Can we please stop misusing the name "Karen"?

Welcome to Wondercafe2!

A community where we discuss, share, and have some fun together. Join today and become a part of it!

Register Log in
Status
Not open for further replies.
(Possible history of the meme in question?

Karen | Slang | Dictionary.com

Karen is a slang term often used to describe a middle-aged women who is perceived as obnoxious, angry, and entitled, particularly in situations involving public interactions. The stereotype associated with Karen is often a women with a blond bob haircut who frequently asks to speak to retail and...
www.dictionary.com www.dictionary.com

And bless Mr. Cooper. These Karen haters can learn a lot from his lived experience.
Case Against Amy Cooper Lacks Key Element: Victim’s Cooperation

#MutualAid
#BeNotAfraid
#SystemicWhimsey
#JoyPrivilege
 
Last edited:
I once did a church presentation on the topic of who'd be Kare 'n outside the edifice when daily life seems to encourage aggression, etc. as:

Mocking is often a way to silence and demean. ​
​
Thus the 3 monkey rule of silence, blindness and deafened conditionings in the rackets going on in the alternate agenda's.

If complacent will the one's of fiery tongues advance as soap washed kerygma ... thar chi blows ...
 
Luce NDs said:
I once did a church presentation on the topic of who'd be Kare 'n outside the edifice when daily life seems to encourage aggression, etc. as:

Mocking is often a way to silence and demean. ​
​
Thus the 3 monkey rule of silence, blindness and deafened conditionings in the rackets going on in the alternate agenda's.

If complacent will the one's of fiery tongues advance as soap washed kerygma ... thar chi blows ...
Click to expand...
Do the same rules apply to mocking the systemic oppressor? (I think, no they don’t, that’s the point.) Does it silence? Maybe it should.
 
Northwind said:
To be clear, the behaviour that gets a person labelled "Karen" is not okay. I do not think anyone here is disputing that. And yes we all need to check ourselves for such behaviours. Each of us here is capable of behaving badly and of changing for the better. The issue is the use of the name Karen to describe it.
Click to expand...
I dispute that. Have you seen the type of behaviour that labels people that way?
Trying to keep food safe that's going to the food bank.
Standing up to racism.
Making complaints because they are issues and attempting (and sometimes succeeding) with getting them resolved.
Yes, privilege is involved but many of these things greatly affect those who are at a disadvantage.

I'm fed up with the sexist rhetoric. Want change? Try to do something about it we're told.
When white women do that, within the rules, without violence what happens? They are bitchy. they are entitled, they are whiners. They get lumped in with an insult that defines a demographic used as a slur.

Maybe we need more bitchy whiny women actually doing something. Speaking up. Demanding to be f***ing heard.
If white women are going to do that I'm not going to throw insults their way.
 
ChemGal said:
I dispute that. Have you seen the type of behaviour that labels people that way?
Trying to keep food safe that's going to the food bank.
Standing up to racism.
Making complaints because they are issues and attempting (and sometimes succeeding) with getting them resolved.
Yes, privilege is involved but many of these things greatly affect those who are at a disadvantage.

I'm fed up with the sexist rhetoric. Want change? Try to do something about it we're told.
When white women do that, within the rules, without violence what happens? They are bitchy. they are entitled, they are whiners. They get lumped in with an insult that defines a demographic used as a slur.

Maybe we need more bitchy whiny women actually doing something. Speaking up. Demanding to be f***ing heard.
If white women are going to do that I'm not going to throw insults their way.
Click to expand...
No we don’t need bitchy demanding white women complaining to the manager about god damn minutiae because they’re being spoiled little jerks who can’t wrap their heads around this stuff, nor any complaints about them! That’s not defensible. If they’re offended by calling out that behaviour with a joke, they need to grow the f*** up. Men or women need to stand up to real injustice, yes. They don’t need to be constantly making it about them, though. You, me, they, all of us. We all have work to do.
 
Last edited:
Kimmio Laughterlove said:
No we don’t need bitchy demanding white women complaining to the manager about god damn minutiae because they’re being spoiled little jerks who can’t wrap their heads around this stuff, nor any complaints about them! If they’re offended they need to grow the f*** up. Men or women need to stand up to real injustice. They don’t need to be constantly making it about them, though. You, me, they, all of us.
Click to expand...
Some of us actually get things changed instead of just venting where nothing happens. Quite a bit of what the 'Karens' do is about injustice.
It's not just about minutiae.
 
If it's about real injustice, it's not being a Karen. And if women are being strong enough to stand up to real injustice, they're not going to be too fragile about mistakenly being called a Karen.
 
ChemGal said:
I dispute that. Have you seen the type of behaviour that labels people that way?
Click to expand...

Did you read my entire post? I am in no way condoning the behaviours that lead to the label "Karen". What I am saying is that we can challenge that we can stand up to that behaviour by naming it instead of calling those who act that way by a so called fun and cute name.


ChemGal said:
Maybe we need more bitchy whiny women actually doing something. Speaking up. Demanding to be f***ing heard.
If white women are going to do that I'm not going to throw insults their way.
Click to expand...

I agree. We do need to stand up to bad behaviours.
 
Northwind said:
Did you read my entire post? I am in no way condoning the behaviours that lead to the label "Karen". What I am saying is that we can challenge that we can stand up to that behaviour by naming it instead of calling those who act that way by a so called fun and cute name.




I agree. We do need to stand up to bad behaviours.
Click to expand...
Being whiny and entitled is not the way.
 
Kimmio Laughterlove said:
Being whiny and entitled is not the way.
Click to expand...

Oh for f***s sake, let me try again.

Being whiny and entitled is not the way. I agree. What I am saying, yet again is, using a label like "Karen" is not calling it out. Suggesting that is a joke is not calling it out. Name the behaviour, not the person.
 
It's become a term for the generic entitled white woman over many decades. Considering the 400 years of oppression black people endured in the US and elsewhere, and the systemic and blatant racism that effects their lives profoundly, it doesn't matter if it hurts your feelings a bit that the name Karen is used.
 
Northwind said:
Oh for f***s sake, let me try again.

Being whiny and entitled is not the way. I agree. What I am saying, yet again is, using a label like "Karen" is not calling it out. Suggesting that is a joke is not calling it out. Name the behaviour, not the person.
Click to expand...
It's a placeholder/ symbol for the behaviour - it's got an agreed upon meaning that's easily accessible/ understandable across demographics, in one word. It does work. We're conscious enough about it to be arguing about it, so it's working.
 
Kimmio Laughterlove said:
If it's about real injustice, it's not being a Karen. And if women are being strong enough to stand up to real injustice, they're not going to be too fragile about mistakenly being called a Karen.
Click to expand...
Anytime a white woman between a certain age is acting somewhere between being a doormat and protesting she's being called a Karen.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top