'Karen' has become a de-facto racist dog-whistle meaning 'white woman'.
If it was merely about the entitled attitude there should be plenty examples of black 'Karens'.
There are none, that's why it's a 100% racist term against white people.
It's a description of a specific type of behavior usually found in a subset of white women. Also, completely appropriate because it is borne of privilege.
Stereotypes are generally not responsive to logical arguments that they're stereotyping. I dislike this particular stereotype as much as you seem to, but it regardless appears to fit the circumstances and criteria necessary for memetic propagation in US culture.
CNN had an article on "how Karen became a meme," at the end of May:
>Just look at baby name data from the Office of Social Security. Between 1951 and 1968, the name "Karen" saw its peak -- sitting pretty in the top 10 for the most popular baby name in the US.
>But in 2018, the most recent year available, "Karen" was ranked at 635th in most popular names, quite the fall from grace.
I just do not get the appeal of being on Nextdoor - I guess there's some value in actual important announcements (I found a lost dog once and my roommate who's on there found a post about it and got in touch with the owner, which was cool), but from what I've seen on my very brief time on there, those are drowned out by ridiculous nonsense. It seems like the people who are on there self-select to the ones in a given neighborhood who are the least informed but have the most time on their hands.
Is it anonymous ? I really don’t see a point either. It’s a snitch app and people of color are usually the ones facing the brunt of the abuse due to profiling, or other hate.
Yet another example of how companies that try to shy away from the responsibility of providing any sort of moderation will ultimately create a fertile ground for racists and worse.
In this case it's the moderation that's causing the problem. Get rid of the moderators. Get rid of the "real name" policy. Then people will be free to take the piss out of uptight idiots broadcasting nosiness/panic/hate. Having a small power structure creates a low stakes political game which allows these busybodies to dominate, similar to homeowners associations. Note how the examples mostly threaten to call the police and similar impotent crabbing, rather than actually doing anything themselves.
FWIW has anyone tried using NextDoor before moving to an area, to gauge how problematic the neighbors would be?
> FWIW has anyone tried using NextDoor before moving to an area, to gauge how problematic the neighbors would be?
I don't think this is easy because ND only wants people that actually live in a neighborhood. When I signed up they mailed a postcard to the address with a code as a filter for that. FWIW I think you'd likely get a skewed view of a neighborhood just going by its Nextdoor posts.
If you've ever spoken to a real estate agent or apartment manager, you realize that people who often come across as educated and progressive have a strong current of fear-based racism and bigotry. "Good schools" is usually, in my opinion, coded racism. Inevitably, the "good schools" are just white and Asian kids.
The classism component is pretty big too. My Nextdoor and Ring apps are filled with (sorry about this, but it's true) white moms complaining about "suspicious" men. Where I live these days, most of the working class and working poor are white, but you know, the "wrong kind of white people" as the joke goes. A lot of construction happens here, and usually it's just contractors knocking on the wrong door or something like that. Complaints about a neighbor down the street who has his rock climbing buddies show up and sleep in their vans in front of his house are super common from these folks as well. And man, if you commit the cardinal sin of having a work truck with signage on the side, well, watch out. We wouldn't want people who work with their hands living here, would we?
I'd really hate to see it where I used to live, which is in the South and is dramatically more diverse. My brother's now ex-wife, who despite voting for and advocating for left wing politicians CONSTANTLY, is deathly afraid of black men. She wouldn't ride the bus in affluent neighborhoods in the DC area, because they were "ghetto" (again a coded term for black people being present). In fact, I always noticed that buses in DC were absent white women in general.
If you are white and consider yourself progressive on racial issues, ask yourself if you've ever lived in a neighborhood where you were a racial minority. I'd strongly suggest trying it out if you are committed to becoming a better person. I spent my childhood in predominantly black neighborhoods, but I still benefited hugely as a human by living in a mostly Salvadoran neighborhood when I first moved to the DC area. It was affordable, the neighbors were wonderful to me and my kids, and I was constantly invited to parties. I even met former MS13 gang members who were now reformed, model citizens. That was an illuminating lesson on the human condition for me.
38 comments
[ 0.32 ms ] story [ 146 ms ] threadIf it was merely about the entitled attitude there should be plenty examples of black 'Karens'. There are none, that's why it's a 100% racist term against white people.
It's Reddit garbage talk that should stay on Reddit and die.
That's like saying "Peeping Tom" is harmful to Tom's (it isn't).
KnowYourMeme.com traces it back to Dane Cook, so it's actually just comedy (which is only occasionally funny).
Reddit is just a representation of what a broad spectrum of the internet is talking about.
Your comment is such a fantastical stretch that I thought it was posted by a Romanian gymnast.
There are shrill self absorbed people of all genders and races. We need a better term.
What about Dane Cook?
Well, Tim Pool called out the recent NYC park incident between a white woman and a black man as "two Karens":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt22YivWOoM
Let's see how the term evolves now that it has really gone viral.
yikes
https://www.everything-birthday.com/name/f/karen
>Just look at baby name data from the Office of Social Security. Between 1951 and 1968, the name "Karen" saw its peak -- sitting pretty in the top 10 for the most popular baby name in the US.
>But in 2018, the most recent year available, "Karen" was ranked at 635th in most popular names, quite the fall from grace.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/30/us/karen-meme-trnd/index.html
FWIW has anyone tried using NextDoor before moving to an area, to gauge how problematic the neighbors would be?
I don't think this is easy because ND only wants people that actually live in a neighborhood. When I signed up they mailed a postcard to the address with a code as a filter for that. FWIW I think you'd likely get a skewed view of a neighborhood just going by its Nextdoor posts.
The classism component is pretty big too. My Nextdoor and Ring apps are filled with (sorry about this, but it's true) white moms complaining about "suspicious" men. Where I live these days, most of the working class and working poor are white, but you know, the "wrong kind of white people" as the joke goes. A lot of construction happens here, and usually it's just contractors knocking on the wrong door or something like that. Complaints about a neighbor down the street who has his rock climbing buddies show up and sleep in their vans in front of his house are super common from these folks as well. And man, if you commit the cardinal sin of having a work truck with signage on the side, well, watch out. We wouldn't want people who work with their hands living here, would we?
I'd really hate to see it where I used to live, which is in the South and is dramatically more diverse. My brother's now ex-wife, who despite voting for and advocating for left wing politicians CONSTANTLY, is deathly afraid of black men. She wouldn't ride the bus in affluent neighborhoods in the DC area, because they were "ghetto" (again a coded term for black people being present). In fact, I always noticed that buses in DC were absent white women in general.
If you are white and consider yourself progressive on racial issues, ask yourself if you've ever lived in a neighborhood where you were a racial minority. I'd strongly suggest trying it out if you are committed to becoming a better person. I spent my childhood in predominantly black neighborhoods, but I still benefited hugely as a human by living in a mostly Salvadoran neighborhood when I first moved to the DC area. It was affordable, the neighbors were wonderful to me and my kids, and I was constantly invited to parties. I even met former MS13 gang members who were now reformed, model citizens. That was an illuminating lesson on the human condition for me.
Protestors are using nextdoor to organize.
Concerns about safety are automatically being blocked.
Anyone worried that the looters and red necks are going to get into it is attacked.
Police have had to shutdown the highway to our area several times due to many threatening statements online.
Somehow it’s now not possible to be opposed to police brutality and looters.
Already had multiple buildings I used to work/eat/shop in burned.
I really appreciate the care you seem to have given to your choice-of-words while trying to convey your own experience.