“Karen” is an archetypical middle-aged white woman. She typically sports an asymmetrical bob haircut and prefers speaking directly with managers rather than customer service personnel; she is self-entitled, prudish, pushy, reactionary, and sometimes racist.
Over time, “privileged white woman” has come to symbolize a specific type of middle-class white female who exhibits behaviors stemming from their privilege; such as belittling service industry staff members, opposing vaccination programs and making racist microaggressions.
1. Don’t Take it Personal
Since 2016, online users have witnessed videos featuring women known as Karens that have gone viral, often due to their angry reactions and entitlement. Karens are notorious for their aggressive and rude behavior towards service industry staff, anti-vaccination views and microaggressions against race.
Since 2017, however, “Central Park Karen” has become even more ubiquitous. When Christian Cooper asked a bird-watching woman in Central Park to put her dog on a leash she quickly called 911 for assistance; the video footage quickly went viral, becoming known as the “Central Park Karen.”
This video provoked widespread outrage, leading to its subject’s termination and charges for falsely reporting an incident in the third degree. But its subject has since become used more broadly when white people engage in racist behaviors in public.
Instagram pages like @karensgoingwilds provide one such example, by collecting footage of white women being overt with their entitlement and acting aggressively toward others – such as calling the cops on innocent people, blocking people from leaving parking lots and shouting beyond reason.
These examples have taken over the internet and continue to create uproar, and more are being published every day. From middle-class white women calling police on black neighbors, or wealthy couples pointing guns at protestors passing their home in St Louis; when dealing with Karens there are a few key things you should keep in mind.
Staying calm and neutral are keys to successfully handling any situation and meeting your goals more successfully.
2. Stay Calm
When dealing with Karens, it is best to remain calm and rational. No matter who they’re yelling at – whether that be you directly, or another customer. Staying composed will allow your emotions to remain in check – changing what other people do or say will never happen, only how we respond to them can.
People often become bogged down in life’s chaos, making it hard to find peace and calm when things seem chaotic. However, there are certain quotes which can provide respite from this turmoil and provide the courage necessary for facing any obstacle along your path.
Understanding why Karens are called Karens is also essential.
These individuals believe the world revolves around them and are very self-indulgent. To them, everyone else wearing masks is stupid while they should have complete freedom in doing whatever they please.
Anger and resentment are two very dangerous emotions to indulge in, so the best approach would be to talk to Karen as you would any child, being clear and calm in your communication.
When Karens become frustrated, they will begin shouting and gesticulating as an act of entertainment – they hope this will cause you distress as they attempt to trigger you further.
When this occurs, it’s important to keep in mind that they may be having an outburst of anger and tantruming. Remain calm yet firm but do not engage in debate – rather keep away from being involved!
3. Don’t Get Angry
An important thing to keep in mind is that anger isn’t the only emotion we should consider in life; other feelings such as sadness, compassion and empathy should all play an essential role.
But when feeling angry, it is essential not to let it become uncontrollable. Being angry can lead to feelings of frustration which are both harmful and dangerous for yourself.
Avoid getting angry around Karens as they tend to view you as a threat and use this as an outlet for their hatred. Instead, it is wise not to let your own anger trigger reactions from them.
“Karen” first made an appearance online as an internet meme referring to people who escalate complaints or demands directly to retail or restaurant managers, later becoming used as a general term to refer to anyone being racist or entitled in public settings.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic and protests for racial justice in 2020, this term has taken on new significance; now often used to describe white women engaging in selfish or racist behavior.
These individuals struggle to accept that there are other humans with different views and opinions than them out there, causing their world to crumble further and becoming bitter towards those around them.
As a result, they become very irritated, often becoming disruptive in public or calling the police on other individuals. Such individuals are extremely dangerous and can be an incredible nuisance to others.
5. Tread Lightly
Karen isn’t your average complainer – their irritability, rants, and angry behavior go beyond anything that anyone else might display. Karen wants special treatment; they don’t wish for everyone to treat them the same. Indulgent as well as self-indulgent in nature.
Karen detests everything and everyone that stands in her way – they loathe people who are different than them, government taxes authority figures or anyone not of American heritage – but especially anyone not white American in appearance or appearance. These individuals tend to be extremely unpredictable and untrustworthy and will do whatever is necessary to take control of their life while placing feelings above all else.
There are various strategies you can employ to remain calm when confronted by Karens. One effective tactic for doing this is befriending your neighbors.
These people will help support you when your Karen becomes upset, and are less likely to harass or threaten you in the future.
Another way to tackle hunger when feeling angry is to have something sweet like Snickers to munch on.
Your activity will help you feel better and relax before talking with Karen – especially helpful if they are your parents or other relatives.
Always keep in mind that there will always be people in life that treat you differently, even when being kind. Don’t give these individuals any advantage; they only want a fight, which is far too easy to win compared with how easily other fights go downhill. Don’t allow the likes of Karen spoil your day; try your best to manage them in an adult manner and not allow their anger and irrationality take control.
