Is Karen considered a racial slur?

[Anonymous]

A slur can be defined as “a disparaging remark.” Disparaging means “tending to belittle or being reproach upon.” It is a textbook slur. Not all slurs are racist. HTH.

[Anonymous]

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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

Why attach a common name to this? Because it is an easy way to denigrate middle-aged women who simply don’t matter anymore. Why can’t you see this?

Dp. They can’t see it because they are too ingrained in a system that diminishes women, while denying it’s happening. Kinda like systemic racism.. systemic misogyny is alive and well, but apparently more tolerated by DCUM.

Please if you don’t matter and are displaced why are you comfortable acting like you have special privileges vs everyone else? People are not calling a random white woman “Karen”. They are calling out the(usually) white, upper class woman who is going out of her way to enforce her privilege and entitlement.

The term started that way, but it as morphed to include women expressing needs that are inconvenient.

As an aside, I wish we as a society would stop weaponizing names. I’m not naked Karen, but I would be bothered by the term if I were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It's only used with regard to white women. If its not racist, please let me know what I can call a similarly situated black, hispanic, asian, etc. woman.

It's not racist, and you can call them Karen if they're being a Karen. You can even call a dude Karen. Everyone will understand what you mean. Can we get back to real problems now?

Scapegoating is a real problem. Trying to score points off a group with plenty of their own problems because they are unpopular and it makes you feel better to have someone to pick on is actually deeply problematic behavior.

[Anonymous]

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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

Why attach a common name to this? Because it is an easy way to denigrate middle-aged women who simply don’t matter anymore. Why can’t you see this?

Dp. They can’t see it because they are too ingrained in a system that diminishes women, while denying it’s happening. Kinda like systemic racism.. systemic misogyny is alive and well, but apparently more tolerated by DCUM.

Please if you don’t matter and are displaced why are you comfortable acting like you have special privileges vs everyone else? People are not calling a random white woman “Karen”. They are calling out the(usually) white, upper class woman who is going out of her way to enforce her privilege and entitlement.

They actually are calling “random” white women “Karen” without knowing anything about her. Exhibit A: pregnant nurse trying to get home on a bike. Does she fit your definition? Nope, she’s just a white woman who had a need and tried to stand up for herself.

Or the “gaggle of Karen’s” videos recording groups of middle aged women from afar. No they aren’t “doing something”, they are just embarrassing for existing as middle aged women. These don’t sit right with me, it’s not cool to publicly humiliate women for wearing clothes or having haircuts that have been deemed frumpy or unfashionable.

The very concept of a “Karen haircut” indicates to me that the term is at least partially based on appearance and clearly it has been used purely to make fun of someone’s looks and style.

[Anonymous]

It's not racist but it is labelling someone as trash, effectively.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It's only used with regard to white women. If its not racist, please let me know what I can call a similarly situated black, hispanic, asian, etc. woman.

It's not racist, and you can call them Karen if they're being a Karen. You can even call a dude Karen. Everyone will understand what you mean. Can we get back to real problems now?

So why is this terrible insult a woman’s name?

[Anonymous]

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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.

I agree I have seen people called Karen's who are awful people and deserve to be called out. But they should be called out for the specific behavior they are doing. If they are being racist, then call her a racist. But Karen has become a generalized term used when a white woman speaks up. Even if they're just speaking up because they need to speak up for that moment. Not because the racist or doing anything harmful

I've seen videos of people calling somebody a Karen when a white woman is doing some thing awful but I've also seen videos of people calling somebody a Karen when she simply speaking up for herself, or in some cases, speaking up for others. It has become a generalized term to silence white women we got too "uppity" for some, and they need to silence us

[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.

I agree I have seen people called Karen's who are awful people and deserve to be called out. But they should be called out for the specific behavior they are doing. If they are being racist, then call her a racist. But Karen has become a generalized term used when a white woman speaks up. Even if they're just speaking up because they need to speak up for that moment. Not because the racist or doing anything harmful

I've seen videos of people calling somebody a Karen when a white woman is doing some thing awful but I've also seen videos of people calling somebody a Karen when she simply speaking up for herself, or in some cases, speaking up for others. It has become a generalized term to silence white women we got too "uppity" for some, and they need to silence us

“Uppity”? Is that the new word for entitled and abusive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I agree I have seen people called Karen's who are awful people and deserve to be called out. But they should be called out for the specific behavior they are doing. If they are being racist, then call her a racist. But Karen has become a generalized term used when a white woman speaks up. Even if they're just speaking up because they need to speak up for that moment. Not because the racist or doing anything harmful

I've seen videos of people calling somebody a Karen when a white woman is doing some thing awful but I've also seen videos of people calling somebody a Karen when she simply speaking up for herself, or in some cases, speaking up for others. It has become a generalized term to silence white women we got too "uppity" for some, and they need to silence us

“Uppity”? Is that the new word for entitled and abusive?

Nope. It the word people use when you stand up for yourself or others and the people you are calling out don't like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It's only used with regard to white women. If its not racist, please let me know what I can call a similarly situated black, hispanic, asian, etc. woman.

It's not racist, and you can call them Karen if they're being a Karen. You can even call a dude Karen. Everyone will understand what you mean. Can we get back to real problems now?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It's only used with regard to white women. If its not racist, please let me know what I can call a similarly situated black, hispanic, asian, etc. woman.

It's not racist, and you can call them Karen if they're being a Karen. You can even call a dude Karen. Everyone will understand what you mean. Can we get back to real problems now?

+1

And we can call you a racist for slinging around slurs. Sound good?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

Why attach a common name to this? Because it is an easy way to denigrate middle-aged women who simply don’t matter anymore. Why can’t you see this?

Dp. They can’t see it because they are too ingrained in a system that diminishes women, while denying it’s happening. Kinda like systemic racism.. systemic misogyny is alive and well, but apparently more tolerated by DCUM.

Please if you don’t matter and are displaced why are you comfortable acting like you have special privileges vs everyone else? People are not calling a random white woman “Karen”. They are calling out the(usually) white, upper class woman who is going out of her way to enforce her privilege and entitlement.

This boogeyman is not real. It merely feels right to you to say this because... you are reacting badly to the sight and sound of a middle-aged woman bringing herself to your attention.

So some people behave badly just to get attention?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It's only used with regard to white women. If its not racist, please let me know what I can call a similarly situated black, hispanic, asian, etc. woman.

It's not racist, and you can call them Karen if they're being a Karen. You can even call a dude Karen. Everyone will understand what you mean. Can we get back to real problems now?

+1

And we can call you a racist for slinging around slurs. Sound good?

It’s not racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It's only used with regard to white women. If its not racist, please let me know what I can call a similarly situated black, hispanic, asian, etc. woman.

It's not racist, and you can call them Karen if they're being a Karen. You can even call a dude Karen. Everyone will understand what you mean. Can we get back to real problems now?

+1

And we can call you a racist for slinging around slurs. Sound good?

It’s not racist.

It is and you know it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote: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.

x1000. I think people won’t get this message about how offensive this term is to middle-aged women because it really is a group that doesn’t matter to anyone — not professionally, no longer care-takers now that children have grown, no longer attractive. Even young women on this thread don’t get it (maybe because you don’t like to think of this happening to you — just a thought).

Who are you assuming are young women?

Definitely just an assumption. But a lot of commenters don’t seem to understand the argument against using this term, because maybe they can’t relate. They can’t understand how aging creeps up and hits hard, how becoming invisible when you were once not at all is shocking. And how the term “Karen” embodies the life shift this group of women are experiencing (I don’t know why men get a break here, but they do).

Sounds like you’re projecting A LOT here.