02/06/2023
Did you know I am a Karen? – yes, my teenagers have given this profile as a result of my haircut (ouch)
And this got me thinking……….
It’s easy to say that the Karen trope is all just a bit of a joke but words and labels do matter and the trope actually has a difficult past having originate in America to call out white privilege by filming women going on racist rants.
I’m not sure any of them were actually called Karen but when you call someone a collective name you should be aware of its history and consider whether the intent is to make someone feel stupid and inconsequential.
Yes, its perfectly natural to be appalled by self-entitlement especially when it leads to racist micro aggression that can escalate to tragedy. Bullying staff members and exposing a community to viral infection are also really uncool behaviours but taking someone’s name and using it with ageist intent is also uncool.
I also think it’s important to realise that there are lots of great Karen’s out there, kind, funny, and wise…. Karen Carpenter, Karen from Will and Grace, Kare Blixen who wrote “Out of Africa” and my friend, Karen, who is one of the smartest and sweetest people I know – just the other day she rang a company to make a legitimate complaint and when they asked her for her name, she felt like she was the problem, that she would be seen as a collection of bad behaviour not a legitimate voice.
