If you’ve ever worked in the service industry, there’s a good chance that you have encountered your share of “Karens.”
Karen is a middle-aged White woman with an A-line haircut who’s quick to become angry and demands to speak to the manager. They represent the sexist, classist menace which service workers have come to fear.
Origins
The Karen Meme has been around since at least 2014. It’s a popular social media trend that highlights white women who exhibit behaviors indicative of privilege – they demand to “speak to the manager,” belittle working-class staff members, and are often anti-vaxxers.
The origins of the Karen Meme are debated. Some claim it started as a Reddit “speak to the manager” meme in 2014, while others believe it stems from an 1989 gangster film.
Over the past two years, Karen Meme has become a widely used term to ridicule those who act in ways which are both sexist and racist. Examples include a woman complaining about a young water seller or calling the police on a black dad at a football game.
Karen Meme examples have spurred recent legislation in the US that would make it a hate crime to call police for a racially-exploitative non-emergency. According to University of Southern California assistant professor of journalism Jacqueline Richardson, these laws are being proposed in several states.
In 2020, during a widespread coronavirus outbreak, the Karen Meme spread online and quickly gained notoriety as an expression for white women who engaged in behavior that was perceived as selfish or racist. They were labeled “Permit Patty,” “Central Park Karen,” “BBQ Becky,” and even “Golfcart Gail.”
Karen Meme fans also have access to “Ken,” which is a male version of the original meme. However, Ken hasn’t quite gained as much traction as its male counterpart.
The Karen Meme has caused much debate on social media, prompting many to question its misogynistic roots. Some claimed Karen was an offensive slur that should be banned, while others insisted the name served to call attention to white privilege.
These arguments have been overshadowed by a larger issue: Karen has become a name that has been disgraced on the internet. Most Karens feel their names have been defiled and wish people would stop misusing them.
Characteristics
The Karen Meme is a viral social media trend that has seen videos of women screaming at people in public. These videos often depict the woman in an uncomfortable situation, grilling an employee about their work or angrily confronting a manager because she didn’t get her way.
According to researcher Allissa Richardson, the popularity of the Karen Meme is due to several factors. Karen is a popular name among middle-aged white women which lends it an apt metaphor for someone who feels disempowered and whose behavior may be seen as insensitive or even violent.
As such, the Karen Meme has become a platform for social commentary and satire about class and race in our society. It also served as inspiration for new legislation such as California’s “Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies” Act.
At a recent Berkman Klein Center event, Allissa Richardson and Jennifer Williams from the University of Michigan’s communication and media department discussed how the Karen Meme is representative of how systems of racial inequality are embedded into everyday culture. They also discussed how this slang term can be useful for drawing attention to important issues like retaliation or harassment in workplaces.
Karens often display a self-entitled attitude, believing that they are better than everyone else and should have the upper hand. This leads to both admiration of oneself and disinterest in others.
Karen stereotypes often feature this trait, such as Cersei from Game of Thrones. Unfortunately, this inflated sense of self-importance can lead to actions which are detrimental and illegal – like screaming at the police when she has an issue with someone who looks different than she does.
Karen can get away with some of these behaviors by capitalizing on her privilege as a white middle-aged woman. Unfortunately, this type of privileged conduct can be particularly hazardous for minorities and other marginalized groups since it often serves to intimidate them into silence or fear.
Social impact
No doubt the Karen Meme has its share of racist connotations, yet its success is testament to how social media can be used as a vehicle to address systemic racism. Unfortunately, its success has also fostered much online shaming and criticism which may feel cathartic and serve as an effective form of social justice.
In the United States, several factors have contributed to an uptick in racial tensions and violence between white and black Americans. Not only has COVID-19 struck a blow to both communities, but there has also been more focus placed on Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests as well as conversations around police brutality and inequality at national levels.
These issues have been further compounded by the recession, job losses, lockdowns and furloughs which has left many White Americans feeling vulnerable and threatened. This has culminated in an increase in racist incidents such as Karens.
Apryl Williams, a faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, believes that the Karen Meme’s popularity can be attributed to rising resentments against white privilege and entitlement that have arisen as a result of these crises. These feelings come from disillusionment with both political and economic power structures in America, according to Apryl.
Williams views the Karen Meme as an extension of white supremacy and a form of subtle racism rooted in certain ideas about race. She describes it as an invisible white picket fence that white people construct around their neighborhoods, serving to restrict other people’s freedom to move about freely.
She believes it is racialized fear which prompts white women to call the cops on Black neighbors who are doing nothing wrong. The video of Amy Cooper calling the cops on Chris Cooper for walking in Central Park a few years ago served as perhaps the most public example of this yet.
Reactions
The Karen Meme has become increasingly popular across the internet, gaining attention in both social media and news media outlets for its discussion of white women who display behaviours based on privilege. These can include a range of actions which could be considered inappropriate or harmful.
Over the past two years, Karen has become a commonly-used term to denote women who are perceived as entitled in public. It has been associated with behaviors such as being overly demanding with those who cannot fulfill their demands, calling the police for what they perceive to be non-emergencies, and engaging in racist microaggressions like asking black people to touch their hair or making comments about African American health.
Though initially created as a joke, the Karen Meme has since gained notoriety among many. One 17-year-old redditor even created Fuck_You_Karen, which quickly went viral. He started it to compile all of the lore behind the account and soon thousands had joined in.
When the video of Amy Cooper calling the police on a man who asked her to leash his dog in Central Park went viral, it brought Karen into the public spotlight. It sparked many emotions such as anger, rage and racial outrage.
The video spurred a series of online incidents where “Karens” were referenced, such as when a woman coughed on patrons at her bagel shop and another who called the police on her neighbor for chalking “Black Lives Matter” on his property. These acts served to remind people of white people’s role in racial profiling, harassment and violence against people of color.
Karen Meme inspired several new laws against racism in America, such as California’s “Caren” Act which makes it illegal to call police for non-emergencies based on race. These initiatives are often inspired by Karen Meme’s impact and can serve as effective tools for raising awareness about racial injustice and inspiring action on matters affecting marginalized communities.
