Karen

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I once had a big crush on a girl named Karen....

I don't give a darn about this "Karen" person.

But maybe I am just being a "Debbie Downer"!

No,he is Typhoid Mary and Raggedy Ann’s brother.

You have a point. The argument that the meme, slur, etc emphasizes entitlement doesn't account for the FACT that with things like this a white woman who may have a legitimate reason for acting a certain way (e.g. asking for a manager) and is not in fact entitled would still be labeled as such. The label sticks no matter what. Also, any objection by a white woman labeled as a Karen to being labeled as a Karen would be called out as her being entitled. She can't successfully object.

It's generally accepted practice that a person can raise objection to a label, call a label offensive, etc or even state their reasons why they should NOT be labeled a certain way. If Karens can't, then this would be an all too common case of: "It's OK for me but not for thee." syndrome which is becoming pervasive.

Also, since there are many legitimate reasons other than "entitlement" for someone to act in a way, labeling someone a Karen without knowing the facts shows ignorance and prejudice on the part of the labeler.

Pfft. It's hardly "inventing reasons" to "hate" someone by acknowledging actual behavior which is generally considered unacceptable. You don't have to "invent" reasons why someone is jerk if the clearly demonstrate it for themselves. Yes, gray area exists, nobody is talking about morally ambiguous actions like a smaller tip than usual or a brief complaint to the manager. Some actions are pretty clear. Kicking a dog for no reason. Screaming at someone else over your own mistake. These things are generally not ok, for any reason. Quibbling about WHY they did what they did doesn't change THAT they did what they did. So maybe they were a jerk cos they had a bad day. They were still a jerk.

It's groovy that you forgive the guy who robbed you. And maybe he does have some serious problems. But that doesn't mean he suddenly not a "robber" just cos he has reasons for robbing you and you forgive him for doing so.

Someone who steals is a "thief". Some who lies is a "liar". Rather than say "liar and thief", one might say "swindler" or "con artist". You're not "inventing new hate". You're simply being more specific with ideas. New words exist to cover new ideas. The term "Karen" is simply the trifecta of privilege, entitlement, and self-interest. Regardless of what you call them, they're still gonna whine cos you had the audacity to criticize them.

Criticism is not hate. But nobody likes being criticized. Especially not the privileged or the entitled or the self-interested.

I'm a white, middle aged, middle class woman.

I don't think that Karen is a slur.

No one is going to call me Karen if I make a complaint... Because I'll only complain if it's legitimate and I'll do so politely without shouting, screaming insults or demanding things I'm not entitled to.

No, no, no.

Justin Case lives in the same town as folks like Seymore Butz, Harden Longcock, and Wee Phu Kim Young (author of the bestseller "The Chinese Population Explosion").

If businesses didn't cater to such people, they might not behave this way.

Men act like it too. My dad is the biggest 'Karen' I know. It's embarrassing going out anywhere with him because he'll moan about anything from a short queue to being asked 'is everything all right'. I think there should be a unisex slang word for it.

Now that I think about it, we have something similiar in Finland!

"Jonne" is a regular name for a man, but it also means a stereotypical preteen/teen in a bad way.

"Jorma" is an old name for a man, not all that popular these days, that's often used to refer to men's genitals. "Ilona" is the same but for women's (since it's a woman's name), but not used nearly as often.

Yep. You have men like that.

My neighbor is constantly accusing me of smoking and fouling the air in his apartment.

Only problem: I don’t smoke.

This is how one women named Karen feels about it.
'I'm a Woman Called Karen—Please Don't Drag My Name Through the Mud (Or I'll Call The Manager)'

Here's another: A Woman Named "Isis" Asks You to Stop Saying "ISIS".

Great song.

Great band, too.