Karens can become entitled due to their privilege and social standing. They may expect preferential treatment from store employees or teachers and become frustrated if this doesn’t materialize.
Their entitled behavior is frequently mocked on social media and viral videos, such as this example featuring Karen who demanded to see her manager during a coronavirus pandemic.
What makes someone a Karen?
Have you heard the term Karen before? This online nickname refers to white women who behave in an arrogant or entitled manner. First introduced as an online meme in 2014, Karen quickly gained popularity due to her trademark asymmetrical bob and penchant for demanding to speak to management when dissatisfied. Over time, this trend has translated into real life as middle-aged women react excessively over trivial matters they would ordinarily brush aside or ignore.
There are a few key traits that define an entitled Karen, many of which stem from her sense of privilege and inability to comprehend or consider other people’s perspectives. According to experts interviewed by Yahoo Life, such characteristics include an inflated ego, lack of empathy and self-awareness as well as inability to see how her actions impact others.
Entitlement can spread like wildfire, so it is crucial that we acknowledge when someone acts entitled and is negatively impacting those around them. If a family member or friend regularly throws fits in public spaces, now may be the time to talk with them about their behavior and suggest ways they could be more patient and respectful towards other people.
Behaviour that borders on entitled can be hard to change, but you can shift your perspective and learn how to treat others more kindly and with more empathy. Surround yourself with supportive people who encourage your best self and don’t let any slippage of negative behaviors occur.
Karen became a viral term in 2020 due to several incidents involving white women displaying entitled behavior that made headlines, most notably Central Park Karen who called the police on a Black man for birdwatching during a coronavirus pandemic in Manhattan park. Other Karens became viral for behaviors such as coughing on bagel shop customers or trying to reserve parking spots.
How do you tell if someone is a Karen?
Karens may be difficult to recognize if you are unfamiliar with them, as they typically exhibit entitlement behavior and can be hard on those around them. Karens also use false victimhood tactics as a way of getting their way – they may cry or pretend they’ve been victimized by something when in reality they were usually the one responsible.
According to a 2020 study, entitled behavior is often indicative of grandiose narcissism – a personality trait which includes believing in oneself, demanding special privileges and preoccupying with protecting rights. People such as Karens typically display all signs of grandiose narcissism which can be toxic for those around them.
Some key characteristics of a Karen include thinking she is better than everyone else, acting superior to others, demanding special privileges and calling the police for seemingly no valid reason – such as calling them on a black family barbecuing at their community pool for violating quarantine rules. She will make sure her voice is heard regardless of its legitimacy.
Entitlement behavior affects people of any gender, race or age; however, in recent years the term Karen has gained in popularity as a way of labeling privileged white women who use their status to act rude and entitled; further, social media provides them with an outlet to reinforce this sense of entitlement.
Real-life Karens have taken exception to how popularly the term has become a meme, finding the name offensive and even hurtful, even if they do not believe it is being used as an offensive slur. According to CNN reports, real Karens find this term offensive and sometimes avoid speaking up when their views are made known; others avoid speaking up altogether because it could cause them to avoid speaking up against those making disparaging remarks when someone knows they’re also Karen.
What do you do when you encounter a Karen?
Karens can be dangerous creatures, but with proper preparation you can survive an encounter with one. First learn to identify Karens in the wild. These unique subspecies of human are easily identified by their strong sense of entitlement and propensity for demanding to speak directly with management; as well as an ability to escalate minor inconveniences into full-scale catastrophes. Karens often appear in public places such as fast food restaurants, shopping malls and Facebook discussion groups.
When encountering Karens, it’s essential to remember that they cannot be reasoned with. Their worldview is completely irrational and she has no regard for other’s feelings or needs; her vision of the world only serves her own agenda. By detaching yourself emotionally from their emotional terrorism, you may be able to find common ground and reason with them.
If you are struggling to break away from Karen’s emotional grip, the best course of action may be simply leaving the area. This will allow you to regain control and avoid an out-of-control meltdown. If this is not an option for you, try distracting her by making light of her behavior; telling her you hear beautiful harmonies in what she’s singing may deflect irrational accusations and encourage laughter in lieu of fighting or making accusations about your personality; perhaps making light of things might defuse the situation
Finally, it’s essential to remember that Karen is neither victim nor perpetrator of sexist and oppressive behaviors. In contrast with gendered insults like Becky and Chad, Karen first emerged online culture memes as a way to satirize problematic behavior and call out problematic actions by individuals or groups. When used properly, Karen can be an effective way of calling attention to gender-based inequalities and injustices.
Next time you encounter Karen, remember to remain calm and remain armed. With the right knowledge and tools at your disposal, you can successfully negotiate an encounter without being overcome by her unreasonable rage and entitled entitlement.
How do you deal with an entitled Karen?
When encountering Karen, it’s best to remain calm. Her aim is to wear you down with demands until you give in just so she’ll go away, so staying composed will help avoid saying anything you may regret later.
Keep your business policies in order and ready to reference. Karens often try to pressure you into providing services against your company policies – such as giving her discounts or free services – which is something your policies can help with by reminding her she agreed to those terms when signing her contract.
Additionally, it’s crucial that your cancellation policy be ready to use when necessary. Karens can often cancel last-minute or just not show up to appointments scheduled, costing money and leading to negative reviews on Google or online posts about your business. Having a clearly communicated cancellation policy in place can prevent such situations from ever happening and deter entitled Karens from trying to take advantage of you.
Should a Karen come your way, having positive reviews and feedback from past clients can provide solid proof that your business truly is awesome, helping to counter her claims that yours is subpar. With PocketSuite’s smart campaigns feature, happy clients can automatically be sent an invite link so they can leave Google reviews!
