Is Karen considered a racial slur?

[Anonymous]

It didn't start out as one but has morphed into one. Karen used to be a "I want to speak with your manager" type with a Kate plus 8 haircut. My mom is what you would think of for an OG Karen. Its a sense of entitlement.... Wants to speak to the manager because retail worker won't go against company policy, always has a few complaints at a restaurant, once complained about the size of a scoop of ice cream, etc.

Then Karen morphed into something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It describes someone's (bad) behavior. It doesn't take away their humanity and equate them with an animal or trash. It's not a slur. It's a *response* to racism, specifically weoponized whiteness.

I disagree with your conclusion, but agree that it's very different than other racial slurs for the reasons you mentioned.

If it were only used to describe people engaged in unquestionably bad behavior, I might agree with your conclusion.

But it's become an epithet to describe any white woman over the age of about 30 who is deemed (1) sexually unattractive, and (2) unreasonably demanding. I've seen many white men use it simply to describe women they find annoying or entitled, even if they are not engaged in any racist behavior. And the there is absolutely this undercurrent that it's for middle aged white women in particular, and it's a way to shut them down and provide an excuse for not listening to them. Well middle aged and older women of all races have long experienced heightened sexism because of the misogynistic belief that the role of women is to titilate and attract men. So "Karen" has become a term used to dismiss women who are no longer filling that role, especially if she has the gall to, I don't know, complain to the manager that her coffee wasn't hot (which, for the record, is actually a perfectly reasonable thing to complain to the manager about at a coffee shop).

It might have been what you claim it is, but we live in a very misogynist society and that trumped whatever original meaning it once had.

agree

[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.

*You are using a common name for an older white woman to describe negative behavior. Surely you can see this is a slam similar to calling someone an Uncle Tom. It is wrong but because it picks on white women, the slur is acceptable to society. Similarly, Catholics are an acceptable group to make fun of for some reason.

[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.

*You are using a common name for an older white woman to describe negative behavior. Surely you can see this is a slam similar to calling someone an Uncle Tom. It is wrong but because it picks on white women, the slur is acceptable to society. Similarly, Catholics are an acceptable group to make fun of for some reason.

Who makes fun of Catholics?

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure about it being a slur but it’s definitely classist.

[Anonymous]

It started as a way to criticize, for example, the women throwing the tantrum in Costco about having to wear a mask. But now it's used to refer to any middle aged white woman who has an opinion or dares to ask for respect. As we get older we become invisible, so now any middle aged white woman who does not want people to look through her is a "Karen." And sometimes the manager needs to be called.

For the PP who says "Karen" refers to anyone of any gender, (1) BS and (2) that's basically the equivalent of telling your son he throws like a girl. It's using a gender based term to insult someone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a middle aged white woman and do not consider it a racial slur. Karens are busybodies and misdemeanor vigilantes against minorities. Not sure why other middle age women want to defend this behavior and label it racist?

When did this become part of the Karen stereotype? I’m a middle aged white woman and when I first started hearing the term, I took it as a light hearted stereotype of a certain type of demanding woman. It always seemed as if the term were meant to be comical and not taken too seriously. All of a sudden it morphed into something much more sinister. That Karen was a racist who went after minorities. This wasn’t part of the original use was it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a middle aged white woman and do not consider it a racial slur. Karens are busybodies and misdemeanor vigilantes against minorities. Not sure why other middle age women want to defend this behavior and label it racist?

When did this become part of the Karen stereotype? I’m a middle aged white woman and when I first started hearing the term, I took it as a light hearted stereotype of a certain type of demanding woman. It always seemed as if the term were meant to be comical and not taken too seriously. All of a sudden it morphed into something much more sinister. That Karen was a racist who went after minorities. This wasn’t part of the original use was it?

It’s not a demanding woman. It is a woman asserting her privilege(many times it’s white woman privilege) and putting others around her in their place. It’s the contempt and distain for anyone who they view as lesser(which is everyone).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a middle aged white woman and do not consider it a racial slur. Karens are busybodies and misdemeanor vigilantes against minorities. Not sure why other middle age women want to defend this behavior and label it racist?

When did this become part of the Karen stereotype? I’m a middle aged white woman and when I first started hearing the term, I took it as a light hearted stereotype of a certain type of demanding woman. It always seemed as if the term were meant to be comical and not taken too seriously. All of a sudden it morphed into something much more sinister. That Karen was a racist who went after minorities. This wasn’t part of the original use was it?

It’s not a demanding woman. It is a woman asserting her privilege(many times it’s white woman privilege) and putting others around her in their place. It’s the contempt and distain for anyone who they view as lesser(which is everyone).

*disdain

[Anonymous]

Whatever it once was, which people can't seem to agree upon, it is NOW a way to silence middle-aged white women.

Time to stop using it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It started as a way to criticize, for example, the women throwing the tantrum in Costco about having to wear a mask. But now it's used to refer to any middle aged white woman who has an opinion or dares to ask for respect. As we get older we become invisible, so now any middle aged white woman who does not want people to look through her is a "Karen." And sometimes the manager needs to be called.

For the PP who says "Karen" refers to anyone of any gender, (1) BS and (2) that's basically the equivalent of telling your son he throws like a girl. It's using a gender based term to insult someone.

No. It’s describing a specific bad behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a middle aged white woman and do not consider it a racial slur. Karens are busybodies and misdemeanor vigilantes against minorities. Not sure why other middle age women want to defend this behavior and label it racist?

When did this become part of the Karen stereotype? I’m a middle aged white woman and when I first started hearing the term, I took it as a light hearted stereotype of a certain type of demanding woman. It always seemed as if the term were meant to be comical and not taken too seriously. All of a sudden it morphed into something much more sinister. That Karen was a racist who went after minorities. This wasn’t part of the original use was it?

It’s not a demanding woman. It is a woman asserting her privilege(many times it’s white woman privilege) and putting others around her in their place. It’s the contempt and distain for anyone who they view as lesser(which is everyone).

Yes, but not just women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a middle aged white woman and do not consider it a racial slur. Karens are busybodies and misdemeanor vigilantes against minorities. Not sure why other middle age women want to defend this behavior and label it racist?

Because some people feel entitled to continue their bad behavior.

I feel like it started as a remark to police women who are being entitled and racist (unfortunately named, given how many people actually DO have the name Karen).

It is now a word to tell white, middle aged women specifically that they are being uppity and should sit down and accept whatever they are given in a way that alludes to racism, but isn't necessarily racist in itself (what the women are saying).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FFS, no it's not a racial slur. Some people are in fact Karens and need to be called out on it. Don't care if they're brown, white, black, hell even a man.

Exactly.

It's about your behavior. Not your skin color or genitalia.

Look, I agree it's different to be racist against white women, but it IS typicalyl used for middle aged white women -- not others. They are entirled to what they want, it seems (inc young white women, middle-aged men)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a middle aged white woman and do not consider it a racial slur. Karens are busybodies and misdemeanor vigilantes against minorities. Not sure why other middle age women want to defend this behavior and label it racist?

Because some people feel entitled to continue their bad behavior.

I feel like it started as a remark to police women who are being entitled and racist (unfortunately named, given how many people actually DO have the name Karen).

It is now a word to tell white, middle aged women specifically that they are being uppity and should sit down and accept whatever they are given in a way that alludes to racism, but isn't necessarily racist in itself (what the women are saying).

For example, in the hot coffee situation. If I am asking or hotter coffee, does that make me a Karen? Because now I think common usage would say "yes" if I am a middle-aged white woman. If I am telling a young black man I am going to get them fired for the lukewarm story, THAT is worth shutting down.