.
But what's the alternative?
I've become increasingly concerned that I agree with the average daily mail reader more than guardian columnists.
While it's important to apply critical thinking skills whatever you read, it does concern me that the so called free liberal papers have woke themselves right back into 1950s misogyny. No wonder teens are mindlessly parroting about Karen's and women's privilege.

Why are you so married to the term @FestiveStrop? What is it about the word that makes you want to spend today defending it? Do you agree that you are a Karen to your kids every time you tell them off for dropping crumbs or not putting their plates in the dishwasher.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=b6h-sIGnKds

Think I would throw a festive strop if the child that I grew and nurtured called me a Karen.
Same as if they called me a bitch.

And Tom Felton has been called a terf. It doesn't mean it's not a term deliberately used to apply to women who don't know their place.
These are the 20s versions of back to the kitchen and make me a sandwich.

Was there not a radio show recently where a couple of young, middle-class women opined that middle-aged white women (specifically) should shut up and stop being such Karen's?

Maybe I've become used to it as a mother of teens? I wouldn't say I'm married to
It. I'm not particularly keen it's a female name it could just as well be Ken afaik.

But the fact that it's not Ken tells you what you need to know.

Sorry to disappoint but my DC have never called me bitch, Karen or anything similar.

We are close and talk about everything which is why I was drawn to this discussion.

I'll bow out now.

Yeah but the guardian hate women who aren't a) poor or b) black. Unless they are doing a 'worthy' job like social worker or nurse. And they especially hate the 'middle classes'. Well the women anyway.

In fact I find that most left wing people (I'm on the middle left on some things more central right on others) hate anyone white with money (hence the raging antisemitism centred around wealthy Jewish people because all Jews are rich surely)?

In fact alongside the hatred of tories I'm finding that the 'kind' party and 'caring' people are neither. You never hear this kind of hatred from the right-ish (as in 99% of conservative voters as the UK right isn't exactly super right).

Intolerance does seem to be the preserve of the left currently, overseen by the good old guardian which is every bit as biased as the daily fail.

Not to be hyperbolic, but that article is a fucking disgrace.

FestiveStrop Maybe I've become used to it as a mother of teens?

I’m 21, so probably could be considered the same generation as your teens. Please do not let them dictate what you find or don’t find offensive. They are not the arbiters of wisdom (probably quite the opposite!)

My “friends” seem to use the term to refer to any middle aged woman on a game show with short hair and a thick accent.

As a woman in education everyone hates me, right or left.
Yes agree that right wing does not equate with evil, but people naturally fall on one side or another for a lot of things (I cannot forgive the conservatives for what they did to education.)
As naturally somewhat left I find my supposed allies are somewhat ghoulish, but many of my opinions clash with even well meaning people on the right.
I am politically homeless.
But now am complaining so probably will get accused of being a Karen soon.

There is no invisible privilege for Karen aged women. It's the smug little shits in their 20s that have the privilege. We have all been there - having middle aged men fawn over us and listen with rapt attention to our drivel because they really really want to shag us.

Don't fucking tell me that women in their 30s and older juggling disrespectful children, bosses and husbands are privileged.

Having said that kicking those further down the chain isn't cool. Instead of allowing yourself to be walked all over and then taking it out on the weaker get strong. Get real power and tell those walking over you to fuck off.

I see it on here a lot. Women with appalling husbands getting arsey on threads. Get pissed off with your shitty husband instead. Don't decide you are going to be 'assertive' when you think it's ok and be a doormat the rest of the time.

Get a decent career and stop putting up with shit at home then maybe you won't want to be a Karen when you are out. Maybe you won't be stressed and sleep deprived if your lazy DH and DC help around the house and treat you with respect.

@TheBuffster I can imagine these are hard times for you at the moment thanks to covid. The conservatives most certainly do not 'hate' teachers or education though. But as a country we spend a lot of money on education and healthcare - more than most. FAR more than most.

Many teachers would love to go and work in places like India helping poor children. Except their economy is almost as big as ours (we have only just overtaken them) so a good look at the world shows very clearly that as a country politically and economically we are extremely left wing and generous. In fact the 'welfare for everyone' is undoing us on the world stage currently.

As another example New Zealand does not have free healthcare. Their education is poor. There are council houses but they are few and far between and NOT for life. Housing is expensive. As is everything else. Taxes are not low. Yet to the left wing it is utopia. With a great PM! But it's not a free lunch and few have more than the basics.

Is the message that we can just never stand up for ourselves?

Yes, of course.

FestiveStrop, with respect, your teens are a very small sample size. I'm going by reports in newspapers, online, youtube videos, etc. I've only ever seen 'Karen' applied to women.