Why the “Karen” Meme Rocks!
Why the “Karen” Meme, a symbol of “white woman privilege” Rocks.
I am a middle aged, blond, white mom. My name is Karen. At first glance, I fit into the stereotype of a “Karen” without the “can-I-speak-to-your-manager” haircut. Lately I started thinking. What actually is a “Karen”? Am I a “Karen”? If you are not on social media much, the “Karen” meme is a short-hand description or stereotype that appeared in black internet culture a few years back. It identifies a specific type of white woman. Your stereotypical “Karen” is annoying. She complains freely without regard to her white entitlement. She uses her entitlement to ignore, annoy or complain about people beneath her station especially those in the service sector and people of color. “Karens” have always existed. We all know some “Karens”. They appear in the office, in restaurants, on airplanes. All “Karens” assume rights without regard to others. “Karen” is not aware of the entitlement her whiteness gives her or worse, she is aware and uses that entitlement against people. Amy Cooper is a “Karen”. Last month she falsely accused Christian Cooper, a black man of threatening her in Central Park. She called the police on this poor man. He was bird watching and simply asked her to leash her dog. She is the worst kind of “Karen”. She weaponized her white supremacy.
Am I miffed that someone created the “Entitled-White-Woman” meme and decided to call it “Karen”? Am I afraid I may be subject to social media insults simply because my mom named me after her best friend 55 years ago? Maybe. However, after looking closer at the “Karen” trope I thought how it might serve me. Why not use it to my advantage? Calling out a “Karen” on Social Media could be a passive, funny way to identify and make people aware that their actions or words can cause harm. Who better to call out a “Karen” than another person actually named Karen! Who knows, if I point out “Karen” behavior internal mindsets might actually start to shift.
We as white women need to accept our own white supremacy and privilege. It is no longer acceptable to sit on the side lines and say to ourselves “we are not racists”. If we want to help chip away at internalized racism and become anti-racists we need to start now by looking at ourselves and the white people around us. We need to identify racist behavior and start speaking up. Let’s face it. The conversation of racism is difficult for everyone especially white people but if a meme I am named after can help facilitate some conversation, I am down with that. So to all the Karens and Beckys and Pattys out there embrace your meme. Start using it to call out injustice. Help us start thinking about our own actions and how they might be contributing to the problem of race in America. Who knows, we might make the world a little bit kinder in the end and who doesn’t want that?
