Recently, “Karen” has become a common insult directed against annoying white women who complain constantly and demand to speak to management. The stereotype has even found its way into stand-up comedy routines and Reddit memes.
Karen isn’t simply about treating everyone with contempt; she also represents entitlement and racism.
1. They’re obnoxious
Anyone working in customer service or related industries has likely encountered Karens – those unfavorable descriptions given to middle-aged white women with symmetrical bobs who act entitled and complain about everything. Unfortunately, Karens have become the target of memes, prank calls and other unpleasant incidents online; many real Karens feel disenfranchised and targeted as even their names become taboo subjects of ridicule and mockery.
One of the main issues with Karen as a meme is its name itself being seen as sexist; “Karen” has historically been used to refer to male-bodied people, making its use for an older white female is problematic according to Chen. Some have even requested it be banned altogether.
As part of its popularity, Karens are used as an expression of discrimination – with real consequences for those working in service industries. Furthermore, this meme has also become a codeword for racism and classism; “Karens are often used as an insult referring to white women who use their privilege to bully others,” states Attiah. Additionally, its racist origin makes this term particularly troubling during coronavirus pandemic when essential workers oppose social distancing practices or refuse to wear face masks.
Real-life Karens have also been targeted due to how this meme has been misappropriated on social media: Attiah notes that people have used it “to demean or attack other groups, including black people”. Customer service representatives or service-based industries workers tend to be particularly susceptible to such abuse, making it important for companies to establish clear policies regarding how employees should address customers.
Establishing contracts with your clients can help prevent conflicts by setting expectations from the get-go. This will lower the chance of conflicts arising, giving you something tangible to refer back to if things turn sour later on.
2. They’re racist
Karen is a code word for racism; it refers to white women engaging in prejudicial behavior against Black people and its popularity is an indicator of its power in today’s climate of race relations. Sadia Azmat interrogated this phenomenon in a recent episode of BBC Sounds podcast No Country For Young Women when asking two white women whether or not they identify as “Karens”, prompting their snide responses as evidence that its reach had gone too far.
Karen memes have become a favorite way of mocking boomer-aged women who call the police on Black people for minor indiscretions, such as chalking “Black Lives Matter” on their building. Additionally, these memes show just how accepted profiling has become in our culture and its negative ramifications for communities.
As a result, Karen has come to be seen as an insult based on its name alone and has even been likened to using the “n-word.” However, Asanti Attiah of The Root notes that such comparisons fail to account for more severe forms of discrimination and violence beyond labeling someone racist.
And Karen is not only racist; it is also sexist. Not only does it refer to women; it suggests they are acting irrationally or exhibit other derogatory traits often associated with females. Women have long endured derogatory names and labels directed towards them – it should come as no surprise that some might take offense at being called Karen when applied to white women demonstrating an excessive sense of entitlement or a lack of empathy towards others.
There’s also a culture of demeaning white women in popular culture through alliterative nicknames, from Barbecue Becky and Golfcart Gail to Permit Patty and Cornerstore Carol – these alliterative names highlight how white privilege enables certain women to socially police their neighbors.
3. They’re sexist
The popularity of this meme raises serious concerns over how the term Karen is being utilized. Many who use “Karen” to refer to hectoring white women may be using this language dehumanize them by ridiculing and trivializing their actions, dehumanizing them as individuals while using this type of derogatory terminology as an alternative to more offensive racial slurs like the N-word.
As a business owner, it is your duty to ensure that employees understand that jokes about Karens (particularly ones depicting them as pushy and entitled middle-aged women) are unacceptable in the workplace. Such jokes may violate both Illinois Human Rights Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act while damaging employee morale and leading to higher employee turnover rates. Furthermore, jokes about Karens may also be ageist; such comments often target older employees.
As important as it is to call out this type of behavior, it’s also crucial not to overemphasise its connection to sexism in Karen incidents. Numerous studies have demonstrated that women are more likely than men to be perceived as Karens due to an abundance of female customer service employees.
Researchers conducted a study published in Bionic that involved identifying real names of complainers and determining which female complainers displayed behaviors most common of Karen-like complainers. After that analysis was complete, their behaviors were further studied to discover where most of their activity and complaints took place – ultimately concluding that most Karens were named Karen, Becky, Lisa or Emma.
These women were more likely to complain about customer service, retail stores and restaurants; less often about banking, automotive or insurance services; as well as more likely to report crimes and have children.
Many have challenged the reliability and conclusions of this study and its findings, with many noting how Karens appear disproportionately targeted as part of a larger issue with sexism and privilege in corporate environments. Furthermore, it fails to account for complaints against male employees as well as concerns from women themselves regarding sexism or entitlement in the work place.
4. They’re abusive
Karens thrive on creating drama and chaos in both the workplace and on the street, which can make them extremely challenging to deal with as a business owner. Their manipulative behaviour allows them to control situations or use their privilege to bully others into submission – it is therefore crucial that businesses train their staff on how to identify these types of customers.
Corporate Karens can be difficult to manage. Here are a few strategies to make dealing with them more manageable for all involved: (1) Keep calm – they often want to irritate you so it is wise not to give in to unreasonable demands from Corporate Karens but try understanding her point of view and rationalizing with them instead.
Another key tip for workplace harassment prevention is never telling Karen jokes. Though they may seem harmless enough at first glance, such remarks can be deeply insulting to the recipient of such jokes and could result in hostile work environment claims or violations under state human rights legislation. If in doubt, always check whether it’s okay before proceeding.
Businesses can better prepare themselves for encounters with Karen by having policies in place to deal with this type of encounter. For instance, some companies have implemented policies requiring advance notice for cancellations and no-shows so the business won’t end up footing the bill for unexpected no-shows while customers still have time to find alternative solutions.
Though Karen was initially used to refer only to white women, anyone can become one at any time. Now it has come to define an entitled, rude and abusive individual with a sense of privilege who threatens calling the police over minor matters – an trend which has intensified during COVID-19 outbreak as stressed-out people become more likely to act out publicly and on social media.
