Some people lack a certain self-awareness, especially when they think they have a point to make, no matter how obtuse.
This is where the apt internet “Karen” meme comes from.
In case some of you are yet to know what it means Wikipedia provides a good definition of Karen:
… a Karen’s defining characteristics are “entitlement, selfishness, a desire to complain” and that a Karen “demands the world exist according to her standards with little regard for others, and she is willing to risk or demean others to achieve her ends.” Rachel Charlene Lewis, writing for Bitch media, agrees, saying a Karen “sees no one as an individual, instead moving through the world prepared to fight faceless conglomerate of lesser-than people who won’t give her what she wants and feels she deserves. She’ll wield the power that, yes, might be very different from that of a white man, as she makes her demands. And that feeling of entitlement is what makes her, undeniably, a Karen.”
The Karen meme carries several stereotypes, the most notable being the stereotype that a Karen will demand to “speak with the manager” of a hypothetical service provider. Other stereotypes include anti-vaccination beliefs, racism against black people, use of Facebook and a particular bob haircut with blond highlights; pictures of Kate Gosselin are often used to depict Karen, and her bob is sometimes called the “can-I-speak-to-your-manager haircut”.
And now that you know what a Karen is, I give you the following quote:
They were vilified for doing what is natural in grief: seeking comfort and support in their loved ones.
Mocked for getting lost and calling for help (easy when you are distraught and jet-lagged. It’s perfectly possible newly arrived travellers wouldn’t have the mobile data to access Google Maps).
And scorned as our ‘Covid’ Karens. (Don’t do that: it’s a slur that is both misogynistic and ageist.)
That was in the middle of a Karen-esque article about the failure of “Be Kind”, where this resident Karen of Stuff is scolding us for being mean.
And contrary to Stuff‘s resident Karen’s claims, the meme is not misogynistic and ageist. Very few, normally Karens, claim that. It is actually racist, a slur with origins from the Black community against white female busybodies. You’d think a journalist, trained and skilled, would know that rather than make stuff up.
But it got me thinking, has Stuff‘s resident Karen ever made sexist comments herself?
Well yes, in an article about sexism in politics Stuff‘s resident Karen said this:
It’s mostly because we women are conditioned to ignore online harassment.
Don’t feed the trolls, we’re told. I’ve brushed off plenty of sexist (usually poorly spelt) comments. Strangers ‘mansplain’ my job to me, in the rudest terms, on a daily basis.
Block and mute are my friends. I and many of my female Gallery reporters (we outnumber the men, by the way) will turn off our notifications while we are on the campaign trail. Your loss, men!
So, who’s the Karen now Andrea Vance?
If you are upset about this article, perhaps you’d like to speak to my manager.
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