There are various strategies you can employ to protect your emotional well-being when confronted by an angry Karen. Anger can serve as an honorable source of strength and self-definition when directed appropriately.
However, controlling Karen’s fury does not come easy and requires considerable thought and practice to successfully handle.
1. Don’t Take It Personal
When dealing with Karens, it is essential not to take their behavior personally – they are simply an extension of themselves and should not be taken personally. This goes for both business owners and employees. If you can’t separate your feelings from that of an angry Karen, blame and frustration could quickly follow suit; to break out of this cycle of blame and frustration it’s essential not allowing their behavior affect you directly. To take back control and break free, step back – rather let their behavior move them along instead!
As a business owner, you can ensure your organization is prepared for an inevitable Karen encounter by creating an effective complaints procedure. This could involve setting up an online form, phone number or even dedicated software dedicated to tracking complaints; this way you’ll know exactly when customers have made them and may help avoid one-star Google reviews and social media backlash that could otherwise arise unexpectedly.
Additionally, you should ensure that customer complaints are dealt with in a timely fashion. If a customer doesn’t hear back quickly from you when making their inquiry, they may assume you don’t care about their experience and continue their complaining spree. Instead, responding professionally and timely means denying their request or not fulfilling it if possible.
Prepare yourself for the possibility of Karen backlash as well. She could take out her anger on the internet by writing negative reviews or creating offensive videos for TikTok.
Although “Karen” is most often applied to certain women, it can also refer to anyone who displays overly critical and demanding behavior toward others. This behavior can be problematic in workplace environments and it’s essential that workers keep this behavior in perspective. It should never become normalized.
Keep in mind that Karens can often show signs of anger and irritation due to an underlying mental condition. For example, calling the police on people jogging and blocking cars in a parking lot likely indicates she is functioning abnormally and requires help from mental health professionals. Keep this in mind so you know these situations aren’t about you and seek professional guidance as soon as possible for this person’s wellbeing.
2. Don’t Let It Get to You
Recent headlines have highlighted the Karen meme, creating both interest and controversy. Although Karens can be difficult to deal with, what may surprise some is just how accurately their behavior reflects how society treats wealthy women who feel entitled.
As business owners, it’s essential that we remember that an encounter with Karen can be stressful but don’t succumb to her tactics. While she will attempt to stir things up during conversation, staying calm is key. Giving in to Karen’s demands only encourages further unreasonable behaviour from her side.
An effective strategy for dealing with Karen encounters is setting clear policies prior to any meetings so you know how to handle her when she makes unreasonable demands. For example, it is vital that any time Karen cancels or fails to appear, it be made clear that there will be a cancellation fee charged against her in order to deter future encounters from Karen taking advantage of you and your business.
As part of any meeting preparations, it’s also essential to have a backup plan should things not go as planned, such as having someone available post-meeting or having clients leave and return later. Furthermore, staying positive throughout conversations with Karens can be essential as she tends to feed off negativity.
Bionic research recently discovered that people with names like John and David were most likely to exhibit Karen-like behavior, while people with names such as Lisa or Emma were least likely. It may be because these individuals tend to be more sympathetic and understanding than John/David personalities and therefore less likely to let their emotions take control.
Are you finding it hard to cope with anger from others around you? Tune into this week’s P31 Online Bible Studies episode as Karen and Sunny provide biblical wisdom as well as practical strategies for handling it.
3. Take a Step Back
Karen Van Hook, a voice coach near Boston, found herself immortalized in an online meme depicting a middle-aged white woman with an asymmetrical bob demanding to speak to the manager and demanding to be spoken to directly by them. The meme went viral and has come to be synonymous with people who act in ways which show entitlement or arrogance while taking their rights for granted – including Karen herself who became part of that stereotype!
But is the real-life Karen as bad as the internet meme? A quick search on social media will reveal people more likely to be described as Karens; there is plenty of evidence to show that coronavirus pandemic has given rise to an array of entitled white people with strong perceptions of entitlement; angry Karens have even been documented threatening police officers, blocking people from leaving parking lots, and screaming out-of-control on Instagram!
Real-life Karens who are sparking such outrage online tend to be women; however, some men have also been accused of using this meme against women and to reinforce stereotypes about them. Whatever the motives may be for using it against people of color – having too many privileged white people around can only become problematic over time.
When dealing with an angry Karen, it is essential to step back from the situation and identify what may be triggering their anger. It could be anything from serving them full-cream milk instead of skinny to forgetting to provide a receipt at checkout – ask yourself whether launching into an aggressive tirade is really worth launching into, such as demanding to speak to their manager directly.
Stepping back allows you to identify the source of your emotions, and determine how best to approach the situation more productively. It could mean talking it over with your partner, taking a walk together, or getting more sleep – anything to keep tension at bay and make sure healthy relationships thrive. Fighting fair is part of life – doors may close abruptly or words may fly…but using such moments as an excuse to unfairly police others shouldn’t happen!
Reducing conflict by taking a step back may provide the resolution you need. Furthermore, taking this approach will teach both partners to value compromise, communication and respectful interactions.
4. Ask for Help
When confronted by an angry Karen, it’s essential to seek assistance. Navigating her emotional storm may be challenging but having someone on your side could make all the difference – especially if arguments between yourself and this individual continue. Consider including trusted friends or coworkers as advocates when possible.
As the owner or manager of a business, it is crucial that you create an easy-to-follow complaint process for customers to voice any grievances against your service or products. Depending on the nature of your company, this might involve setting up an online form or phone line as means for reporting complaints directly rather than having disgruntled customers post them directly onto social media or Google reviews. By having such systems in place you can keep an accurate log of customer issues while preventing them from being posted by dissatisfied clients on public forums such as social media or Google reviews by disgruntled clients posting them direct instead.
“Karen” is often used to refer to women who act entitled and rude toward others. However, this term can also refer to men who display similar characteristics. To counter these stereotypes and begin conversations about privilege more productively. When encountering Karens or otherwise, try remember that their behavior often stems from feelings of entitlement and frustration rather than any perceived value difference between you. Ask yourself whether making such an issue an issue really warrants making such a fuss? Probably not.
