No More Karens

The News Blender Logo. Photo By Lenny Ghoul.

Okay, I want to make this clear: I’ve had it up to here (puts hand way over his head) with “Karen”.

I’ve never been a particular fan of the term, mainly because its description was so nebulous. What is a “Karen”, exactly? It originally focused on people who were griping about what used to be called “first world problems”, moved on to a catch-all attack, and has shifted to things like white women being racist to people who insist others wear masks to people who insist others NOT wear masks.

The general rule seems to have evolved into this: If the person disagrees with a social position some feel should be obvious, or if they are somehow viewed as offensive, they’re a “Karen”.

The term is used overwhelmingly to describe white women. It is sometimes extended out to other racial backgrounds or to males (who otherwise tend to be called “Chad”) but the directed targets are white women.

I’ve had enough of it because I’ve seen my wife shut down in online discussions for advocating that people wear masks and for reminding people of what’s going on in Hong Kong because she is termed a “Karen”, rendering all of her statements somehow irrelevant.

This, despite her being far more informed and judicious about the topics than the people who are shutting her down. I’ve also seen her called a “Karen” for suggesting that the Russians are likely fomenting dissent… despite her being far better versed in that particular subject than most.

Even without the personal association, I’d still dislike the term. When people are grouped and a casual denigration is used to describe the group, there are problems; that’s a description of a bigotry-fueled slur. I see no reason to support such actions.

Independent of any other moderators, I feel the term has strong sexist and lesser racist aspects. I would therefore greatly appreciate if it was not used here in any fashion other than to accurately describe someone’s name.

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About AlienMotives 1991 Articles
Ex-Navy Reactor Operator turned bookseller. Father of an amazing girl and husband to an amazing wife. Tired of willful political blindness, but never tired of politics. Hopeful for the future.