Althouse: I consider all Karenology to be sexist... nevertheless:

April 27, 2020

I consider all Karenology to be sexist... nevertheless:

Why each quadrant hates Karen pic.twitter.com/JyfRXErhCQ
— ✠Basedmechanic✠ (@1BasedMechanic) April 26, 2020

133 comments:

Achilles said...: Nobody is coming out of this worse then "Karen."

Stupid know-it-all women who sit in the back and bitch at the people that feed them.

There is special dislike for snitches.

We know who calls government snitch lines and many were stupid enough to post on facebook.; 4/27/20, 2:20 PM
Nonapod said...: What is "Karen"? Is Karen the distaff version of "Chad" or something? I can't keep track of all the endless memetic mutation of internet culture.; 4/27/20, 2:23 PM
J. Farmer said...: I thought “Becky” was the reservoir of anti-white hate.; 4/27/20, 2:24 PM
Sebastian said...: "I consider all Karenology to be sexist... nevertheless:"

Whoa. Two red-meat posts in one day. Tasty.; 4/27/20, 2:24 PM
Lucid-Ideas said...: There once was a woman named Karen
A piece of her mind to the manager she'll be sharin'
She feels entitled
To give 'the business' unbridled
Like before I plan not to be caring; 4/27/20, 2:24 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: One of the two nicest people I know is named Karen, so all the "Karen" stuff has always irked me.; 4/27/20, 2:24 PM
Lucid-Ideas said...: What would happen if Karen asked to speak with the manager, who turns out to be Karen?

Would the world end? Like antimatter & matter would their fade haircuts detonate instantly with the power of a neutron bomb?

I MUST test this. It would not be pretty.; 4/27/20, 2:28 PM
Sebastian said...: Let's check with Hayden (kidding). Presumably, the sexism of Karenology can tested empirically.

Other things equal, are middle-class white women of a certain age more likely to 1. want to speak to the manager; and 2. chide minorities for their poor behavior?

A field experiment seems in order.; 4/27/20, 2:28 PM
Achilles said...: J. Farmer said...
I thought “Becky” was the reservoir of anti-white hate.

Becky is in college.

Karen got her Psychology degree and is fully matured.

Not emotionally or socially though.; 4/27/20, 2:29 PM
Joe Biden, America's Putin said...: Is DeBlasio a Karen? Discuss.; 4/27/20, 2:30 PM
JackWayne said...: So come up with the 4 quadrants of Kenology.; 4/27/20, 2:31 PM
J. Farmer said...: @Achilles.

Haha. Thanks for the clarification.; 4/27/20, 2:32 PM
Joe Biden, America's Putin said...: I too know some very nice Karen's and even a very wonderful and kind Karin.
It's too bad they got caught up in all of this.

Sort of like "Florida man"; 4/27/20, 2:33 PM
Sebastian said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/27/20, 2:34 PM
Bob Boyd said...: I see Hillary as a queen Karen, pumping out millions of Karen eggs from her gigantic swollen segmented pasty gray abdomen which are then collected and taken to a "village" by worker Karens who will nurture the young all the way through the larval stage until each emerges as a fully formed adult Karen and becomes worker in its turn.

Is all karentomology sexist? Ima guess yeah.; 4/27/20, 2:35 PM
Sebastian said...: "I consider all Karenology to be sexist"

In other words, "Because she is a woman."

So, in terms of the quadrants, Althouse considers Karenology economic-authoritarian right-wingism.

Figures that she wouldn't consider Karenology racist.; 4/27/20, 2:35 PM
Virgil Hilts said...: I don't dislike Karen because she's female. There's a male term for a Karen, but "Seth Abramson" is too hard for a lot of people to remember.; 4/27/20, 2:36 PM
curt said...: In my experience Karen’s face, while well-maintained, is always a little too old for her equally well-maintained hair. You can see why she’s bitter.; 4/27/20, 2:38 PM
Big Mike said...: I consider all Karenology to be sexist

Tough; 4/27/20, 2:39 PM
Lucid-Ideas said...: To my mind, I've never seen the 'Karen' meme as being racist (as in she directs ire at minorities).

To me Karen's primary targets are her husband and other white people because those are the two classes most capable of satiating her needs for immediate placating. Karen interacting with minorities? Pish tosh. No no no, her immediate needs for society and people in her life to continue providing for her can't be done by minorities. She requires a higher 'physic' to attain the materials and obedience to go with her ego.

Karen's life is about obtaining as much stuff as society can provide for her. She's owed it and she deserves it and she wants it right now. Only white society can really do that, specifically her white husband, white waitstaff, and a manager - not necessarily white - but working for a white corporation in a general gentrified white part of town.

Give her what she wants. Right now. Or she'll take the kids.; 4/27/20, 2:41 PM
Danno said...: Wikipedia has an entry on what a karen is. "Karen is a term that is aimed towards entitled and demanding Caucasian women."

More than too funny.

"See also
Becky (slang)
Chad (slang)
Gammon (insult)
OK Boomer"; 4/27/20, 2:43 PM
AmPowerBlog said...: I had to look up the "Karens" meme just yesterday, but as always, Althouse is on it lol.; 4/27/20, 2:43 PM
wild chicken said...: Sort of like "Florida man"

Nah it's flim-flam all the way down there.; 4/27/20, 2:44 PM
Yancey Ward said...: If you put a ball gag on her, she would be very doable.; 4/27/20, 2:46 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Yeah, the name choice is unfortunate since my mother's middle name is Karen, and she is as un-Karen as it is possible to be. Also, I have a sister named Becky. No joke.; 4/27/20, 2:50 PM
narciso said...: she's a bossy white prog, media version of same are legion, probably nicolle Wallace, off the back,; 4/27/20, 2:51 PM
Lucid-Ideas said...: The male opposite of Karen isn't Chad. Chad's female equivalent is 'Stacy', as in 'Chads & Stacies' (look it up).

Karen's male opposite is 'Robert'. Robert is in his 40s and lives in 'too much' house which makes him housepoor. Robert married Karen, and he's constantly trying to come up with solutions to keep her happy and from taking the kids. Robert also likes to speak with the manager, but his motivation is that he's constantly trying to finagle deals or return merchandise that he's used once but can't afford to keep. Robert also feels the world owes him and that he deserves better, but sadly because he's a man he doesn't have Karen's ability to persist endlessly like a 5 year old child.

Now 'Stacy' can become Karen. But Robert will never become Chad.; 4/27/20, 2:51 PM
Bob said...: I think that's Kate from Jon and Kate plus 8 TV show. Don't know why she would be the model.; 4/27/20, 2:52 PM
daskol said...: She looks more like a Kate than a Karen.; 4/27/20, 2:52 PM
Marc in Eugene said...: Like Nonapod, I have a difficult time keeping 'em all straight. Rather pathetically I do try to, occasionally; probably there's more bathos involved in this than pathos, however. Becky did not kill her husband, Karen did not kill her husband, but someone whose name I can't recall did.; 4/27/20, 2:53 PM
Kevin said...: Becky is hated for what she is, Karen is hated for what she does.

You absolutely could have black or other ethnic Karens. The definition of Karen is based on behavior. It just uses Kate Gosselin as its avatar because she's the most overt expression of Karen.

But you can only have white Beckys. The purpose of the Becky hate is the whiteness itself.; 4/27/20, 2:53 PM
Bill, Republic of Texas said...: I consider all Karenology to be sexist...

A twofer.

Ok Boomer
OK Karen; 4/27/20, 2:54 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "One of the two nicest people I know is named Karen, so all the "Karen" stuff has always irked me."

By the same token, I'm glad we've moved past Miss Ann.; 4/27/20, 2:54 PM
n.n said...: Rabid diversity.; 4/27/20, 2:55 PM
DavidUW said...: Karen is also never trump

Karen is always insulated from the consequences of her actions by her husband yet she thinks her husband is generally a lazy clueless doofus.

Karen thinks she’s smarter than you and can give you better advice than your mother, yet her kids roll their eyes and like dad more. At best. At worst they’re snotty entitled brats and/or druggies.

Karen is sometimes also a wine mom but not always.

Karen drives a SUV. Poorly.

Karen isn’t racist. But her neighborhood that she “moved to for the schools” is all white. Not white and asian but all white.

Karen needs to relax.; 4/27/20, 2:56 PM
Leland said...: Karen was the person talking to Becky about the rapper guy's girlfriend's big butt. Becky drives a Honda and watches workout tapes by Fonda.; 4/27/20, 2:56 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Yes, there are times having "Yancey" as a name is a great relief.; 4/27/20, 2:57 PM
DanTheMan said...: Karen-ism violates the Althouse rule, which states that when comparing the differences between men and women, the women's trait must always be ranked superior.

There is, however, a male archetype to compare Karen with: Obamacare's Pajama Boy

The determination of which is more loathsome is left to the reader.; 4/27/20, 2:57 PM
Yancey Ward said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/27/20, 2:57 PM
clint said...: I've always considered Mike Bloomberg to be the quintessential Karen, his gender notwithstanding.; 4/27/20, 2:59 PM
J. Farmer said...: I think that's Kate from Jon and Kate plus 8 TV show. Don't know why she would be the model

Also Karen: keeps her husband’s balls in her pocketbook.; 4/27/20, 2:59 PM
AllenS said...: Bob Boyd said...
I see Hillary as a queen Karen, pumping out millions of Karen eggs from her gigantic swollen segmented pasty gray abdomen which are then collected and taken to a "village" by worker Karens who will nurture the young all the way through the larval stage until each emerges as a fully formed adult Karen and becomes worker in its turn.

Damn, Bob, I sure hope I don't have any nightmares tonight.; 4/27/20, 3:01 PM
Ken B said...: “If you put a ball gag on her, she would be very doable.”

Umm.; 4/27/20, 3:02 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: Every Boomer women must know at least a dozen women named Karen. Some are perfectly fine, others are, well, "Karens." Not all Karens are "Karens." The biggest Karen on this blog is named Inga.

Yeah, I suppose if I were a Karen, I'd be slightly irked that my name is being used as a meme to signify an obnoxious, virtue-signaling, shrieking liberal busybody - a PC Gladys Kravitz.

But hey, I would guess there were plenty of decent guys of Italian descent named Guido who were also annoyed that their given names were used to denote greasy guys from Joisey who wore wife-beaters and had crucifixes twinkling though their chest hair and there were also probably guys named Jethro who were irked because they were thought of as dumb ass hillbillies and Paddys who got tired of drunken Mick jokes.

But they didn't whine about how sexist it was. (BTW, whining about sexism is a pretty Karen thing to do.); 4/27/20, 3:03 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Pajama Boy's name should either be Matty or Ezra.; 4/27/20, 3:08 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Ken, you gotta add the ", no".; 4/27/20, 3:09 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: At least 1/3 of the workforce has been sitting home doing nothing for 6 weeks.

Notice any difference? I don’t.

The reality is that automation has made it unnecessary for everybody to work. We’ve pushed women out into the workforce in droves, leaving the kids to fend for themselves.

And what fields have women mostly gone into? The busybody, do-gooder professions.

Maybe it’s time to think about women staying home and raising their kids again instead of dumping the kids in institutional care.

That busybody, do-gooder thing is what is needed in the home where children is being raised.; 4/27/20, 3:10 PM
Lurker21 said...: Like George W. Bush or Jimmy Carter or Lyndon Johnson in the last days of their presidencies, "Karen" is pretty much hated by everybody, and there's much overlap in the reasons, so they can't be neatly separated out. Purists focus on one thing to hate, but the rest of the country sees the different aspects as a whole and doesn't find much there to like.; 4/27/20, 3:11 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "Also Karen: keeps her husband’s balls in her pocketbook."

I assure you, Karen does not have a pocketbook- she has a handbag- a knockoff, sure- but not a pocketbook.; 4/27/20, 3:11 PM
Jim at said...: Karen's male opposite is 'Robert'.

I believe you misspelled KenB.; 4/27/20, 3:12 PM
jaydub said...: "So come up with the 4 quadrants of Kevinology."

Does not compute. Everybody hates him for same reason: Ken is asshole; 4/27/20, 3:12 PM
Ken B said...: Yancey
Nope. I was assured the “umm” did all the work.; 4/27/20, 3:13 PM
Lurker21 said...: "Becky" is a young woman in her teens or twenties. "Karen" is in her thirties or forties. "Karen" is bossy and meddlesome, but "Becky" isn't so clearly defined by one personality trait. There's a chicken-or-egg question about whether "Becky" comes from a Beyonce song or whether Beyonce picked up what Black women were already saying about White women. If it comes from the song, it's mistaken, since the girl in the song wasn't White.; 4/27/20, 3:13 PM
Lucid-Ideas said...: “If you put a ball gag on her, she would be very doable.”

She's totally in to that with the guy she has sex with that's not her husband. He'd be pissed if he knew what she'll allow with her sex friend that she doesn't with him. But she'd take the kids if he put up a fight.; 4/27/20, 3:15 PM
The Vault Dweller said...: I can't think of the man equivalent of Karen, so I guess it is fair to call the Karen meme sexist. But on the 1-10 scale of sexism it is at most a one and a half. It is at such a low level of sexism that any real effort to undue the meme would be seen as whining, annoying, and an over reaction, in other words a very "Karen" thing to do.; 4/27/20, 3:18 PM
Lurker21 said...: It looks like "Becky" also plays a role in incel insultology, along with "Chad" and "Stacy." I guess Stacy and Becky are the 21st century Ginger and Mary Ann. Chad is the attractive guy who pairs up with attractive Stacy, while Becky is the ordinary girl/woman who wants Chad, but can't can't get him and won't give the "involuntary celibate" incel a second look.

“The fact that Chad and Stacy aren’t getting to have promiscuous sex right now honestly makes me so happy,” one Reddit user posted.; 4/27/20, 3:23 PM
Todd said...: Yancey Ward said...

Pajama Boy's name should either be Matty or Ezra.

4/27/20, 3:08 PM

I always assumed he was and would be called Timmy until the day he died (at 70ish) and that is what was put on his gravestone...; 4/27/20, 3:23 PM
J. Farmer said...: I assure you, Karen does not have a pocketbook- she has a handbag- a knockoff, sure- but not a pocketbook.

I’m still not entirely clear on pocketbook vs purse vs handbag.; 4/27/20, 3:26 PM
wendybar said...: Karen is upbeat compared to being called RACIST, privileged, or WHITE Supremacist. Count your blessings.; 4/27/20, 3:29 PM
J. Farmer said...: There's a chicken-or-egg question about whether "Becky" comes from a Beyonce song or whether Beyonce picked up what Black women were already saying about White women.

I think it comes from the intro to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s song Baby Got Back.; 4/27/20, 3:30 PM
Fernandinande said...: I thought “Becky” was the reservoir of anti-white hate.

"Becky" is blue collar or trailer court; "Karen" is white collar or upper-middle class.; 4/27/20, 3:31 PM
Ralph L said...: So far, the only person I've called Karen is a guy, after he wrote "I'll let it slide this time" replying to another commenter at JOM. He didn't like it, and I doubt he saw he deserved it.; 4/27/20, 3:38 PM
Fernandinande said...: Where does racist busybody "LaKeshia" fit into all this?; 4/27/20, 3:39 PM
traditionalguy said...: Hard to notice Karen’s in the world because all the white upper middle class women that I have ever known were Karen types.It could be worse. Hard to see the complaint angle.

Interestingly, Karen comes from Welch Name “Caron” that means beloved.; 4/27/20, 3:45 PM
n.n said...: Where does racist busybody "LaKeshia" fit into all this?

Racist, sexist, classicist, Karenist, and probably other acute bigotries lurking in plain sight under the umbrella doctrine of rabid diversity.; 4/27/20, 3:55 PM
Sebastian said...: Vault: "But on the 1-10 scale of sexism it is at most a one and a half. It is at such a low level of sexism that any real effort to undue the meme would be seen as whining, annoying, and an over reaction, in other words a very "Karen" thing to do."

What do you mean? You be male or sumtin? You are not implying that Althouse -- perish the thought.

Anyway, any 0.1 level of sexism must be called out. I mean, principals calling you on your miniskirt, students mansplaining law to you after class, mean young men not getting out of the way quickly out on the trail--you wouldn't believe the indignities white upper-middle-class American women have to face.; 4/27/20, 3:59 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "Nope. I was assured the “umm” did all the work."

Ummmmm.......no.; 4/27/20, 4:07 PM
tommyesq said...: Other things equal, are middle-class white women of a certain age more likely to 1. want to speak to the manager; and 2. chide minorities for their poor behavior?

Actually, more likely (IMO) to be in the lower end of the upper class, husband makes enough for her not to work (and hence have time to waste Karening), house and car nice enough to fool her into thinking she "earned" both through her intelligence, hard work and good character, just like rich kids think they somehow earned their good fortune and are therefore better than their lower class peers.; 4/27/20, 4:09 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "I’m still not entirely clear on pocketbook vs purse vs handbag."

How deplorable.; 4/27/20, 4:11 PM
MayBee said...: "Karenology is sexist," she mansplained.; 4/27/20, 4:12 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "Becky" is blue collar or trailer court

Yeah, trailer court is too high class. Trailer park is correct.; 4/27/20, 4:12 PM
Not Sure said...: What part of Karenning has to do with feeling entitled to other people's property? Isn't she more of a self-appointed enforcer of social norms?; 4/27/20, 4:16 PM
Joe Biden, America's Putin said...: OT:
Far more credible than high school BS allegation against Kavanaugh.

Former neighbor recalls Tara Reade telling her details of sexual assault by Biden in the mid-90s

Hack press won't treat it with the same vigor. Golly I wonder why?; 4/27/20, 4:18 PM
stevew said...: "I’m still not entirely clear on pocketbook vs purse vs handbag."

The age of the person carrying it.

There are two Karens in my life, my sister and sister-in-law. Neither is a Karen in the way that is described by this current meme/definition.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex: a Karen? Discuss.; 4/27/20, 4:21 PM
Tomcc said...: Yancey Ward: Yes, there are times having "Yancey" as a name is a great relief.
Yancey Thigpen was a really good receiver for the Steelers, also a distinctive and memorable name!
Having worked in retail for the last 12 years, I can tell you that (in my experience) most of the "Karen" types are Asian and Russian. Fortunately, not a lot of either. Maybe I'm just better at telling people that their unreasonable requests will not be escalated.; 4/27/20, 4:23 PM
Anonymous said...: I prefer AWFL - Affluent White Female Liberal. They really suck.; 4/27/20, 4:24 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Karenism has nothing to do with race or money. Karenism means bossy, know it all, punches above her weight, thinks her input is relevant in every situation. Karen thinks she is much smarter and more capable than she actually is, and Karen has an opinion about EVERYTHING.; 4/27/20, 4:24 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Guys aren't Karens because guys rarely have any interest in telling anyone else what to do and rarely offer unsolicited advice. That is one of their wonderful charms.; 4/27/20, 4:26 PM
Anthony said...: DanTheMan said...
.......
There is, however, a male archetype to compare Karen with: Obamacare's Pajama Boy

Bingo.

But his name ends with an 'aiden". Kayden, Jayden, etc.; 4/27/20, 4:26 PM
DanTheMan said...: >>Yeah, trailer court is too high class. Trailer park is correct.

I think Karens also love to correct people. :); 4/27/20, 4:29 PM
Charlie Currie said...: Freeman Hunt said...
"One of the two nicest people I know is named Karen, so all the "Karen" stuff has always irked me"

Yeah, well all the anti Chuck crap irks me, too. Changed my name to the much friendlier, Charlie.; 4/27/20, 4:30 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: The governor of Michigan is as Karen as you can possibly get.; 4/27/20, 4:50 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: I Have Misplaced My Pants said...
Guys aren't Karens because guys rarely have any interest in telling anyone else what to do"

I beg to differ. Governor Blackface of Virginia certainly enjoys telling people what to do.

The political world is full of male Karens.; 4/27/20, 4:52 PM
Laslo Spatula said...: Most Karens can be solved by a Petruchio.

I am Laslo.; 4/27/20, 4:53 PM
bagoh20 said...: "I consider all Karenology to be sexist... nevertheless:"

How could it possibly not be, and nobody cares.; 4/27/20, 4:59 PM
Sebastian said...: "Actually, more likely (IMO) to be in the lower end of the upper class"

Alright, another variable. Or are we simply classifying by fiat?; 4/27/20, 5:02 PM
bagoh20 said...: I had a girlfriend named Karen who everybody disliked except me. We had a long relationship that nobody could understand. I think it was sexism on their part. In the Patriarchy, I'm the ambassador of wokeness.; 4/27/20, 5:02 PM
Francisco D said...: Re: "Becky"

I think it comes from the intro to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s song Baby Got Back.

I think Farmer nailed it.; 4/27/20, 5:02 PM
Sebastian said...: "The political world is full of male Karens"

I nominate James Comey.

Mike Bloomberg already mentioned.

Beto?

A fair number of prog governors.; 4/27/20, 5:04 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: The political world is full of male Karens.

You are, of course, correct, and I consider pointing this out to hardin when he says for the 1,000,001st time that politics is driven forward by soap opera women, but I don't bother.; 4/27/20, 5:06 PM
Amadeus 48 said...: This Karen thing doesn't quite catch it. The bossy female busy-bodies in my high school tended to Charlene.

Of course, the Ur-Karen was Lucy Van Pelt of the Peanuts comic strip.; 4/27/20, 5:30 PM
Danno said...: Yancey Ward said..."Becky" is blue collar or trailer court Yeah, trailer court is too high class. Trailer park is correct.

Is there a difference? A Karen would likely classify both under trailer trash.; 4/27/20, 5:33 PM
narayanan said...: Blogger I Have Misplaced My Pants said...
Karenism has nothing to do with race or money. Karenism means bossy, know it all, punches above her weight, thinks her input is relevant in every situation. Karen thinks she is much smarter and more capable than she actually is, and Karen has an opinion about EVERYTHING
--------------===============
is Obama (husband and wife) Karen?
are mom jeans optional?; 4/27/20, 5:51 PM
MayBee said...: Kate is pictured because here hairstyle has been named the Karen. This was long before Coronavirus. Look around and you will see middle aged women with this hairstyle, and you will wonder why. My sister in law has had The Karen for at least 15 years.; 4/27/20, 5:53 PM
Brown Hornet said...: I Have Misplaced My Pants said... "Guys aren't Karens because guys rarely have any interest in telling anyone else what to do and rarely offer unsolicited advice."

There are transKarens. Brian Stelter is a transKaren. Jim Acosta is a transKaren.; 4/27/20, 5:59 PM
Maillard Reactionary said...: Who is Karen?

If there's someone I should be hating, I don't want to miss out.; 4/27/20, 6:01 PM
effinayright said...: J. Farmer said...
There's a chicken-or-egg question about whether "Becky" comes from a Beyonce song or whether Beyonce picked up what Black women were already saying about White women.

I think it comes from the intro to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s song Baby Got Back.
********************************

It's....interesting....that American blacks used to refer to bossy white women as "Miss Ann".; 4/27/20, 6:05 PM
bagoh20 said...: There are some LaKarenikas out there too.; 4/27/20, 6:14 PM
gilbar said...: I can't think of the man equivalent of Karen,

I'll give you a Hint..... Chuck

The governor of Michigan is as Karen as you can possibly get.

See?; 4/27/20, 6:18 PM
Marcus Bressler said...: How could the Hostess be a Karen since she is the "manager" of this blog and there is no one else to complain to higher up? I suppose when she bitches about comments not being in line with the topic she wants, that's a little Karenism on display.

THEOLDMAN

I call out men and women locally on their Karenism when they tattletale on people that aren't doing what Karen thinks they should be doing during the lockdown.
Sticks and stones, they said,.....; 4/27/20, 6:20 PM
Spiros said...: Julie Bindel, an "English radical feminist writer" and co-founder of the law-reform group Justice for Women, asked:

"Does anyone else think the 'Karen' slur is woman-hating and based on class prejudice?"

The enraged (batsh*t crazy) response proves Ms. Bindel and Professor Althouse have a point. "Karen" is pretty much a disparaging epithet for White women. No point in debate. But it's not just men and minorities who hate white women! Feminist scholars like Catharine Mackinnon have been trashing "Karens" long before the Karen meme even existed. Mackinnon (a terrible person) describes a "white woman" as "[a] creature [ ] not poor, not battered, not raped (not really)… She flings her hair, feels beautiful all the time, complains about the colored help, tips badly, can’t do anything, doesn’t do anything, doesn’t know anything..."

Mackinnon is liar. The white women I know are better than their male counterparts at pretty much everything. Everything. And there's nothing more pathetic than a man totally reliant on his woman. Or a man dumber than his wife. It's sad as hell.; 4/27/20, 6:28 PM
KellyM said...: I guess using "Mrs. Kravitz" doesn't really work, given the age of the show from which it comes. Although Karen could just be the better looking, more affluent cousin.; 4/27/20, 6:36 PM
Ice Nine said...: Authoritarian economic rightists hate her because she's a woman? Um, what??; 4/27/20, 6:48 PM
Earnest Prole said...: I think it comes from the intro to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s song Baby Got Back.

Oh my God, Becky, look at her butt -- it's so big, she looks like one of those rap guys' girlfriends.; 4/27/20, 6:48 PM
Bob Smith said...: The “Karen” I know is a lovely person, my best friends wife, wonderful mom, long time teaching assistant, with a pile of ex students who love her. Stifle the Karen BS.; 4/27/20, 7:02 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "Beto?"

Nah, Beto is the one gangbanged by the football team- probably named Tiffany these days.; 4/27/20, 7:03 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: “To me Karen's primary targets are her husband and other white people because those are the two classes most capable of satiating her needs for immediate placating. Karen interacting with minorities? Pish tosh. No no”

Right on. The Karens I know are clearly uneasy around colored folks. Even Asians. The exception is Native Americans assimilated into White suburbia. They’ll Karen absolutely anybody.; 4/27/20, 7:17 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: The hairstyle doesn't help.; 4/27/20, 7:19 PM
Darkisland said...: Missouri has a snitch line for the Karens to register anonymous complaint for not wearing marks distancing etc.

It was supposed to be anonymous but they forgot to cross a t or something.

A radio station requested all complaints under a freedom of information and got it. Including names addresses and everything.

Yes, they published it.

Suck it, karens.

John Henry; 4/27/20, 7:25 PM
Rt41Rebel said...: I've been teasing my fiancee Karyn about these memes for over a month. I have been laughing myself silly for 2 days because on Saturday, she called our internet provider and bitched out the customer rep because the installation tech used a green cord instead of white to connect the router. I told her it was the most Karen thing ever.

--Rt1Rebel; 4/27/20, 7:38 PM
Earnest Prole said...: Twenty years ago, before we’d ever heard of a Karen, we’d refer to her in our family simply as Whitechick — an uptight white woman who believes the world should conform entirely to her preferences. Being a Whitechick was a no-no in our house, and to underscore that we'd use Whitechick as a verb: “Don’t be Whitechickin’ it.” To the extent I’ve been successful raising three daughters to adulthood, I would attribute it to two rules:

1. Don’t break your Grandmother’s heart
2. Don’t be Whitechickin’ it; 4/27/20, 7:40 PM
Matt Sablan said...: "A radio station requested all complaints under a freedom of information and got it. Including names addresses and everything.

Yes, they published it."

-- The consequences. They were, ok, actually, I didn't expect this one.; 4/27/20, 7:41 PM
SGT Ted said...: Describing a certain type of obnoxious controlling female behavior is not sexism any more than describing the behavior of obnoxious controlling males.

You women need to embrace the fact that some of you are shitheels.; 4/27/20, 8:06 PM
ALP said...: My sibling is a Professor of grievance studies in CA. Named Karen. I'll bet this is driving her nuts. She and the ex-husband chose a surname from literature when they married - didn't take either family name. After the divorce they both kept the literary name.

With this "Karen" thing I keep expecting to get an email from her stating: "I've decided to change my first name to (insert much more obscure more 'cultural' name)".; 4/27/20, 8:17 PM
Sebastian said...: "A New Jersey high school math teacher has been caught on video yelling at a group of teens playing football in a park that they should “die a long, painful death” from the coronavirus, according to a report.

The teacher at Steinert High School in Hamilton Township was identified by several sources as Nicole Griggs, who has taught in the district for the past 15 years"

Nicole? Let's go with that.

So, any reports of men doing the same?; 4/27/20, 8:47 PM
heyboom said...: Good grief, nobody associates every single Karen in the world as this type of person. Lighten up.; 4/27/20, 8:52 PM
Achilles said...: exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

The political world is full of male Karens.

And female Karens.

Astute point nonetheless.; 4/27/20, 9:28 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: Spiros wrote:
"The white women I know are better than their male counterparts at pretty much everything. Everything."

All the white women you know are better than men at everything?

You know some damned pathetic men then.

I am much better at cooking than my husband is. He is much better at parallel parking.

I beat him when we play "Scrabble." However, I think he would have much more success than I would when it comes to peeing his name in the snow. Not that we have ever made, or plan to make, a contest of it.; 4/27/20, 9:29 PM
TestTube said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/27/20, 9:46 PM
Bob said...: to TestTube- kudos!; 4/27/20, 10:07 PM
TestTube said...: You want the truth? You want the TRUTH? You can't HANDLE the truth!

Son, we live in a world that has boundaries, and those boundaries have to be guarded by women with sticks up their asses.

Who's gonna do it? You? You, Internet Blog Commenter?

I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for low-level service employees, and you curse the HOAs.

You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know -- that my latest freakout about the substandard quality of service I received at the coffee shop, while tragic, probably saved our quality of life; and my loud-mouthed and inflexible insistence on arbitrary and overly invasive rules, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves our quality of life.

You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you WANT me nagging like a screeching harpy at the PTA meeting -- you NEED me nagging like a screeching harpy at the PTA meeting.

We use words like "rules," "order," "social standards." We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending our property values from those jerks at the Anglican Church who want to start a homeless outreach soup kitchen right smack dab in the middle of the neighborhood. You use them as a punch line.

I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very social structure that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. And also who obviously wants to sleep under my blanket, because I spend a lot of time and effort keeping my looks up, why yes I am a MILF, and figures like this don't just happen, thank you very much

I would rather that you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest YOU pick up a petition and go knocking door-to-door for signatures to keep that developer asshole from putting up a strip club next to the elementary school. Either way, I don't give a DAMN what you think you're entitled to!

Did I call the cops on the birthday party that put up a bouncy castle in their front yard without a permit? YOU'RE GOD DAMN RIGHT I DID!!; 4/27/20, 10:10 PM
Tom said...: 5th Avenue, a sci-fi spoof on HBO has a “Karen” character who’s aptly named Karen. It’s a perfect illustration of the concept.

I guess I don’t care if someone things it’s sexist. My wife and I think it’s hilarious.; 4/27/20, 10:15 PM
lb said...: test tube....NAILED it :))); 4/27/20, 10:43 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: Karenism in action:

https://twitter.com/DeAngelisCorey/status/1254470510127308800; 4/27/20, 11:07 PM
TestTube said...: Bob and lb -- thank you.

Sebastian, exiledonmainstreet -- A REAL Karen would have located and called each and everyone of those boy's mothers, followed up on email, properly documented it on neighborhood net, and also would not be caught dead outside in that outfit and that hair.

REAL Karens KNOW that it is up to them to maintain standards by example, as well as by endless nagging.; 4/27/20, 11:18 PM
Lurker21 said...: Avenue 5: not unwatchable, but not especially funny, at least for me.

Annoying that the "Karen" actress puts on an American accent, like there aren't "Karens" in Great Britain too.; 4/27/20, 11:35 PM
Birkel said...: Because they feel superior.
Nobody likes that.; 4/27/20, 11:42 PM
h said...: There once was a commenter named "lucid ideas"
Who wrote limericks where the lines didn't scan particularly well.
I guess you could say
That the rhyming was a little better than this.
But nevertheless, failure to scan means that it isn't a very good limerick.; 4/28/20, 12:01 AM
Jamie said...: TestTube, that was a thing of beauty and a joy forever.; 4/28/20, 4:19 AM
Tina Trent said...: Desperate pandering to presumed prejudiced black people by a certain type of weak white male, or even more desperate feminist academic such as Catherine Mackinnon.

See also Norman Mailer.; 4/28/20, 4:32 AM
DanTheMan said...: h, that was brilliant. Thanks for the chuckle!; 4/28/20, 6:11 AM
Mike Findlay said...: This is where "Karen" comes from. I will not be persuaded otherwise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWBBn-QsCAQ; 4/28/20, 8:40 AM
Renee said...: Where's Karen's husband??? In the basement? Where? Where?; 4/28/20, 11:22 AM