Karen memes are going viral and the manager I spoke to says they're hilarious
7 April 2020, 17:50
Is Karen actually a racial slur? Nope, it's not. Let's discuss.
You've probably noticed the name Karen has popped up on your timeline a lot this week. Sadly, it's nothing to do with Marvel actress Karen Gillan or Mob Wives star Karen Gravano.
In case you didn't know, Karen was a term created by black women to describe a racist and entitled white woman. "Karen is a catchall for entitled middle-class CIS white women who weaponize their status against the working class and minorities," Camilla Blackett wrote on Twitter. However, now there's actually a debate whether it's a racial slur… FYI, it's not.
READ MORE: The best memes of 2020 (so far)
On Sunday (Apr 5), controversial feminist writer Julie Bindel questioned if Karen could be a slur. She tweeted: "Does anyone else think the ‘Karen’ slur is woman hating and based on class prejudice?" Some agreed with her and said the word was "sexist, classist and ageist".
"Karen [the term popularized due to its usage by POC to refer to the entitled, often racist well-off white women they had to deal with] is a sexist classist ageist slur"
— ThePedanticRomantic @ AX (@PedanticRomantc) April 5, 2020
White feminism never ceases to amaze pic.twitter.com/5c4DlvMjEJ
Some even tried to compare it to the N-word, with a Twitter poll asking just how offensive the term is. The poll reads: "The term 'Karen' is being used as a sexist and racist slur. Considering this is an equivalent of the n-word for white women, should it be banned on Twitter?" Er…
However, as usual, the internet has found some humour in this situation and now the Karen meme has been born.
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
Y’all: is karen a slur?
— Mariella (@pfaffphobic) April 6, 2020
People of color, disabled people, and lgbt people: pic.twitter.com/08nERb3A8x
is it okay to say K*ren if it's in a song
— Micha Frazer-Carroll (@Micha_Frazer) April 7, 2020
As a Karen can I officially set the record straight
— Karen Pollock MBACP (@CounsellingKaz) April 6, 2020
Karen is not a slur
And if you don't agree I need to speak to your manager
Frontin Karen's give me heebie jeebies pic.twitter.com/w7wxOCPrjy
— Tianna, the Typo Writer 🌸🥀 (@dontsmileattee) 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
i have white friends so i can say karen
— stop calling me emo (@baldboyblues) April 6, 2020
— jack rem x (@jackremmington) April 6, 2020
They say money make a Karen act Karen-ish. At least a Karen, Karen-rich.
— The Food Doll (@MONR0WE) April 6, 2020
Personally I think we should all be allowed to say Karen because once you have an asymmetric bob with highlights the world sees us as the same.
— machine gun Kele (@kelechnekoff) April 6, 2020
don't worry y'all my grandma was ½ Karen, I'm allowed to say it
— 𝖋𝖆𝖙 𝖕𝖚𝖘𝖘𝖞 𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖗𝖌𝖞🌙 (@rvnstrr) April 6, 2020
In conclusion, having not been colonised, lynched or subjected to centuries of oppression (see, Kelechi Okafor's tweets), white women being called Karen can not be a slur, ok?
