The Cultivation of the Karen
It’s now a world-wide thing. And it’s nasty.
Not long after I spent a week in a rather remarkable place in the great continent of Africa, I wrote a story about a Karen on my trip. Didn’t mention the person, the name, the description or the place.
If you’ve been living under a rock for the last year or so:
“Karen” is a pejorative term for a white woman seeming to be entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal. The term also refers to memes depicting white women who use their privilege to demand their own way. Wikipedia
In fact, the story I wrote was indicative of a type of traveler, the kind of person who utterly ruins the experience of others who have paid a pretty penny to be in the same place, but who have taken the time to train, to take things seriously, and come completely prepared.
As I have mentioned elsewhere, I’ve seen this from Croatia to Kenya, from Vietnam to Kazakhstan. The only times I’ve not seen it were when I traveled solo, or on trips which were so ridiculously epic that only damned fools like me signed up. Those times have been intensely pleasurable and worth the extra money.
This person saw themselves in the description (because the behaviors are identical, no matter the sport, gender, culture or age)…
