So it just so happens that Kurt Schlichter over at Twitchy sister-site Townhall just posted a column on the rise of “Karen-ism.”
These lil’ fascists need to step off.
My new @townhallcom column is up.?????
The Rise of Karen-ism Means This Lockdown Nonsense Needs To End Soon https://t.co/rnlyLjTWDZ
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) April 13, 2020
The Karenists love this. Love it. And that’s why they are fighting tooth and nail to extend this lockdown in perpetuity. Oh, they have excuses and rationalizations to make it seem like this is for our own good as opposed for their jollies. “Safety.” “Lives at stake.” You know them all. And in theory, those are real considerations. But they are not the only considerations. Not for the Karens – they can want to save lives even as they gleefully get off on their own power – and not for us either. We need to balance all the considerations in deciding when this ends. Safety is an important thing, but not the only thing. If the standard is no life can ever be put at risk, say good-bye to cars, to steak, to swimming pools, to any kind of freedom to make choices. And to the Karens, that’s a feature, not a bug.
Jim Geraghty sums it up nicely:
“Karen-ism” is the term for busybody, micromanaging citizens and lawmakers — “officer, arrest that man playing in a park with his daughter!” — that we didn’t know we needed. https://t.co/OW8mfjmBYD
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) April 13, 2020
It also turns out the Guardian also just posted a piece on the “Karen” meme and how it’s become “mired in sexism,” as do all things given enough time.
The 'Karen' meme is everywhere – and it has become mired in sexism https://t.co/srl5fbSkec
— The Guardian (@guardian) April 13, 2020
Hadley Freeman writes that the meme is not just sexist but ageist and classist as well:
Do I really need to spell out the sexism of a meme about a woman’s name that took off from a man griping about his ex-wife and has become a way of telling women to shut up? Yes, there are memes about Chad and Zach, but these have never gained the popularity of ones about Becky, Susan or Tammy, let alone Karen. When I see young (and not so young) white women defending the Karen meme, I’m reminded of the Cool Girl passage in Gone Girl: yeah, I’m not a basic pushy-mum-type woman – I’m a cool girl. Mmm, let’s see how long denigrating your own sex works for you, ladies.
Next, ageism: “Karen”, as we have established, is a mother. One with multiple children, as Vox put it. So we’re probably talking middle age here. Middle-aged women – ew!
Finally, class. Whatever upper-middle connotations Karen might have in the US, in the UK the name is not posh. Try substituting Karen for Emily, Freya, Alice or Isabel and the meme doesn’t work. It is no coincidence that a tweet calling Jess Phillips a Karen was so popular, given Phillips grew up working-class, is a mother and – not wanting to shock anyone here – a woman. Tick, tick, tick.
But it must have caught on for a reason.
Did….did Karen write this? https://t.co/61605y9PkW
— The Dank Knight ? (@capeandcowell) April 13, 2020
This article was written by a Karen, wasn't it?
— Aldous Huxley's Ghost™ (@AF632) April 13, 2020
That sounds like something Karen would say.
— Tom (@theabsolutetom) April 13, 2020
Ok Karen
— Sharona Light (@justanurse25) April 13, 2020
— Neoncowboy (@PineApplePonies) April 13, 2020
Can someone mansplain it to me, please?
— Dale (@Dale27138725) April 13, 2020
Karen: Middle class, know it all, self entitled.
— stephen wallwork (@Bathtileplaster) April 13, 2020
I'd never heard about this Karen thing but I've read this article and it appears to have been written by a massive Karen
— Sidney (@SidneyUnchained) April 13, 2020
Karen seems a little upset, she should probably speak with a manager.
— Dandy Guy?? (@One_Dandy_Guy) April 13, 2020
— Joseph Hill (@davwim) April 13, 2020
Karen is a scold who runs around drunk on her imagined power.
It's not sexist, it is Karenist.
— Rachel ???? (@RaychelTania) April 13, 2020
Karen is genderless
— 46_left ? (@46_left) April 13, 2020
Karen is so overthinking Karen. If she just realized how little we thought of her she'd realize it's not about sex, race, or age. It's simply about being an insufferable prig.
— Uncomfortably Quarantined (@UncomfortablyQ) April 13, 2020
— u.s.s.r ☭ b0t.500 (@fraz_D_) April 13, 2020
Karen wants to be oppressed so badly ??
— SEVEN⁷ ?? (@justliiviing) April 13, 2020
I live in a very rural, spread out area, near a mountain. I went for a walk there recently, even though technically it is "closed" due to Covid. A few other people were walking around, but it's EXPANSIVE and they were 100 feet away from each other. Let me tell you about KAREN.
— Ginger (@StudioSpicy) April 13, 2020
KAREN is the dumb, old white B who finished HER walk, then snapped pics of all the license plates, and called the f*cking POLICE on the other people walking, all Hispanic folks.
THAT. IS. KAREN. It's a class thing, not a sexist thing. I'm white and a woman, not a KAREN tho!
— Ginger (@StudioSpicy) April 13, 2020
It isn't sexist. It's funny and also accurate. You are being Karen-ish right now.
— Aim-ee (@Aim84856493) April 13, 2020
— Avignon Pope Brimley trucker hat (@dirtytruckerhat) April 13, 2020
I really think we should show some respect especially towards Karen boomers like @HadleyFreeman who despite ongoing pandemic, climate crisis, market clash & other issues still prioritise their manufactured outrage and use @guardian columns to vent their rage!
Great read Hadley!
— Bretbug Stephens? (@Isrexit) April 13, 2020
Calm down Karen
— Politics 2.0 (@0_politics2) April 13, 2020
Related:
Sheesh, calm DOWN Karen! Brian Stelter SUPER mad at Will Chamberlain for mocking his Reliable Sources promo https://t.co/bQr1uo9HRq
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) January 21, 2020
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