I See a Backlash Coming: "The Karen"

behave like a Karen, so I don't worry about the label.

It isn't a stereotype. It's a shorthand for someone who thinks everyone is there to satisfy her demands.

I ask you and every person who believes in full equality and full representation for all to not disparage the name Karen. It is an attempt to blame women for problems created by men and the intent is as always to protect inequality and male dominance-in this case white male domination.

We live in a patriarchal society and it needs revolution. We need equality for all.
I thank every person including all the men who refuse to engage I this verbal assault on the name Karen.

We had no voice in drawing up the Constitution - and even John Adams betrayed us when he ignored his wife's request to not forget "the ladies."

Women did not placate the slaveholders, men did. Women did not make the Supreme Court decisions that deemed slaves 2/3s of a person. Women did not run the Harvards that supported themselves through slavery, men did. How many women do you think raped slaves compared to men?

Same story for the French Revolution. Despite women fighting for their freedom, the Rights of Women were ignored.

Women have been kept out of the public space by men for centuries in our country. . Karen was a popular name for a female many years ago and most of them are now middle-aged. They have not enjoyed full equality throughout their lives and they should not have to endure this bullshit about their name now.

We need parity in representation, in all offices-right up to president. We still have a long way to go.

Society has to come before an economic system, human rights before business.

Men in Congress would never have been able to deal with the bankers the way Katie Porter dealt with Jamie Dimon. He was stunned. No male in Congress had ever questioned his authority and yet he had created misery for hundreds of thousands of households throughout the country in his thirst to make money for himself.

Elizabeth Warren needed to be appointed to head the consumer agency she created.

It seems to me that a person who thinks everyone is there to satisfy their demands is a description of many males, not females.

Women and girls matter and patriarchalists male and female-need to be confronted with the facts. Whether we have a democracy or authoritarian rule depends upon moving fast on full equality and taking responsibility to change the system which brought us to where we are today.

It has to do with an obnoxious, entitled form of behavior that has become commonplace.

I see nothing wrong with acknowledging obnoxious, entitled behavior when I see it.

And PS, my friends named Karen use the descriptor when they see the behavior.

AND the amazing Katie Porter.

As a Black woman and a Womanist, I know exactly what a “Karen” or a “Becky” is. It’s a white woman using her privilege to stomp all over people she sees as inferior. In fact, this post is peak Karen.

Especially after many are saying how hurtful it is and asking us to not do it. Do you think men are not guilty of the behavior you describe?

Are there no gender neutral terms that can be used?

labels are to apply?

I assumed "poor dear" was snarky sarcasm. Just trying to understand, and trying to stem the stereotyping. No resentment on my end.

did my post stomp on anyone or call anyone inferior? How is it okay to label my post "peak Karen?" You don't know me or my experience. You don't know how I see other people.

or something like that.

that being obnoxious is being obnoxious and leaving it at that?

than simply obnoxious. They are trying to get other people killed or at laest get them screwed over because they were called out for being assholes.

Obnoxious doesn't even come close.

That needs a stronger word. I just don't think it needs an easy stereotype.

appropriate definition to describe the mindset but it's there and it needs some easily identifiable term without a full paragraph preceding it to explain what it is. I have a sibling named Karen and know several other women named Karen and they aren't complaining...

Karen, Diane, Jenny or Suzie... it's a name that is easily recognizable. It's widely used beyond DU so I don't see where it's going to change soon.

A number of White Men have been FORCING their unmasked selves into Costcos and Walgreens and I don't see them paying for their "privilege" with snide nicknames.

The "karen" meme violates the DU rule against "divisive group attacks" It specifically forbids "disrespectful nicknames". I've already alerted on a post, and gotten it hidden on that basis.

How the Karen Meme Benefits the Right - by Nina Burleigh. She traces the origin of the meme to a Reddit Thread (which I hadn't known) and says:



In "The Sly Sexism of the OK Karen Meme," Sarah Ditum says, "It’s a finger trap insult, where struggling against it only makes it grip tighter." That is, when a woman points it out, she's called a Karen. Ditum quotes a more recent source:

-

Other essays I'd recommend if anyone's interested:

The Karen Meme is Everywhere and It Has Become Mired in Sexism - Hadley Freeman traces "Karen" to a 2005 Dane Cook monologue when he said, “Every (friendship) group has a Karen, and she’s always a bag of douche.” She asks:



Feel Free to Use Karen Memes, Just Stop Pretending It's Politically Justified - Meghan Murphy



I hadn't read these before - I was just writing from my own thoughts. But these writers are much more eloquent than I am, and maybe something they have written will resonate more than my words did.

feminist and writer for The Nation.

You nailed it.

feminists today have lost the script.