Are Karen’s as universal as the internet makes them seem?

13 comments

1. No

2. Nobody posts online about normal, polite encounters.

3. No. And the meaning of the word “Karen” has changed quite a bit since the term came into fashion. It used to mean “someone, probably a white woman of a certain class and haircut, throwing an insane public temper tantrum and escalating the situation far beyond the original issue.” It could also mean “someone fabricating an egregious and bold faced lie about a person of color based on their presence and little else.”

   Now it seems to mean “any woman who complains about anything or asks for confirmation at all, or asks for a manager, even if it’s justified.”

   Pisses me off quite a bit actually. We had a useful term for people going way over the top at someone with less power than them, then sexism took over and now we have what nearly amounts to a slur.

   Remember that people wind up on the internet for doing something noticeable or somewhat exceptional. For every person freaking out, there are a hundred or a thousand more going about their business in a very normal fashion

4. Absolutely not. People post things on the internet that are usually out of the ordinary.

   Furthermore, that term has completely lost all meaning just because it makes for better clickbait.

5. No. I worked at the customer service desk at Walmart for years, which you’d think would be Karen-central. 99.9% of people were fine.

6. I’ve worked in a beer distributor for about two and a half years now and I can count how many bad customers I’ve had in the single digits. My entire experience of waiting in line at stores and restaurants, I’ve only encountered a Karen maybe 6-7 times over the last 20 years.

   I don’t think they’re common in any real sense. A lot of the stories I read online I usually assume are either grossly exaggerated or somebody not telling the whole story to make themselves look good.

   I also think people conflate annoying customers with Karens. I think there is a major difference, personally. Somebody a bit pissy because you’re the out of a product and is short-tempered and leaves without saying thank you is one thing. The guy I watched call the cashier at a Wendy’s a whore last year is a Karen.

7. No, not at all.

8. God no. When the Karen term first came out it had a very specific meaning. Now every woman that has any complaint/concern (justified or not) is considered a Karen. It’s stupid and honestly misogynistic.

9. I mean I don’t think they’re “as universal” but when they do occur they are as bad or worse than you could imagine.

10. The internet make it seem that way because no one is writing about their experience with a normal adult who is kind. That said, as someone who has worked in customer service, it’s not really “karens” as much as I’d say just stupid assholes in general – at least half of customers fit this description IMO.

11. In real life they tend to be called Linda

12. I’ve met rude and condescending people of all races and both genders, but Karens get called out for being older women. Powerful men who act like idiots often get seen as “alphas” or “no nonsense.” Also, Americans don’t really respect older generations so they’re going to get clowned far more often.

13. Nah.

    I think a lot of people get caught/filmed on their worst day and that’s all it takes.