Some of these videos are simply funny, while others have deeper causes. They could be the product of social media’s addiction to video-sharing or they may stem from a toxic myth that women are always misbehaving.
Some Karens report experiencing mental health issues as a result of COVID-19’s stress and the rise of Black Lives Matter, leaving many feeling threatened and uncertain.
1. A White Woman Defacing a Monument
Karens Gone Wrong have become viral sensations with hilarious videos depicting police calling on Black neighbors, Asian Americans bringing the coronavirus to America and police trying to police a delivery driver. Millions of views have been generated by their humorous videos which have also encouraged people to express themselves more openly in public.
A woman in Oregon defaced a monument honoring the only Black member of Lewis and Clark’s expedition during the 1800s, then attempted to justify her behavior by calling herself a “white American.” Last summer, another video posted on TikTok by an unidentified white woman threatened her neighbor with arrest for flying the flag of Winnie The Pooh’s cartoon character across her yard.
This isn’t the first time a white woman has defaced an architectural landmark deemed historically significant. In June, a woman in Mount Tabor Park in Portland, Oregon was photographed spray-painting the base of a monument honoring York – an African slave who helped Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their expedition across America.
The unidentified woman, who was recorded shouting racist slurs at her Black neighbor, expressed her displeasure with the monument replacing a statue of a white man. Her outburst was captured on camera and she has since apologized to the monument owner for what transpired.
It’s an alarming pattern of behavior, one which appears to have its roots in economic disenfranchisement and misogyny. Yet it also expresses the anger, rage, and frustration many Americans experience daily.
Stephanie Younger, 18-year-old activist and editor for Black Feminist Collective, emphasizes that the Karen phenomenon is no joke. It’s a real-world response to racism and classism which disproportionately impacts women of color.
These videos, while entertaining and slacktivism at times, reveal something deeply troubling: that a growing segment of society is willing to impose their privileges on others in pursuit of personal gain.
These videos illustrate how a small group of people can take advantage of their privilege to do things that are unethical and unethical. The reaction has led some to change their names, lose their jobs, and go into hiding – an indication of the growing social-media appetite for naming and shaming. But taking action against these individuals doesn’t always result in real change; oftentimes there is no tangible effect on their behaviour when confronted in real life.
2. A White Woman Getting Arrested
In a world where white privilege is increasingly seen as an act of racism, videos depicting Karens Gone Wrong have become popular cultural trends. They serve to confront the complicated space white women occupy as victims of misogyny and gender discrimination, possessors of privilege and perpetrators of racism.
They’re also an opportunity to highlight the risks of social media, which can amplify people’s anger in public spaces without providing context or a full picture. Critics worry about mass outrage over video clips that compress people’s lives into one moment and leave them vulnerable to doxxing and harassment.
But they also offer an insight into how society can turn its back on those who are often the most vulnerable. In June, a farmers’ market organizer in California resigned after video of her telling a vendor not to hand out LGBTQ+ Pride flags circulated online.
On June 7th, Hayden posted a video to YouTube in which she told Dan Floyd – owner of Dan Good Cookies shop – that it would not be allowed for him to fly his flag in the market due to being gay. As soon as this went viral, Hayden resigned her job at Livermore market in California.
The video is powerful and a prime example of Karens Gone Wrong becoming an internet sensation. It tells a tale of a woman who doesn’t expect dignity or respect as a white woman, yet is willing to use her power and authority as such in order to achieve what she desires.
Stephanie Sebby-Strempel, of Summerville, South Carolina was arrested Monday on charges of third-degree assault in relation to an incident at a community pool. She allegedly harassed and abusing several black teenagers as well as an assortment of police officers.
She was released on a $200,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court for the incident this week.
Video footage of a white woman pulling her dog by the collar at a New York City bar and calling police to report an “African-American man threatening her life” went viral, but this is just the latest in a string of incidents where Karens have been called out for their racist behavior. Other recent examples include her trying to kick her family out of a hotel pool in Miami; police breaking up an end-of-school pool party in Texas; and another woman screaming at customer service staff for delivering an iPhone with damage.
3. A White Woman Calling the Police
Social media has made it more accessible, leading to the emergence of viral videos featuring Karens Gone Wrong – those white women who call the police on Black people for seemingly minor offenses even when they know nothing wrong is being done.
These videos, often with the hashtag “Karen,” have become increasingly popular in recent years despite some criticism of them as sexist or misogynistic. Furthermore, these clips serve as a symbol of the growing gap between White Americans and people of color.
Karen phenomenon emerged out of the internet, where social media amplified conversations that might otherwise go unheard, according to Aram Sinnreich, associate professor of communication at American University in Washington, D.C. However, Aram believes the term has its roots in black American online culture and has been employed as a way to find humor within real-world racism, he adds.
One of the most popular Karen videos, for instance, features a White woman calling the police on a Black woman while they’re walking their dog in Central Park. Although the video has since been taken down from YouTube, it still receives clicks on Twitter and Facebook.
Other Karen videos may be more subtle or private expressions of anger. They may be in response to racial discrimination or other forms of oppression which don’t lend themselves well to being documented on camera.
Karens can sometimes act irrationally. For instance, they might be angry about a store’s social-distancing policy or feel sick and don’t want to go out in public.
These types of interactions take place every day. They can be entertaining to watch, but also frustrating. They indicate an increasing disconnect between White Americans and people of color, leading to unnecessary calls to law enforcement when no actual harm has been done.
These kinds of Karen videos are problematic because they give White Americans the impression that they can control people of color without even realizing it. They illustrate a growing rift between some White Americans and people of color, one which has been further deepened by economic and political changes over recent decades in America.
4. A White Woman Trying to Steal a Package
The Karen phenomenon — in which white women act like they possess moral authority over people of color while condescendingly casting them as victims — persists. Indeed, after a video surfaced last month of one White woman threatening to call the police on her Black neighbor for flying a Tigger flag in her front yard, this phenomenon appears to be back with a vengeance.
It wasn’t the first time a white woman pulled off an “Karen” stunt, but it still garnered millions of views online and earned her the moniker “Karen’s Kaper.” Later that day, video of an unidentified woman walking her dog while threatening a Black dog-walker caught on camera went viral as well, prompting some to refer to her as “Bagel Karen.” Meanwhile in California, a woman accused a Black man of stealing her phone at a mall before he even found it.
Many have noted that these videos highlight a much deeper issue that’s harder to see in real life than on social media: The divide between white Americans and people of color. According to Angela Clemons, author of “The Black Woman’s Guide to the Modern World,” these divisions date back generations and keep us apart.
She emphasizes how these deep divisions have contributed to racial biases and discrimination. These can have an impact on how we relate to each other at work, how our children are educated, and even access healthcare.
What’s worse, these Karens don’t just have a racist agenda; they possess the capacity to create it from nothing. That is why it is critical for us all to be aware of these videos, which become more frequent as social media becomes an ever-more integral part of our daily lives.
Becky Kolbenschlag shared a video of a white woman stealing her Christmas packages on Facebook and received responses from other residents who had experienced similar thefts. Knowing that she wasn’t alone in these thefts has only strengthened her resolve to ensure these incidents never repeat themselves.
