My Unpopular Opinion: Not a fan of “Karenism”
White women should not be labeled as “Karens”, signed a black woman.
In the age of social media and smartphones, it is becoming common for the bad behavior of Americans to be recorded and placed on the internet for people to see. One particular group of people, white women, have come under intense scrutiny in the past few months for their entitled, outlandish, and downright racist behavior.
The term “Karen” has been coined to identify middle-aged white women quick to dial 911, bully others in public, and misuse their white privilege.
This is an intense time for everyone and anyone, especially black folks. Let me be the first to admit that being black in this climate and at all the times that preceded this, is NOT easy.
However, let wrong be wrong and right be right, humans were not made to be placed in a box; if there’s anything that our human history has thought us, it is this. No matter if that box is metaphorical, imaginary or polarizing, when we start boxing in people, we now begin to manifest all the ill that has been done and continues to be done to us (minorities)!
I am not asking us (minorities) to be the bigger, people here. I am asking that we call out those that are wrong without labeling them Karens!
Let me ask you one good question, why has the bad behavior of white men not received a term? Why are they not being labeled “kens” or “Johns” or any other random name?
Why is it that in 2020, derogatory terms and language only belong to minority groups and women? We have a long twisted history that has juxtaposed white men as the most superior and everyone else beneath them, and this particular terminology reminds me of that. I have seen bad behavior from white men too, but they are not being placed in a box, they are being treated humanely.
There’s a lot to think about here, and I don’t think my unpopular opinion will compel everyone that “Karenism” shouldn’t be a term.
However, I compel you to stray from using the term when calling out wrongdoing. The call out of one individual’s bad behavior should not inherently belong to white women alone or women alone.
Bad behavior is bad behavior, it should be called out, dealt with, and should serve as a lesson that there is an uprising in this country, but humans are not meant to be placed in boxes.
