She is everywhere. She is inescapable. Who is she? She is KAREN, or rather, a Karen, a newly pejorative term that (usually) refers to a white woman who uses her privilege to demand things from others or to police others (wrongly; usually racial minorities) in their behavior. The name Karen is so ubiquitously used to describe this kind of person that it now even has its own Wikipedia page.
In this strange year of 2020, Karen has exploded into the headlines not despite of but maybe because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout from the George Floyd protests and demands for greater racial equality. Where Karen as a catch-all name for women (and some men) behaving badly had been used here and there, it wasn’t the name until recently. Many other names were alliteratively bandied around when describing people behaving badly (think BBQ Beck, Permit Patty, or just plain old “Okay, Boomer”).
But on May 25, 2020, Karen took the crown and ascended to her throne. Because it was on this date that Amy Cooper encountered Christian Cooper in the Ramble in New York’s Central Park. And it was on May 25, 2020, when Christian Cooper’s sister Melody, tweeted,
And it was also on May 25, 2020 when George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, tying these two events together as examples of systemic inequality and tying to it the name Karen.
Since then, Karen’s been discussed over and over, spawning extensive discussions about how this name became a meme, about its origin, about what it means when you use it as a slam. There are Instagrams dedicated to “Karens Gone Wild.”
But on a specific name level, why Karen? We know the name was at its peak popularity in the 1950s, which makes it fitting for a now-middle-aged (white) woman. While the stereotype of “Karen” is problematic in the way that all stereotypes are, the name’s demographic info helps paint the picture of the Karen. There’s also the inherent irony, as some have suggested, of a name that sounds like “Care” being given to a person who seems to not care about others. As if using the name is a way of calling them out. And as for why it stuck? It’s partly in the name’s sound. Karen has a hard consonant “K” and closed-syllable ending, which are traits common in English swear words. Perhaps it’s just more satisfying to yell “Karen” than Linda or Nancy.
Whatever the case, people can’t stop talking about Karen. Which means we can all but guarantee there won’t be many Karens born in the next couple years, at least. We’ll have to wait for the SSA data to tell us exactly how the name’s popularity ranking has been affected by the phenomenon. In the meantime, here’s more Karen-related content that changed the way we think of this name:
How “Karen” became a symbol of racism (Vox)
SNL “Black Jeopardy” with Chadwick Boseman (YouTube)
Dane Cook: The Friend That Noboy Likes (YouTube)
Decoder Ring: The Karen (Slate)
https://www.insider.com/karen-meme-origin-the-histor
What Is the Karen? (NY Post)
https://time.com/5857023/karen-meme-history-meaning/
https://www.instagram.com/karensgoingwilds/
Give us your thoughts on Karen in the comments! Especially those of you named Karen!
That closes out 2020 for us. It’s been a challenging year, with more challenges surely to come. Thanks for spending some of your time with us, and have a happy new year. Here’s to endings and new beginnings!