An emerging trend among members of society known as Karens (Karens is short for Karenas) who exhibit entitled behavior that escalates minor matters into serious issues. Encounters between police officers and Karens prove challenging as they must balance between protocol adherence and managing inflated egos with entitlement.
Videos captured by viral sites of these confrontations provide insight into complex social dynamics. Here are some issues at play.
Entitlement
Karen is an archetype of woman who epitomizes obnoxiousness and bragging. Typically middle-aged and white, with an asymmetrical bob haircut and an air of peevishness; often critical of younger people and often self-important. Since 2010, the Karen meme has become an icon representing white women who misuse their privilege to behave offensively and arrogantly.
Social media users have increasingly utilized the Karen meme in order to mock certain behaviors such as anti-vaxxers or those not following pandemic protocols; even people themselves have used this term against each other and even themselves! Many have even used it against their parents as Karens!
In 2020, Karen meme became more prominent as a response to Covid-19; some commentators even coined it the “Karenmania.” The term was applied to people behaving entitledly and refusing to comply with public health guidelines; older adults perceived as holding narrow views also fell under its scope.
Some have described the Karen meme as an act of “boomer shaming,” where young people (millennials and Generation Z) criticise Baby Boomers for having outdated views about gender, sexuality, and youth culture. Others consider it to be discriminatory against middle-aged women who might use such terms themselves.
Karens have made headlines many times for their racist actions, with Central Park Karen being one such case in New York Times reporting about it. Central Park Karen called police on a Black man for walking his dog in a Manhattan park – this incident put his safety in jeopardy, prompting harsh criticism towards her extreme reaction and response from many critics.
Another example of a racist Karen is the woman who went viral after screaming at employees of a Trader Joe’s for not carrying enough masks, her tirade went viral, and was widely perceived to be racist Karen-like. This incident highlighted how some white people abuse their privilege to treat other people in a racist manner; such behavior should be called out and there are ways of doing it without resorting to name-calling.
Self-righteousness
People with self-righteous tendencies view themselves as better than other people in whatever they do and say; regardless of what others think or believe, they believe their actions and beliefs are morally superior to those of others. Unfortunately, this attitude can be extremely toxic to relationships and business partnerships alike.
Self-righteous people tend to display an “arrogant” demeanor, unwilling to admit when they’re mistaken or make errors themselves. They feel they have every right to be angry and upset over things other people do; in addition, their opinions seem like the only ones that matter, with anyone disagreeing seen as dumb or moronic.
If you know someone who acts this way, it is essential that they be made aware of their behavior in order to defuse it before it escalates further. If their behavior becomes offensive to you, distance yourself. Self-righteous people can often be very judgemental and sarcastic toward other people; they may feel superior over them while making comments on appearance or social status of other individuals.
Righteous can seem like an overly heavy word, but its definition depends on your interpretation. Christians typically use “righteous” to refer to themselves as morally upright and superior to others – often using God as the basis of their righteousness when doing so.
Self-righteous Christians will see anything that doesn’t align with their view as bad behavior and have difficulty understanding that loving one another should be their first and foremost obligation. Unfortunately, their self-centered mindset will hinder genuine community building by creating tension in relationships. Eventually this could even impact their faith as they won’t experience His grace directly.
Disappointment
Recent viral videos showing white women — and sometimes men — behaving in ridiculously entitled, racist, or angry ways have sent shockwaves through social media platforms like Instagram. The phenomenon has become known as “Karens,” with Instagram pages like @karensgoingwilds documenting hundreds of Karen moments since May alone. Experts have commented on why so many boomer generations seem to be venting their ire so often these days; one common explanation seems to be entitlement issues; yet what exactly makes Karens susceptible to public outbursts of rage?
Anger
Karens often appear angry all of the time. Their anger manifests itself in many forms, from threatening other people or calling police on them, to becoming extremely upset without apparent cause and screaming and yelling out loud without explanation. Accounts such as @karensgoingwilds have recently documented numerous videos showing over-the-top behavior by Karens. Experts believe this behavior stems from fearing admitting when they’re wrong – something many Karens refuse to do out of shame or pride.
