Why is it now popular for people (often women) to throw tantrums in public?

It’s a new trend. They get their 15 minutes of fame. I got caught up in the world of Karens over the weekend. I see it as pathetic

I don’t think it’s a new trend. We just have a lot more people carrying cameras around to record these incidents as they happen. I know people who have been working in retail for 30+ years who could tell stories about this kind of behavior until you fell asleep and still be going when you woke up again without coming close to repeating themselves.

Yeah, as @Irukandji just answered, the “Karen meme” and people filming and posting them is the new thing, not so much the behavior, although there is more stress and acting out by many people to some degree.

There are other types of people and ways of freaking out which haven’t been amplified by memes and videos the same way. And other memes that have.

I’m not sure it’s more common in general, but certain types of Karens might be. For example in the wake of the pandemic, there was an uptick of women screaming at Asians to go back to China (often white women doing this, but some examples in the Bay Area were black women). And men aren’t exempt from it either. I’m sure there have always been people like this, but it’s hard not to think there’s been an uptick in racist ranting lately.

I blame Kevin.

I’m not exactly sure what a Karen is. I think women are tired of being ignored and tired of witnessing people doing the wrong thing. We get reinforcement to stand up for ourselves and others. We also get reinforcement to interfere in “other people’s business.” Some women maybe take it too far or have bad judgement when it’s warranted to say something or complain.

Women get hysterical because they probably are at their wits end from multiple things going on in their life, or they have anger issues that should be addressed. Most anger problems are rooted in being upset that someone else didn’t act as they “should.” True for men and women whether dealing with family or strangers.

I think it’s being caught on video more, but I also think it probably happens more in the last 20 years than ever before. Just guessing.

It is not that new, it’s just being called out now. There is a difference between “Karen” and someone having a bad day or using poor judgement. Karen is selfish and entitled and has been getting away with it for years. Her behavior just continues to get worse since she never gets called out for it. She may have issues that are at the root of this but it’s mostly her entitlement mentality. “Karen” is just a more polite way to call someone a bitch.

To many in the younger generation, Karens are essentially ‘scolders’. So to me it’s really just shaming anyone who dares call out soneones poor behavior.

I got called a Karen recently for chastising a neighborhood kid for kicking his dog on a walk three times in my line of sight. No regrets, he called me a Karen I called him a dog-abusing punk.

I would say this is an improper use if the term. “Good neighbor” is more fitting in that case. I think you’re right that the younger generation uses it like “bi#$h” or “c#$t” interchangeably though.

My 13-year old grandson says he can spot a Karen across a store. He told me he saw a “Karen in the wild” at Home Depot last week.

So I would say that the term is having a widespread effect to the younger generation.

@KNOWITALL: That’s terrible. I always feel extra bad when animals are abused because I feel like humans can tell someone what’s going on, whereas animals can’t.

The thrill of being on-camera for the whole world to see!

I think the term has evolved since I first heard it earlier this year. It originally referred to an uptight entitled woman who was abusive to service workers. Then it started referring to people going on public racist rants. Now it seems to refer to any woman who’s perceived as unpleasant (I.e. just a substitute for “bitch”).

@Demosthenes: They’re not just bitchy, they’re really like hysterical lunatics. The YouTube channel that I found that’s got really funny stuff is called “Karens in the Wild.”

@Demosthenes Maybe that’s why I don’t know what the term really means, it keeps evolving.

I think it is pretty terrible to be putting women in a box like this. Just another thing I guess. Another way to try to shut women up.

Are we (the great ‘we’) putting them in a box? Or is this a self-selected, self-managed behavior?

@Demosthenes I would say that’s not evolution but devolution.

Not that I particularly care for the Karen meme, but if brats yelling the wrong meme name as an attempt to sound cooler when they call someone chiding them (for animal abuse, no less) a b&$ch, is taken by others as “evolution of the meaning of the term”, then terms will become very meaningless very quickly.

@Zaku It’s common for words to become generic over time (it happens also that a word’s definition becomes more specific, but this seems to be a case of the opposite). It’s unfortunate because the more specific meaning is more egregious and more worthy of being called out. We already have words for “bitch”, we don’t need more.

@JLeslie My problem is that this behavior deserves to be called out but it isn’t limited to women. Some of the more sensational examples may be, but I’m reminded of that asshole male CEO telling that Asian couple to go back to China or whatever…definitely not a behavior found only in women. And I think we can make a distinction between someone frustrated by bad behavior and someone who feels threatened by their neighbors who look different from them. It’s the outbursts resulting from prejudice and entitlement that bring shame.

My grandson will get punished for using the word ‘bit*h’ but he won’t for using the word ‘Karen’.

Social media gives people the idea that it’s the hip thing to do. The rise of casual violence is followed by people not looking before they cross the street, and people who ignore guests and text on their phones instead.
Social media glorifies social idiocy and there is a certain segment of people who can’t think for themselves. They just go “I’m gonna act like that because I’m cool.”
Total breakdown of manners.

A lot of people are under duress and any incident will trigger an outburst.

I dislike the use of names to typecast that behavior onto all persons named Karen.

How would you feel if Your name was used in this unflattering way?

Behaviors such as demonstrated on some or most of these videos cause me to think of mental issues being the cause and the incident pushes them over to that point.

I would not care, just like blond jokes don’t offend me @Inspired_2write. I’m not an idiot.

@Dutchess_III
Never stated that you were.

@Demosthenes But, is @KNOWITALL a Karen for trying to protect that dog and tell her neighbor his behavior is unacceptable? From where I sit women are more likely than men to step in and say something when they see abuse. Men will all too often walk by or say nothing, reasoning that it’s none of their business. How often has a husband told a wife, “don’t say anything.” More than you might think.

Women getting hysterical isn’t ok, I’m not defending that, but for some women, we have reinforcement about that too. Someone treating us badly we have to determine, do we continue with the get more with honey attitude will they finally listen to me and give me what I’m asking for, or if I become a bitch will I get what I want? Sometimes it’s hard to know which way to go. Then, you have what a lot of people have been defending with some destruction during BLM protests (I never was ok with the destruction) that we are pushed so far we snap at times.

That get more with honey example or freak out, men don’t usually have to grapple with that. They get more respect and are taken more seriously just being men.

@JLeslie No, I don’t think so and that is an example of overuse of the term to describe any woman a person has a negative encounter with, even if the bad behavior is entirely on your side. The problem is sometimes calling out supposed bad behavior is itself bad behavior. Like the example of that woman in San Francisco who accused a Filipino man of defacing property with a chalk stencil message when it was his own home he was displaying the message on. One incident around here started with a woman calling out her Vietnamese neighbors on their overgrown yard (they stopped hiring gardeners when the pandemic started) and soon turned into her yelling at them to go back to China (this was an example in Fremont that a friend of mine uploaded to Facebook. The Vietnamese woman being yelled at doesn’t yell or get angry but simply stands there filming).

So I think sometimes there are moments when people should stand up and call something out, but if it turns into a hysterical rant or it’s directed unfairly, then you become the one needing calling out. It’s a fine line sometimes.

I would never use the term but I see it as usually meaning a privileged white woman ranting as someone of a different race or someone with lower status like a clerk or salesperson. It’s annoying that it has become such a thing that @KNOWITALL ‘s valid criticism of the kid maltreating the dog was labeled that.

And by the way, male Karens can be called Kevins but you don’t see that as much.

One of the many examples of stupidity on the internet

@JLeslie To me, it’s the same as ‘B*tch’, that’s how it’s meant and that’s how it’s taken. I would have loved him just to say he was sorry and wouldn’t do it again. But teenage boys…

You have no idea how I wanted to grab the dog and march it to his house to tell his parents what I saw. Maybe I’m not a complete ‘Karen’ yet….haha!

What else has increased is women screaming at other women if they are slightly inconvenienced.
I was at a McDonald’s drive through. The line reached into the street and there were people parked there waiting.
The lady ahead of me didn’t advance when the car ahead of her advanced. This kept happening until there were about 8 carlengths between her and the car in front of her. That’s 5 or 6 people we could have gotten out of the street.
I tooted my horn.
She leaned out the window and wanted to kmow what my fucking problem was.
I said “Would you please pull up so….”
She interrupted me to snarl “Why?? We can’t even order yet!!!”
I said “Not to order. To get those folks off the street.”
She screamed “Fuck them and I’m gonna kick your ass!” But she never got out of the car. She just ranted and raved and flipped me off.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

@Dutchess_III The only thing good about Covid is not being around those crazy people right now. Everyone is anxious, pissy and ready to throw hands…crime is rising, suicides still rising, it’s nuts out there, so be careful.

We had a Middle Schooler commit suicide at school today in a close community. These kids are struggling, too. :(

Why can’t we just call people by terms that are more clear? Bitch, ranting, hysterical, angry, mean…it leaves less to interpretation.

I must be getting old.

I don’t think it’s just women, it’s men too. Thousands of videos of men freaking out at other drivers during a road rage incident.

Thanks, now I’m addicted to Karens Gone Wild videos you you erggggggghhhh waaaaaaa.

YouTube channel “Karens in the Wild.” Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1e8uA3YdIU_rB49ksUO6kg

I like the one where she got thrown out of the hair dressers. Maybe if they get thrown out of enough places they’ll figure out their behaviour is UNACCEPTABLE!!

This is the most infamous Karen video ever

https://youtu.be/SDKuWphUaWI

^^Reminds me of South Park’s Cartman.

That is so horrifying.

I was just looking at the titles of the videos on the “Karens in the Wild” page. They’re so funny.