Recently, a study examined 256 video clips featuring Karen figures to uncover their potential for inciting feelings of aggression and racial exploitation. Author Allissa Richardson discussed her research at Berkman Klein during an event hosted by assistant professor Sara Williams from the Department of Communication and Media at Berkman Klein.
These videos also created a new kind of “Karen figure,” one that’s more controversial and potentially harmful than its traditional counterparts. These are the racist, entitled Karens whose behavior was so outrageous it brought national attention to the problem they pose in society.
1. The Racist
On October 10, a video surfaced online that showed an outright racist white woman screaming at a Black man for allegedly taking her dog. Her 69-second encounter brought attention to an increasingly dangerous trend of white women who racially profile, call the police on Black neighbors, and threaten others for minor infractions.
This woman is the archetypal Karen figure, an emblematic figure of white entitlement that has recently gained notoriety as an online meme. With its increasing use as cultural shorthand for social policing in the wake of COVID-19, there has been a sweeping reexamination of its implications.
Recently, the Karen has evolved from being a jab at white entitlement into an emblematic representation of racial inequality. At a Berkman Klein Center event on Internet & Society on March 7, Apryl Williams — a faculty associate at the University of Michigan — deconstructed how these cartoonish figures function within modern culture and how they can elicit complex and pernicious racial dynamics.
Williams noted that the Karen figure symbolizes many of the systems of racial inequality which have enabled violent confrontations to become so commonplace today. These systems include institutional racism, white supremacy and systemic discrimination against people of color.
On the downside, Black people in America face an alarmingly high rate of violence against them. These acts of extrajudicial lethality often stem from white people’s mistaken belief that they can use their privilege to enforce an unfair and discriminatory racial hierarchy.
This false sense of entitlement can manifest as self-absorption and social policing, or it could simply indicate a lack of accountability.
Therefore, white women often get labeled the “Karen” by their Black neighbors for calling the police on them for doing nothing more than being themselves. Thus, Karens become important cultural icons that enable and empower racialized, deviant behaviors.
2. The Entitled
The Entitled is a film that relies heavily on comedy, which does not always work as well as it should. Additionally, it attempts to be romantic comedy but fails miserably. Overall, The Entitled isn’t an especially great film and will only keep you engaged for a brief time before it fades away.
Throughout the movie, Belinda (Gonzaga) often displays poor manners and lacks social graces. You just want to smack her in the face and tell her, “Stop!”
She occasionally shows some tact, but most of the time her behavior is simply too naive. She doesn’t understand how to properly communicate with other people and that shows in her interactions.
Belinda and Jacob face a formidable obstacle with this new relationship: not only must she manage all the usual pressures of dating a high-class man, but she must also learn how to take care of herself and assert her rights. This presents Belinda with an enormous challenge.
She must confront her issues with racism and white entitlement in order to navigate this journey successfully. It won’t be an easy road; this journey will require a considerable amount of time.
She must learn how to control her anger and find strength within herself to overcome life’s struggles. At first, this may be difficult for her; however, as her confidence grows and she learns how to stand up for herself more assertively, it will become easier for her to cope with obstacles as they come her way.
Belinda must overcome her struggles and strive to become more like her step-sister Emira. This requires that she shed some of the negative traits from her past life and begin cultivating a more optimistic outlook.
She must fight her feelings of entitlement and do her best to be more accepting of others. However, this will be a challenging task given that she is naive and struggles with low self-esteem. Accepting help and breaking away from bad habits from her past lifestyle could prove more challenging than expected.
3. The Activist
An activist is an individual or group that advocates for a cause, such as fighting poverty or environmental concerns.
When one thinks of “activist”, images of picket lines, protests and mass movements for social and political change come to mind. These images have their roots in labour history but remain memorable due to their often visible, dramatic actions taken to advance their cause.
Activists typically achieve their objectives through nonviolent tactics, commonly referred to as “direct action.” Some take action only to influence policies (for instance, gun control campaigns), while others work toward larger changes like changing families or treating non-human animals with dignity.
Other types of activism involve challenging power structures in society, advocating for alternative economic models, and championing specific business strategies. Unfortunately, these types of endeavors typically demand a substantial amount of time, money, and effort which may not be sustainable over time.
Another form of activism involves shareholders who purchase stock in companies they perceive to be undervalued, and pressure management to give more cash back or eliminate divisions driving down share prices. While this type of activism usually results in a temporary rise of stock value, it can weaken a company’s long-term competitive position and often involves high-leverage financing structures which could put it at risk during financial downturns.
Some activists excel in their jobs and often become leaders within the activist movement or group they belong to. These individuals can take on many roles such as spokespersons, role models, strategists, and theorists.
These types of activists tend to have an in-depth knowledge of the issues they are passionate about. For instance, if an environmental activist is worried about global water shortages, she will likely gain valuable insight into how corporate globalization affects our planet and why more government action is needed to safeguard it.
4. The Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest in a string of large disease outbreaks that have devastated global health, economic and social infrastructures. It has brought to light the potential threat of an international pandemic and exposed countries’ lack of preparedness for such emergencies.
As the COVID-19 pandemic intensified, there was widespread fear and panic around the world. This contributed to vaccine hesitancy as well as increased isolation – both known to have detrimental effects on disease prevention efforts.
Despite public fears and anxieties, the pandemic was managed and controlled in many parts of the world. Vaccines were administered to affected individuals and their contacts along with non-pharmaceutical interventions like handwashing, cough etiquette and use of face masks.
Although these measures proved successful, they couldn’t stop the pandemic from spreading quickly. It soon infected millions around the world and caused significant economic disruption – including losses of several billion dollars (Hussein et al., 2020).
Pandemics typically begin in a few countries or regions and then spread. When cases do not increase and do not spread into new areas, a pandemic is considered endemic – or it can become endemic when present within one population but hasn’t affected others yet.
World Health Organization defines a pandemic as an unexpected increase in the number of those affected or new cases occurring within an area. It could also be caused by human-to-human transmission or by the emergence of an entirely new disease not related to existing illnesses.
Though it is impossible to predict the outcome of a pandemic, governments and public information systems can play an important role in shaping its course. One such action is distributing stockpiled drugs and implementing strategies for disease control.
Particularly COVID-19, which was linked to a lab leak in China. Although it remains uncertain if this occurred or not, many experts believe that it did.
