The Karen Paradox
Author
Discussion

StevieBee

Original Poster:

14,895 posts

279 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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When a Karen objects to being referred to as a Karen thus validating the use of the term Karen.


Stay in Bed Instead

22,362 posts

181 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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Karen is more equivalent to gammon I feel.


Triumph Man

9,467 posts

192 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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God people are so offended... The only reason anyone is referred to as a "Karen" is because they are a self entitled angry woman. I don't see why self entitled angry women should be defended. A strong woman having an adult discussion about an issue is entirely different. No-one is trying to take that away from women.

ReallyReallyGood

1,641 posts

154 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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Triumph Man said:
God people are so offended... The only reason anyone is referred to as a "Karen" is because they are a self entitled angry woman. I don't see why self entitled angry women should be defended. A strong woman having an adult discussion about an issue is entirely different. No-one is trying to take that away from women.
How can you have an adult discussion with someone who reduces the conversation to calling someone a Karen.

Randy Winkman

21,097 posts

213 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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Does a Gammon have to be a man?

Brave Fart

6,503 posts

135 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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It's just shorthand, isn't it? Much easier to type "Karen" than "self entitled woman on the internet with a total inability to grasp basic statistics and her own risk", surely?
I resent this appropriation of language; you know, the way people say "I'm offended by this word so no one else is allowed to use it!"

Now of course, some words (such as the "N" word) become unacceptable, that's the way language evolves. But at present, words like "Karen" and "Gammon" are useful shorthands to describe a character type; this might change over time.

Triumph Man

9,467 posts

192 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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ReallyReallyGood said:
Triumph Man said:
God people are so offended... The only reason anyone is referred to as a "Karen" is because they are a self entitled angry woman. I don't see why self entitled angry women should be defended. A strong woman having an adult discussion about an issue is entirely different. No-one is trying to take that away from women.
How can you have an adult discussion with someone who reduces the conversation to calling someone a Karen.
Well that is very true.

amusingduck

9,643 posts

160 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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The K-word is stronger than the n-word is a total Karen thing to say biggrin

TwigtheWonderkid

48,111 posts

174 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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We've had "Dave", white van man, for years. There's even a TV channel called Dave, with stuff that would appeal to Dave. I know a few Daves, and none of them seen remotely bothered.

We've also had Nigels (geeks), Hooray Henrys, Tim (nice but dim). Others too, that I've no doubt forgotten.

i4got

5,928 posts

102 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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ReallyReallyGood said:
How can you have an adult discussion with someone who reduces the conversation to calling someone a Karen.
The kind of person who uses Karen or Gammon is not usually interested in a conversation.


HTP99

24,779 posts

164 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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TwigtheWonderkid said:
We've had "Dave", white van man, for years. There's even a TV channel called Dave, with stuff that would appeal to Dave. I know a few Daves, and none of them seen remotely bothered.

We've also had Nigels (geeks), Hooray Henrys, Tim (nice but dim). Others too, that I've no doubt forgotten.
Trevor, Sharon!!

steveo3002

11,090 posts

198 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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hooray henry and tim nice but dim

The Wookie

14,189 posts

252 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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Brave Fart said:
It's just shorthand, isn't it? Much easier to type "Karen" than "self entitled woman on the internet with a total inability to grasp basic statistics and her own risk", surely?
I resent this appropriation of language; you know, the way people say "I'm offended by this word so no one else is allowed to use it!"

Now of course, some words (such as the "N" word) become unacceptable, that's the way language evolves. But at present, words like "Karen" and "Gammon" are useful shorthands to describe a character type; this might change over time.
Shorthand or generalising?

To me it's on a scale of puerile name-calling even if comparing it to the N word is utterly ridiculous.

Also resenting it seems a bit ironic as it's basically saying 'I resent not being able to express something I feel is an acceptable view about someone who resents not being able to express a view that they feel is acceptable'

They might be idiots, but don't lower yourself to their level.

anonymous-user

78 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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What if a black person calls another black person an "angry gammon Karen n-word"? Does Lewis Hamilton have to immediately take the knee?

timbo999

1,510 posts

279 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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TwigtheWonderkid said:
We've had "Dave", white van man, for years. There's even a TV channel called Dave, with stuff that would appeal to Dave. I know a few Daves, and none of them seen remotely bothered.

We've also had Nigels (geeks), Hooray Henrys, Tim (nice but dim). Others too, that I've no doubt forgotten.
As a Tim, I resemble that remark...

glazbagun

15,176 posts

221 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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Twitter and social media have allowed us to over-analyse ourselves to death. It's no wonder we can no longer have satire when our courts are being asked to rule on who has priority in a disabled/buggy space on a bus or define what is and isn't hate speech. What was once part of cultural context must now be specifically defined, which is as impossible as measuring a shoreline.

Just as you can be racist whilst using the most polite language and use racist language without being a racist, I feel we're reaching the limits of definition in language, with social media requiring us to become an even lower-context culture than we already are.

csd19

2,344 posts

141 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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She's a vegan and a misandrist, why pay her any attention?

You should read some of her other tweets, quite telling. https://twitter.com/emillyswaven?lang=en

April 23 - "Enjoy eating sentient beings you mouth-breather!!!"

May 24 - "I'm pregnant! having a scan soon to find out if it's a girl or an abortion"

Unsurprisingly a lot of people suggest she calls her daughter Karen hehe

CrutyRammers

13,735 posts

222 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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Everybody wants their little bit of victimhood don't they.
GTFO.

KrazyIvan

4,341 posts

199 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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It's a negative term deliberately used to dehumanize a person. Just because its laughable to compare it to the N word doesn't not mean it should be acceptable to use it, especially when it's used to stop reasonable debate on a person's actions, good or bad. IE l, "what a Karen, she got what all Karen's should get". People should be judged on their actions, not because someone else labels them with a derogatory acceptable term.

There is a reason most stereotypes are considered in bad taste.

amusingduck

9,643 posts

160 months

Friday 10th July 2020
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csd19 said:
She's a vegan and a misandrist, why pay her any attention?
May 24 - "I'm pregnant! having a scan soon to find out if it's a girl or an abortion"
Ohhhh it's her.

She's taking the piss. Loads of people fell for that (May24) bait, me included hehe