I just read a definition of a Karen as "someone who always asks to speak to the manager."

Uh no, there is way more to being a "Karen" than that. Think Mrs Olson + Mrs Kravitz + Kystal Carrington (without the money and entitlement). I am old so my references might be beyond you if you are significantly younger than i am. An employee may be miffed about a complaint, yes, but that same employee may not self-reflect so well either and that does NOT equal a "Karen" attack nor warrant being called a "Karen".

I guess I'm old too. I got all of the references. And I just saw Mrs. Olsen a few months ago in "The Mummy's Curse"

Don't forget the hair!

@pambam wrote:

I just read a definition of a Karen as "someone who always asks to speak to the manager."

From Wikipeadia: "Karen is a pejorative term for a white woman perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal. The term is often portrayed in memes depicting white women who use their white privilege to demand their own way."
Calling a person a Karen has always been a hateful, racist, derogatory slur.

Who the heck is Mrs. Olsen? I get Mrs. Kravitz from Bewitched.

I though it was punny in that we are required for some shops to speak with a manager, regardless of who we are or what we earn or what we look like. I did not take it as a slur. To each his own.

"Mrs. Olson" was the fictional name of a character in a string of television commercials for Folgers Coffee during the 1960s and 1970s.

@Madetoshop wrote:

Who the heck is Mrs. Olsen? I get Mrs. Kravitz from Bewitched.

I've actually asked to talk to a manager much to the consternation of many an employee.

Then I will tell the manager what a fantastic job the server or employee provided to me and my party. Naturally these incidences weren't during mystery shops. But I guarantee you that employee had a smile on their face the rest of the day and did a fantastic job serving the rest of their customers that day.

Pay it forward!

Now my 86 year old Mom is definitely a "Karen". It's never fast enough or how she would do it. And tongue in cheek, doesn't the Karen description above include every NYC or Chicago person or to be politically incorrect, every Jewish or Italian mother. Please take this with a grain of salt, I'm not trying to be politically incorrect, I'm just speaking from personal experience.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2022 10:10PM by wrosie.

@myst4au wrote:

"Mrs. Olson" was the fictional name of a character in a string of television commercials for Folgers Coffee during the 1960s and 1970s.

@Madetoshop wrote:

Who the heck is Mrs. Olsen? I get Mrs. Kravitz from Bewitched.

I thought the reference to Mrs. Olsen was that nutty lady that ran the General Store in the "Little House on the Prairie" TV series from the late 70s/early 80s!

Technically, that was Mrs. Oleson on Little House on the Prairie. I have no idea whether the original question included a typo or was asking about the Olson on the coffee commercial.

@guysmom wrote:

@myst4au wrote:

"Mrs. Olson" was the fictional name of a character in a string of television commercials for Folgers Coffee during the 1960s and 1970s.

@Madetoshop wrote:

Who the heck is Mrs. Olsen? I get Mrs. Kravitz from Bewitched.

I thought the reference to Mrs. Olsen was that nutty lady that ran the General Store in the "Little House on the Prairie" TV series from the late 70s/early 80s!

@myst4au wrote:

"Mrs. Olson" was the fictional name of a character in a string of television commercials for Folgers Coffee during the 1960s and 1970s.

@Madetoshop wrote:

Who the heck is Mrs. Olsen? I get Mrs. Kravitz from Bewitched.

She played in Little House On The Prairie.. Her and Husband ran the store and the restaurant

That was one of my favorite shows...

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2022 02:22AM by Isaiah4031a.

@tstewart3 wrote:

Calling a person a Karen has always been a hateful, racist, derogatory slur.

And sexist. Any woman who speaks up for herself and questions authority is being called a Karen and it makes my blood boil.

@shopnyc wrote:

@tstewart3 wrote:

Calling a person a Karen has always been a hateful, racist, derogatory slur.

And sexist. Any woman who speaks up for herself and questions authority is being called a Karen and it makes my blood boil.

No.
Just - No.

A “Karen” is a white woman who uses her position and privilege to put a person of color in danger by involving law enforcement during an innocuous activity.

For example,
- The “Karen” in Central Park (Amy Cooper) who falsely claimed that a Black man birdwatching was threatening her and her dog,
- The “Karen” in SoHo (Teresa Klein) who falsely accused a 9 year old Black child of grabbing her butt,
- The “Karen” (aka BBQ Becky, Jennifer Merritt) was captured calling the police on two black men who were using a charcoal grill to cook up some meat at a Lake Merritt's designated grilling zone…

… and it goes on and on.

Thankfully, video recordings from cellphones and store surveillance proved that these Karens were lying. These women all lied to law enforcement, falsified their accounts to the police, and have received justice at the hands of social media.

I know how it started, thank you. However its usage has expanded and, especially among young men, now any woman who speaks up or complains about something, or even questions something, is called a Karen. It's not just about race anymore. I see it all the time on other forums and hear it when I'm out and about. It has grown to become a derogatory term to silence women in general.

@ColoKate63 wrote:

@shopnyc wrote:

@tstewart3 wrote:

Calling a person a Karen has always been a hateful, racist, derogatory slur.

And sexist. Any woman who speaks up for herself and questions authority is being called a Karen and it makes my blood boil.

No.
Just - No.

A “Karen” is a white woman who uses her position and privilege to put a person of color in danger by involving law enforcement during an innocuous activity.

For example,
- The “Karen” in Central Park (Amy Cooper) who falsely claimed that a Black man birdwatching was threatening her and her dog,
- The “Karen” in SoHo (Teresa Klein) who falsely accused a 9 year old Black child of grabbing her butt,
- The “Karen” (aka BBQ Becky, Jennifer Merritt) was captured calling the police on two black men who were using a charcoal grill to cook up some meat at a Lake Merritt's designated grilling zone…

… and it goes on and on.

Thankfully, video recordings from cellphones and store surveillance proved that these Karens were lying. These women all lied to law enforcement, falsified their accounts to the police, and have received justice at the hands of social media.

@shopnyc wrote:

I know how it started, thank you. However its usage has expanded and, especially among young men, now any woman who speaks up or complains about something, or even questions something, is called a Karen. It's not just about race anymore. I see it all the time on other forums and hear it when I'm out and about. It has grown to become a derogatory term to silence women in general.

@ColoKate63 wrote:

@shopnyc wrote:

@tstewart3 wrote:

Calling a person a Karen has always been a hateful, racist, derogatory slur.

And sexist. Any woman who speaks up for herself and questions authority is being called a Karen and it makes my blood boil.

No.
Just - No.

A “Karen” is a white woman who uses her position and privilege to put a person of color in danger by involving law enforcement during an innocuous activity.

For example,
- The “Karen” in Central Park (Amy Cooper) who falsely claimed that a Black man birdwatching was threatening her and her dog,
- The “Karen” in SoHo (Teresa Klein) who falsely accused a 9 year old Black child of grabbing her butt,
- The “Karen” (aka BBQ Becky, Jennifer Merritt) was captured calling the police on two black men who were using a charcoal grill to cook up some meat at a Lake Merritt's designated grilling zone…

… and it goes on and on.

Thankfully, video recordings from cellphones and store surveillance proved that these Karens were lying. These women all lied to law enforcement, falsified their accounts to the police, and have received justice at the hands of social media.

An update to the Amy Cooper story shows exactly the opposite of the corporate media narrative
[youtu.be]

@shopnyc wrote:

I know how it started, thank you. However its usage has expanded and, especially among young men, now any woman who speaks up or complains about something, or even questions something, is called a Karen. It's not just about race anymore. I see it all the time on other forums and hear it when I'm out and about. It has grown to become a derogatory term to silence women in general.

[/quote=shopnyc]

A “Karen” is an obnoxious, pushy, over the top female bully. When “asking to speak to the manager,” she is encouraging punishment and possibly job loss for the hapless employee who incurred her wrath.

I have personally witnessed completely outrageous behavior towards retail staff, especially during pandemic lockdown, and the best method for shutting them down is to whip out my iPhone and conspicuously start a video. Yes, they absolutely KNOW what they are doing, because the moment they see that lens pointed their way, they slink off embarrassed.

If you or someone you know has ever been called a “Karen,” it was undoubtedly well-deserved. I have a good number of female activists and community leaders with strong voices and opinions in my friend circle; not one of them has EVER been accused of being a “Karen.”

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2022 05:41AM by ColoKate63.

@ColoKate63 wrote:

If you or someone you know has ever been called a “Karen,” it was undoubtedly well-deserved. I have a good number of female activists and community leaders with strong voices and opinions in my friend circle; not one of them has EVER been accused of being a “Karen.”

Do you always point the finger at people who have a different viewpoint from yours, to tell them what they observed is their own fault? I did not say I was called a Karen. I have seen others use the term to refer to women who talk about things like calling the cops when their neighbors were loud, or letting a business know about a problem. Not outrageous behavior at all. In a lot of places, it's being used by people who want to put women down for speaking up. And how do you know your activist and community leader friends were never called Karen behind their backs?

You seem so stuck on how the term first came into use. Yet, language is very fluid and meanings morph and expand, especially with social media nowadays. I see the term slung around a lot on in social media and casual conversation and it is not only used when a woman is racist or bullying. Some women even jokingly call themselves Karen when telling a story about something that didn't sit right with them.

In fact, recently I watched an interview on YouTube and the interviewer asked their guest about it. She called it a "complicated trope" that mocked women for complaining about things and said it's the idea of women not being able to say, "I don't like this, this isn't good enough." It isn't a term that is viewed or used in only one way. Different groups and cultures use it to fit their agenda.

Yes, it can still apply to the white racists and the bullies, but it's also often directed rather flippantly toward any woman who is simply standing up for themselves. You don't have to believe me, but I am not wrong. That is how it is often used.

.

Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2022 07:14AM by shopnyc.

Inappropriately being called a “Karen” is such a First World Problem, such a ridiculous thing to be worried about, I have to laugh at the thickly-written (and six-times edited! Yikes!) mountain of text you have composed.

If a woman is quivering in her boots, traumatized and silenced, at the use of the word “Karen,” perhaps she should go live in her basement for the rest of her years.

If someone called me a “Karen,” I’d laugh first and then I’d probably return some very colorful language in response. This isn’t 1822, it’s 2022 and we aren’t delicate flowers of womanhood. No need for smelling salts, just get salty in return and watch the idiot who tried to intimidate you turn tail and run.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2022 08:42AM by ColoKate63.

I know I've said it before...but again, this pandemic with shut downs, vaccines and masks, along with social media, certainly has set off a round of fireworks known to some professionals as mental health issues. The minuscule level of sensitivity that triggers an outburst is unreal. Isn't there real policy concerns to deal with? What have we learned from the past several years? Critical thinking skills, please.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2022 10:11AM by maverick1.

@ColoKate63 wrote:

Inappropriately being called a “Karen” is such a First World Problem, such a ridiculous thing to be worried about, I have to laugh at the thickly-written (and six-times edited! Yikes!) mountain of text you have composed.

I never said I was worried about it. It just pisses me off, but it's a momentary thing. You're the one that kept drawing out the convo, and I felt I had to make clear what I was saying since you were basically telling me I was wrong.

And yeah, I usually have to edit all my posts several times because I make typos. No big deal about that.

@ColoKate63 wrote:

If a woman is quivering in her boots, traumatized and silenced, at the use of the word “Karen,” perhaps she should go live in her basement for the rest of her years.

If someone called me a “Karen,” I’d laugh first and then I’d probably return some very colorful language in response. This isn’t 1822, it’s 2022 and we aren’t delicate flowers of womanhood. No need for smelling salts, just get salty in return and watch the idiot who tried to intimidate you turn tail and run.

I agree. I also never said that women should shy away from challenging that or any name-calling directed their way, nor that I or anyone else is traumatized by it and suffering. All I said is that the term is frequently used as a slur against woman and that makes me mad. Period. No quivering or hiding in a basement. What a fanciful imagination you have, but somehow your reading comprehension doesn't quite match it.

Not going to commit to taking any side on all of the above, but I will say all of you have displayed your viewpoints and comments with clarity and meaning. I am certain your reports for this business we are in have been excellent! My first thought was that this discussion was very entertaining. I am not making fun when I say that. It was just how I initially began to react to each reply I read. Then I realized it was all very helpful for me personally. Sometimes when I know I am right, and I cannot understand why the other person does not get it, I can let it affect me unnecessarily. I am not saying that is what happened here, but, that is what happens to me. Understanding the perspective of the other person is a trait I continue to work on. Thank you for sharing your opinions and the reasoning behind your statements. I have a clearer picture of how I could be viewed. And when I am right, maybe I am not, after all.

the "karens" of the internet vids are often both rude and racist