Not all Karens are “Karens”

By Sarah Griffiths,

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff-

The newest Internet slang is making Karens everywhere face a new meaning to their name. Seemingly normal, the name “Karen” has turned into a pejorative term for a person acting entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal. 

The slang has turned into a popular meme of middle-aged women who exhibit behavior stemming from their privilege, and the internet has now broadened the name to anyone who refuses to treat other people decently. 

The most popular usage of the phrase describes the kind of person who demands to “speak to the manager,” instead of accepting minor inconveniences caused by hard-working store associates. In recent months, the term has evolved into a form of Karen that refuses to wear a face mask in shops or abide to quarantine rules.

Karen Karoly is a library technician at Willett Elementary School and has become quite familiar with the new meaning behind her name.

“I’m very aware of the term ‘being a Karen’ and I don’t take offense since I know I’m not ‘that’ Karen. After I began seeing memes and references about the name Karen, I subscribed to the ‘Not All Karen’s’ school of thought. Now I silently create a little thought hashtag, #NotAllKarens, whenever I see my first name used in a derogatory manner. It works great!” Karoly said.

Karen Turley Adams is a longtime Davis resident, and in her early years of retirement. Like many fellow Karens, Adams was dismayed at the new meaning of her name, understanding how it stems from white privilege. 

“I’ve always been grateful about my good fortune, but for many years I wasn’t aware of the role white privilege played in it. I’m educating myself now, and it’s an ongoing effort. To me, ‘bad’ Karens are clueless about the ways white privilege has shaped their attitudes and their behavior,” Adams said.

Admas has taken the “anti-Karen”-ness a step further than just proclaiming Black Lives Matter.

“I look for ways to fight systemic racism. In the recent election, I volunteered for candidates at all levels with progressive values, who fight for a more just society. And right now, I’m working with our local Indivisible Yolo group to help pass legislation in Washington that restores voting rights, among other things,” Adams said.

Adams is sensitive about the new meaning of Karen, realizing that people may make assumptions about her. She’s even taken steps to initial as “KT” instead of her first name as well as added “Not a Karen” to her Twitter handle.

“My name is a small daily prompt to remember my privilege, and a challenge not to get too complacent in the fight for an antiracist society,” Adams said.

Adams’s friends have helped lighten the load from being a “Karen” in the modern world, showing their support by gifting her a T-shirt that represents her passion for equality.

“I was thrilled when a good friend gave me a T-shirt that proclaims “Karen’s Against Systemic Racism.” On the back, it gives a few key beliefs of ‘good’ Karens and ends with ‘And yes, I would like to speak to the manager,’” Adams said.

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