A Middle-Aged White Woman Is Being Dragged For Claiming That The Term Karen Is A ‘Slur’
"My dad is 1/8th Karen, so I’m allowed to say it."
Back in November, an old man was dragged for suggesting that the term ‘boomer’ was the “n-word of ageism”. Apparently, not learning from that boomer’s mistake, a white woman has suffered the same fate for suggesting that the term ‘Karen’ is somehow also a slur.
On Monday night, British author, journalist and feminist writer, Julie Bindel, asked the question to her Twitter followers. “Does anyone else think the ‘Karen’ slur is woman-hating and based on class prejudice?”
Does anyone else think the ‘Karen’ slur is woman hating and based on class prejudice?
— Julie Bindel (@bindelj) April 5, 2020
In case you don’t know, the term ‘Karen’ basically sums up middle-aged white women who have a constant feeling of entitlement. Karens are often characterised by a want to speak to a manager, an unbearable amount of nosiness and a sharp-short bob.
Much like how millennials are grouped together and deemed lazy, entitled and responsible for the death of almost every industry, Karen is merely a term that generalises middle-class white women — something that is far from a “slur”, which is often something racially-driven and attached to systematic inequality.
Naturally, as soon as the tweet was sent, Julie was immediately dragged for her stance.
Considering that there has been a long history of these exact type of women targeting people of colour for merely existing, it’s hard for anyone to believe that the term ‘Karen’ holds any real power in oppressing middle-class white women. At least not in the way real slurs affect people of different religions, sexual orientations, ethnicity and races.
For any middle class white women who follow me and are asking if “Karen” is a “slur”: 1) Karen is a catchall for entitled middle class CIS white women who weaponise their status against the working class and minorities. 2) Read that again and then shut theee fuck up. ✌🏾
— Camilla Blackett (@camillard) April 5, 2020
A "slur" is only a slur if it comes attached to systemic inequality, because the dehumanizing aspect of slurs are explicitly used to deprive populations of lives and livelihoods. Otherwise it's just, like, a nickname
— Studio Glibly (@NoTotally) April 5, 2020
Sure, Karen is probably a little hurtful for those white women who fit into the Karen mould, but oppressive? Not likely.
But for Julie, and the other middle-aged white women who support her view, they believe that the term ‘Karen’ is offensive because it’s “sexist, classist and ageist.” Not really sure if people being classist against the rich is really anything to complain about in the current climate, but I guess for the Karens of the world, it is.
Maintaining the narrative that ‘Karen’ is indeed a slur, Julie then claimed that the term was “certainly used by enough white men for it to be morphed into a misogynistic slur.”
“The ageism too is a massive problem,” she continued. “I think countering racism with ageism is not great.”
To further the great Karen debate, a parody and right-wing troll Twitter account started a poll asking whether the word, which is “an equivalent of the n-word for white women”, should be banned on the platform.
As a result, people started to question the anti-Karen logic. Mainly, if the idea that the two words were actually at all comparable, why could Karen be written out in full but not the n-word itself?
If it’s comparable. Write the whole word out and not just “N Word” just like you did Karen. Just write it. I’ll write it with you. pic.twitter.com/6QaKPrlZGZ
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) April 6, 2020
Unable to be justified, the ‘Karen Is A Slur’ meme quickly snowballed. Trending on Twitter, people started sharing their justifications for using the word Karen — much like how white people try to legitimise their use of the n-word, despite not being part of the culture.
Being mixed-Karen, having Karen-type friends, and earning a Karen word-pass were all poked fun at thanks to baffling concept that calling someone a Karen is a slur.
So here are some of the best memes out there so far:
my White women friends let me say it so it’s cool. I dap em up like “what’s good my Karen?” with a hard n too https://t.co/uPraKIRZFl
— COINTELHEAUX™️ (@MamoudouNDiaye) April 5, 2020
My dad is 1/8th Karen so I’m allowed to say it.
— Dani Fernandez (@msdanifernandez) April 6, 2020
white women just desperately want their own n-word pic.twitter.com/24SxxxyFN7
— B o w i e (@BitchAssBowie) April 5, 2020
Claiming that “Karen” is a slur is a very Karen thing to do
— 🍒Hater @ S T R E S S E D (@SA1NTCAKE) April 5, 2020
I love Scorsese, but I can't stand how his characters just throw around racial slurs. pic.twitter.com/tOj7QlNB9K
— Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) April 6, 2020
If you think "Karen" is a slur I guarantee it's "cunt" when you're not around
— Rachel McCartney (@RachelMComedy) April 6, 2020
This exchange had me ugly laughing: pic.twitter.com/1nPYqZHITN
— Bitey McBite-rsen (@VermyFox) April 6, 2020
i transitioned to a woman so that i could say Karen with the hard n
— Liv (@LivPosting) April 6, 2020
white women being called Karen: pic.twitter.com/7YXVrF7WMu
— 𝖋𝖆𝖙 𝖕𝖚𝖘𝖘𝖞 𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖗𝖌𝖞🌙 (@rvnstrr) April 6, 2020
— ned is a dumb name (@lilbynxh) April 6, 2020
As a Karen can I officially set the record straight
Karen is not a slur
And if you don't agree I need to speak to your manager— Karen Pollock MBACP (@CounsellingKaz) April 6, 2020
The original Karens https://t.co/hdg9Rh7jvi
— Hunter Prado, PhD (@NatSecReporter) April 6, 2020
K*rens in Paris
— Sarah Hagi (@geekylonglegs) April 6, 2020
We’ve reached out to Karen — I mean Julie Bindel — to get a little more insight into her logic on this one.