Karen is the annoying white woman who’s notorious for calling 911 or demanding to speak with the manager over seemingly small transgressions, such as calling up Starbucks’ customer service on her cell phone for calling them over their latte orders or demanding to speak to management over trivial infractions. Although Karen may seem like just another meme or growing phenomenon, it is an actual person.
Pop culture Karens often fall under three broad categories: Barbecue Becky, Golfcart Gal and Permit Patty are just three examples that stand out as officious, rude and entitled characters.
Why Is It a Bad Thing?
Internet posts abound with stories of people with the name Karen acting rudely or inappropriately in public spaces, whether that means coughing on other patrons at a bagel shop or calling the cops on a Black neighbor who wrote “Black Lives Matter” in chalk on their driveway – typically, Karens are unscrupulous white women who behave in such ways and should be avoided as much as possible.
Karens are not just nuisances – they represent an obstacle to society’s progress. Due to them, many individuals don’t wear masks or quarantine themselves during pandemic outbreaks and many essential workers hesitate to report neighbors who fail to wear protective gear such as masks on social media sites like Nextdoor.
Karens can be particularly dangerous because they’re unaware of how their actions impact others. This slang term first came into use in the early 2000s as an insult directed at strident middle-class white women who talked down to people of color working as waitstaff at restaurants or other businesses; one meme popular during 2008 presidential election depicted such women as “Karens.” Reddit then gave it its own subreddit (r/FuckYouKaren).
As the concept of Karen has expanded over time, it now refers to more than just white women perceived to be acting entitled in public; rather it now encompasses an industry of books, workshops, and consulting services designed to educate white women on their role within power structures.
Even though some women labeled Karens are guilty of racist comments or behavior, most do not fit this mold and it would be unfair to elevate their behavior by using that label. Instead, we should examine why this form of conduct occurs so frequently and take steps to combat it.
As we’ll soon see, the answer lies not with racism but an underlying culture of privilege and entitlement in our society. To combat it effectively, we need to alter how we think about gender, power and relationships among us.
It’s a Symbol of White Privilege
The “Karen” meme typically depicts offensive, racist or difficult white women with an exaggerated sense of entitlement who display antisocial behaviors such as social distancing or wearing masks in public settings. Karens often refuse to comply with public health measures like distancing social groups or wearing masks and demand special privileges like shopping at certain stores or riding at the front of buses; oftentimes their behaviors can even be offensive or damaging; many cases notwithstanding they cannot perceive that they have done anything offensive or hurtful;
During the Covid-19 pandemic, many of these women began being called out by their peers on social media for their rude and entitled behavior. Although calling out these actions is important, using nicknames like Karen or Ken can make holding offenders accountable difficult; furthermore it trivializes their actions making them seem less significant than they actually are.
Karen is an outdated and demeaning label used to represent older women. While it was once popular, reaching its zenith in 1965 before falling out of use after only 12 years. Jokes about using Karen reinforce the perception that older women do not value in society resulting in feelings of marginalization and oppression among these individuals.
Another issue with the “Karen” meme is its normalization of anti-blackness. When these women act rudely or call the police on Black people, they’re seen as typical Karens by others online and laughed at – leading to real consequences in real life for these women.
As such, Karen has become a symbol of white privilege that is used to ridicule and discriminate against people of color. We must address both racism and misogyny behind this phenomenon as well as its classism root cause by not using Karen to mock people of color – as doing so would only further erode their sense of dignity – but by finding more apt descriptions for obnoxious, racist behavior occurring around us.
It’s a Symbol of White Guilt
White women often stand accused of using their privilege to exploit and discriminate against people of color, but Karen has become a symbol for another type of prejudice: one in which an entitled, racist woman unaware of how her actions can be perceived as offensive or harmful even if that wasn’t her intent is seen as problematic by society.
Karen has become a meme associated with older women who appear out-of-touch with younger generations, such as Generation Z or Gen Z-ers. Furthermore, it encapsulates many boomer attitudes toward gender, sexuality and youth culture generally. Recent examples include CrinkleLuvinASMR on YouTube or New York woman who called police on birdwatcher in Central Park who witnessed her taking advantage of privilege to discriminate against people of color.
The Karen meme has proliferated virally, becoming an instant cultural symbol. Her recognizable face and relatable traits make her easy to identify as someone with off-putting or off-putting behavior – it has even inspired the creation of books, workshops and consulting services dedicated to helping individuals identify their own “Karen” traits.
However, labeling anyone–particularly white women–with the name Karen can cause more harm than good. The use of memes that glorify Karen distract from its racist and arrogant character and may foster more narrow-minded attitudes among people unaware that their privilege or ignorance might harm others.
Karen has become a symbol for white fragility that can be used against marginalized groups, making her name an insult and an example of white fragility that needs to be called out unashamedly in our communities. Instead of accepting their stereotypes as legitimate truths about our communities and ourselves, we need to call out these behaviors without shame or hesitation if seen occurring among members.
It’s a Symbol of White Discrimination
At first, this meme was used as a way of criticizing older white women; however, over time its meaning became much more grave. By 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic spread and the racial justice movement expanded, “Karen” took on new meaning: it became an epithet used to identify white women engaging in exploitative behaviors such as calling 911 for non-emergencies or reopening casinos without social distancing, or publicly coughing upon crowds at bagel shops without social distancing; in some instances such behaviors are even criminal acts themselves.
Karen is often depicted as an impure, self-absorbed individual who disregards the pain and suffering of others. She uses her privilege as an opportunity for her own gain; many white women have taken to using Karen as an identity marker, making this meme contrary to its original intent and should be condemned accordingly.
Even though most Karens do not act in an explicitly racist fashion, they remain visible symbols of racial oppression. The Karen myth serves as a way of depicting Black people as dangerous while depicting white people as trustful and caring – playing into subconscious fears about Black people while reinforcing an idea that “whiteness” is superior.
The Karen trope provides some whites with an opportunity to justify their prejudices, leading them to believe racism is caused by semi-hysterical, possibly mentally unstable white people ranting on the margins. White people can use this meme as justification for ignoring or dismissing racism when it doesn’t directly impact them; racism only becomes a problem when it affects them directly.
No matter its source, Karen has become an oppressive term and should be eliminated. Calling women with the name Karen “Karen” can be deeply hurtful and embarrassing; often the meme accompanying such comments has an image depicting a middle-aged white woman alongside it as evidence.
