Yesterday\u2019s blog was about someone called Brandon and how the name had become synonymous with a hidden meaning. There\u2019s another name that I\u2019ve heard a lot lately that seems to have joined a trend, especially on the Internet, of using a first name to make fun of certain kinds of people \u2014 Karen.
In recent years, \u201cKaren\u201d has become a widespread \u201cdescription\u201d of a specific type of middle-class white woman, who exhibits behavior(s) that stem from privilege.\u00a0
The origin of this use of the name Karen is uncertain, but the use of \u201cKaren\u201d became popular a few years ago as a way for people of color, particularly black Americans, to satirize the class-based and racially charged hostility they often face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why the name Karen? One of the most popular theories is that Karen has been credited to Black Twitter in the 2010s. Another explanation is that it comes from a 2005 bit by Dane Cook called \u201cThe Friend Nobody Likes.\u201d (The friend was named Karen.) Another suggestion is that it comes from the character Karen in the 2004 film Mean Girls<\/em>, who\u2019s the subject of the popular quote: \u201cOh my God, Karen, you can\u2019t just ask someone why they\u2019re white.\u201d Some even say that Karen comes from the 1990 film Goodfellas<\/em>, in which one of the characters is named Karen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Karens have been closely associated with Baby Boomers. Some millennials and members of Generation Z have called out boomers for being close-minded and behind-the-times, especially when it comes to unprogressive views on such things as gender, sexuality, and youth culture. Although I haven\u2019t heard it too much, apparently a male version of the Karen name has emerged \u2014 Ken. Patrica and Mark Mccluskey were pictured pointing guns at protesters passing by their home in St. Louis and they were dubbed \u201cKaren and Ken.\u201d Yesterday\u2019s blog was about someone called Brandon and how the name had become synonymous with a hidden meaning. There\u2019s another name that I\u2019ve heard a lot lately that seems to have joined a trend, especially on the Internet, of using … Continue reading
Lately, Karen has become more generally used to insult white women accused of taking advantage of their white privilege.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mean what you say and say what you mean has apparently fallen out of favor\u2026\u2026
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"