Is Karen considered a racial slur?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use it for all races and have not gotten the impression that it’s only reserved for white women. It’s about attitude and not racial IMO.

+1

It's the behavior. My dad is the biggest Karen in my family. We've told him he's not allowed to talk to the servers anymore.

And while you are so righteously defending the servers by calling out your Dad’s behavior, do you even check to make the server’s name isn’t Karen?

Whether or not it’s racist, sexist, or ageist, or any other “ist”, stereotyping ANY group of people and using that stereotype to mock and condemn the group is cruel and bigoted.

If your Dad’s behavior is offensive, by all means call him on it. But please do so by addressing the actual behavior, rather than using it as an excuse to attack an entire group of people who have nothing to do with your Dad, and certainly aren’t responsible for his behavior.

[Anonymous]

I wonder how old you all are who are responding. The term “Karen” is offensive because it is age-ist as well as misogynist. Karen was a very popular name for a very short period of time. Karens (all ethnicities) are generally between 48 and maybe 60. They are no longer young/pretty and they are an easy target. The behavior the term Karen is used as a short-hand for is generally awful, but by describing these bad people as “Karens”, it denigrates a group of women at a very difficult time of their lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use it for all races and have not gotten the impression that it’s only reserved for white women. It’s about attitude and not racial IMO.

+1

It's the behavior. My dad is the biggest Karen in my family. We've told him he's not allowed to talk to the servers anymore.

And while you are so righteously defending the servers by calling out your Dad’s behavior, do you even check to make the server’s name isn’t Karen?

Whether or not it’s racist, sexist, or ageist, or any other “ist”, stereotyping ANY group of people and using that stereotype to mock and condemn the group is cruel and bigoted.

If your Dad’s behavior is offensive, by all means call him on it. But please do so by addressing the actual behavior, rather than using it as an excuse to attack an entire group of people who have nothing to do with your Dad, and certainly aren’t responsible for his behavior.

I'm calling out my dad's obsessive complaining at restaurants. It's the behavior.

I'm not stereotyping anyone. I don't think that all older, white women complain excessively. I think some people of various ages, genders, and skin colors do.

It's not about you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how old you all are who are responding. The term “Karen” is offensive because it is age-ist as well as misogynist. Karen was a very popular name for a very short period of time. Karens (all ethnicities) are generally between 48 and maybe 60. They are no longer young/pretty and they are an easy target. The behavior the term Karen is used as a short-hand for is generally awful, but by describing these bad people as “Karens”, it denigrates a group of women at a very difficult time of their lives.

It's not age, appearance, gender, or race. It's behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how old you all are who are responding. The term “Karen” is offensive because it is age-ist as well as misogynist. Karen was a very popular name for a very short period of time. Karens (all ethnicities) are generally between 48 and maybe 60. They are no longer young/pretty and they are an easy target. The behavior the term Karen is used as a short-hand for is generally awful, but by describing these bad people as “Karens”, it denigrates a group of women at a very difficult time of their lives.

It's not age, appearance, gender, or race. It's behavior.

What behavior? Annoying or putting down minorities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is a racial slur. The Merriam Webster dictionary states that a slur is ‘an insulting or disparaging remark or innuendo’. This particular slur is both misogynistic and racist.

It's not racist or misogynistic. It's not related to skin color or even gender.

Are you dense? How many black men do you know named “Karen”? Karen is a white woman’s name, popular 40-50 years ago. The premise is using a term that describes a white woman to negatively describe the actions of another.

You do know that it has nothing to do with the actual name, Karen, right? And has nothing to do with race. Or even gender. It's a behavior.

So is it people acting badly towards minorities or just annoying people? People are using this slur very differently and that's the issue.

It's a certain type of annoying behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My HS daughter told me that in class they were having a discussion and a girl used the term Karen. The teacher told her thatKaren is a racial slur and not to say it.
I’ve never considered it to be a racial slur. Is this a common take on the term?

Wut.

Karen is a woman’s name. Women of many different races are named Karen.

More recently it has been used as a meme to describe the stereotypical behavior of certain whites racist women who want to call the manager. But it’s not a “racial slur.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My HS daughter told me that in class they were having a discussion and a girl used the term Karen. The teacher told her thatKaren is a racial slur and not to say it.
I’ve never considered it to be a racial slur. Is this a common take on the term?

It is 26 June. What high school is still in session?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is a racial slur. The Merriam Webster dictionary states that a slur is ‘an insulting or disparaging remark or innuendo’. This particular slur is both misogynistic and racist.

It's not racist or misogynistic. It's not related to skin color or even gender.

Are you dense? How many black men do you know named “Karen”? Karen is a white woman’s name, popular 40-50 years ago. The premise is using a term that describes a white woman to negatively describe the actions of another.

You do know that it has nothing to do with the actual name, Karen, right? And has nothing to do with race. Or even gender. It's a behavior.

So is it people acting badly towards minorities or just annoying people? People are using this slur very differently and that's the issue.

It's a certain type of annoying behavior.

So just call it annoying behavior. Everyone knows what that means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how old you all are who are responding. The term “Karen” is offensive because it is age-ist as well as misogynist. Karen was a very popular name for a very short period of time. Karens (all ethnicities) are generally between 48 and maybe 60. They are no longer young/pretty and they are an easy target. The behavior the term Karen is used as a short-hand for is generally awful, but by describing these bad people as “Karens”, it denigrates a group of women at a very difficult time of their lives.

It's not age, appearance, gender, or race. It's behavior.

What behavior? Annoying or putting down minorities?

Generally: excessive complaining, false sense of entitlement/superiority, and aggressive nature. Race maybe comes into play for some "Karens" who think that their skin color gives them some extra false superiority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It is directed at one race in particular.

+1. This is an awful slur that is for some reason tolerated. I appreciate that teacher shutting it down.

This is a bit dramatic, and honestly exactly the reason people use it to describe a certain kind of person. It's on the level of calling someone a busy body. Calling it a slur is disrespectful to the experience of people who actually get slurs lobbed at them, and is typical centering behavior of exactly the kind of person who gets called a Karen.

I view “Karen” as a way to silence women. Particularly middle aged, white women. So maybe you don’t think it’s a slur, but I do.

To be sure, when applied correctly, those women absolutely need to be silenced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is a racial slur. The Merriam Webster dictionary states that a slur is ‘an insulting or disparaging remark or innuendo’. This particular slur is both misogynistic and racist.

It's not racist or misogynistic. It's not related to skin color or even gender.

Are you dense? How many black men do you know named “Karen”? Karen is a white woman’s name, popular 40-50 years ago. The premise is using a term that describes a white woman to negatively describe the actions of another.

You do know that it has nothing to do with the actual name, Karen, right? And has nothing to do with race. Or even gender. It's a behavior.

So is it people acting badly towards minorities or just annoying people? People are using this slur very differently and that's the issue.

It's a certain type of annoying behavior.

So just call it annoying behavior. Everyone knows what that means.

"Karen" is more specific than "annoying".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It is directed at one race in particular.

+1. This is an awful slur that is for some reason tolerated. I appreciate that teacher shutting it down.

This is a bit dramatic, and honestly exactly the reason people use it to describe a certain kind of person. It's on the level of calling someone a busy body. Calling it a slur is disrespectful to the experience of people who actually get slurs lobbed at them, and is typical centering behavior of exactly the kind of person who gets called a Karen.

I view “Karen” as a way to silence women. Particularly middle aged, white women. So maybe you don’t think it’s a slur, but I do.

To be sure, when applied correctly, those women absolutely need to be silenced.

I don't think calling them a cutesy name is the best way to do it. Especially when people like the PP whose dad may or not be a racist complainer is also called the same name. It sort of loses its punch and is becoming irrelevant which is why teens are finally getting around to using it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is a racial slur. The Merriam Webster dictionary states that a slur is ‘an insulting or disparaging remark or innuendo’. This particular slur is both misogynistic and racist.

It's not racist or misogynistic. It's not related to skin color or even gender.

Are you dense? How many black men do you know named “Karen”? Karen is a white woman’s name, popular 40-50 years ago. The premise is using a term that describes a white woman to negatively describe the actions of another.

You do know that it has nothing to do with the actual name, Karen, right? And has nothing to do with race. Or even gender. It's a behavior.

So is it people acting badly towards minorities or just annoying people? People are using this slur very differently and that's the issue.

It's a certain type of annoying behavior.

So just call it annoying behavior. Everyone knows what that means.

"Karen" is more specific than "annoying".

So your dad is a racist whiner. You must be so proud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It is directed at one race in particular.

+1. This is an awful slur that is for some reason tolerated. I appreciate that teacher shutting it down.

This is a bit dramatic, and honestly exactly the reason people use it to describe a certain kind of person. It's on the level of calling someone a busy body. Calling it a slur is disrespectful to the experience of people who actually get slurs lobbed at them, and is typical centering behavior of exactly the kind of person who gets called a Karen.

This post is nonsense. It's like calling someone white trash or cracker. It's not acceptable. Yes, those are actual slurs. It's also not okay to say if a woman wants to talk to someone in charge because she is upset, she must be a mentally unstable bossy b/tch. Way to empower women.