5 ms·
> is the "Karen" reference really necessary? It's a sexist, racist insult And also misused quite frequently. Its origin was a white woman who called the polic
by donarb 5y ago
> is the "Karen" reference really necessary? It's a sexist, racist insult
And also misused quite frequently. Its origin was a white woman who called the police on a group of black people who were doing nothing wrong other than being black in the wrong place.
- jazzyjackson 5y agoyou can’t very well say a meme is misused, a meme is whatever it is. Also, central park karen is a recent addition to the long history of using karen as a punchline, anytime you think you know the origin story, check know your meme first, you might be surprised: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/karen https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/karen
- mkr-hn 5y agoAnil Dash's interview with one of the co-founders of that site was interesting. https://blog.glitch.com/episode/function-episode-3 https://blog.glitch.com/episode/function-episode-3
- silisili 5y agoIncorrect. Karen was originally someone who tried to wield power over retail workers, and always demanded a manager. The white lady calling police on black people usage came wayyy later. Now it's been abused and overused to where I don't even know what it means anymore. Lady comes outside to ask TikTokers to quit doing burnouts in her yard and it's 'shutup kawen, stupid kawen LOL amirite'
- acrobatsunfish 5y agoI don't know where you heard that, but for a long time it was just a fill in name for a middle aged woman with a short hairstyle who would usually cause issues at customer service in retail. The "I'd like to see your manager" and the Karen stereotype go way further back. It's not usually about race with a Karen it's about power and getting their way even if that's not how the rules are set up. (This coupon is a year expired but I want it, this TV was marked for a dollar so you have to sell it to me, etc.)
- phkahler 5y agoSo to make it meme it gets abstracted to "some self absorbed busybody stirring up unnecessary trouble for other people" or something similar. Nothing really racist or sexist about it at that point is there?
- nerdponx 5y agoIts origins are "racist" and "sexist" in that the stereotype is specifically a white woman. I don't think there's anything wrong with a little stereotyping: the only reason it's "bad" is that actual bigots ruin the fun, so to speak. If anything, I feel bad for people named Karen.
- ratsmack 5y agoWhen we make every abstract thought racist, it weakens and renders the word "racist" into a casual meme, not unlike the name "karen".
- geocrasher 5y agoI know exactly what the origin is (and as somebody commented below, it predates the incident you refer to). I also used it because it aptly describes people whose exaggerated sense of entitlement and privilege overshadows their desire to think critically. My daughter saw this in person, where a woman was mad at people at the butcher section of the grocery store, calling woman who bought a whole chicken an 'animal murderer'. Plot twist: the very same woman had chicken breasts and thighs in her cart, but because they were not a whole chicken, she disassociated them from the animal they came from. I rest my case.
- treyfitty 5y agoNo it wasn’t- there was just a heavy intersection between middle aged women complaining and BLM + other wokeness. “Karen” is used correctly here and your origin story is completely false.