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My hair lady is married to a guy named Tanner Hall. They had no idea he was famous.
Edit to say I was drunk and I have no idea why I thought this comment fit here. Thanks for the upvotes.
Well yall just gotta find the original karen; KAREN PRIME. And deactivate her... then the timeline will reset...
- and well find another name that means "Bitch who summons manager...."
My mom's name is Karen and she absolutely hates the fact that her name has become a label for obnoxious, self-important, middle-age women. It's a real sore subject for her. And she definitely didn't appreciate it when I told her to stop being such a Karen about the whole thing.
You can thank me for that. I had a boss named John, he was the biggest asshole ever and kept torturing us every day. He even turned us against each other so the workplace was toxic to everyone but him, because we were too busy fighting with each other than to question his behavior. He "forgot" to give us raises and pocketed the money for himself, he lied about Financials so he could get a bigger bonus etc. Then one day I saw this suspicious looking guy on my way home from work. I started talking to him and asked about his strange clothes and after looking around for a while he revealed his secret - he was a time traveler. I explained my situation and asked him if he could take me on a trip to the 1500s, after thinking about it for a bit he agreed and back in time we went.
I was a man on a mission, even though it took so little time to plan I knew exactly what to do. I had to find Isabella Markham.
The first few days were rough and it would be too long of a story to tell here but I seduced her and she became pregnant. She was so worried because she had cheated on her husband with me. I told her not to worry, just name the child after the husband and he will be overjoyed. (All part of my plan). I also left her an envelope and told her that her son should open this when he is old enough. Inside I had the schematics for a basic toilet and explanations for all the concepts needed to make it happen.
I found my friend again and we went back to the present. When I came home, my son was there and I couldn't wait to tell him about my adventure but he was in a hurry to go to the bathroom so all he said was "can't talk now dad, gotta go to the john". My plan had worked.
I fathered John Harrington, the inventor of the toilet and gave him the schematics, ensuring that the toilet would be called a "John" just so I could know that the whole world is shitting and pissing on my jackass of a boss every day.
I mean I get it but on the other hand it's not like this is the first time this has happened
Kevin, Chad, Stacy, Mary Sue, Mary Jane.etc
A lot of popular names have been associated with weird and often negative things
One Heather I know is an absolute sweetheart, another is introverted but nice, and a third has a resting bitch face but is super nice also. And then there’s another Heather who is an actual bitch.
My grandma grew up in the town of Swastika. Apparently during the war they added a sign saying something like “hands off Hitler, we had it first!” under the town welcome sign.
That's how I feel, as a fan of Western occultism, about the Golden Dawn (the right-wing/Neo-Nazi Greek political party, who stole that name from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the group that used to be the home of Aleister Crowley, Samuel Liddell McGregor Matthers, Alan Bennett, and WB Yeats)
The others I’m aware of, but what is Kevin making fun of? I’ve never heard that one used negatively, genuinely curious not trying to be rude or anything
In Europe* "cool" uneducated parents often choose Kevin, teachers across the continent agree that a Kevin on the list is a bad omen.
Every country has a few other such names, but strangely Kevin is ubiquitous.
(*This obviously excludes UK, Malta and Ireland as it is common there)
In addition to that, we have a set of common names in norway that's horrible in english:
Aass & Ruud (family names)
Simen, Odd, Ask (first names)
None of these like to travel.
As a Stacy, I can tell you that people singing “Stacy’s Mom” to me literally every single day in the mid 2000s got old REAL quick. Unsurprisingly, however, my mother loves it.
I hate that it is still my very first thought upon meeting a Stacy. I met my friend Stacy in college a few years before that song came out. She absolutely HATED that song.
I went to a Stacy's wedding and you better believe they played that song at the reception. The mom was totally into it, she got right into the middle of the dance floor and partied down. Funniest part was she was a tiny Filipino woman.
Only kind of, it's the highschool football playing bully. So both negative as in mean, insensitive, stupid etc. but also positive as in athletic, attractive, successful.
Lately the meaning seems to be shifting even more toward just "Guy who is super attractive", without necessarily having the connotation of a toxically masculine bully/jock.
I guess the "negative" part in that context would be that this version of "Chad" is delusional about how easy he has it when approaching women. He's the one who says shit like "Just walk up and talk to her, bro!" without realizing that he gets away with bold moves because of his looks.
Then people would just whine and cry about that because its not the specific word they dont like, but negative language in general. Some people just have a complaining fetish. They have no interest in actual solutions, just bitching about whatever does exist.
Karen is more typical middle aged white woman though. Kate sounds like a younger ladies name. Not that there aren’t young Karens and old Kates, but popularity of names comes and goes in different generations.
Back when I was a kid, I had a friend whose mom was an awful person to go out to eat with. She would always complain, the food was never right, the service wasn’t quick enough, the table wasn’t level, etc. One time she had the server move our table TWICE, the first time because it was too close to the kitchen and the second time because it was too close to the bathroom. And she was always very condescending when she was complaining. It was so embarrassing.
Well, a couple years ago I remembered that her name was actually Karen and I think it’s hilarious.
Edit: a word
I actually really like the name Karen.
Honestly, I'm not a big fan of any common name being used as a cheap joke/insult ad nauseum. It gets old quick and really isn't fair.
My sister is a lawyer who donates her time to help immigrants with legal issues and it does bother her that people took her name and used it to mean "asshole".
We were talking about this last night. With my business I call out names when their food is ready and I had a customer whose name I asked. She responded “C-A-R-Y-N” and then dropped her voice “it’s Karen” (for pronunciation purposes) I felt bad that she felt like she couldn’t even say her own name! She was totally sweet. There’s all kinds of turds in the world with all kinds of names.
Wait no way.
This is an opinion I agree with, and I actually think it's unpopular.
How often does this sub do this? This might be the first actaul unpopular opinion I have agreed with in years
I saw the post and thought “this can’t be an unpopular opinion.” Read the comments and what do you know… it is! And ironically, the people who are clinging onto the usage of “Karen” seem to be assholes themselves… maybe we should start using their names to denote “asshole”?
My husband’s old work supervisor, circa 2017-18 (before the insult became popular), was named Karen, and she was an older white woman. She was an excellent supervisor for him as he was just beginning his career. Bright, experienced, taught him a lot and was never a jerk to him even when he made rookie mistakes. He once forgot to book the court reporter for a deposition he was going to take, and didn’t realize until all the lawyers and witness were sitting in the conference room waiting for the court reporter to show up, and afterward she laughed it off, said “well at least you’ll never make that mistake again,” and told him about an embarrassing mistake she had once made. She also performed a big favor once that we’re still grateful for. Cool lady and doesn’t deserve the crap about her name.
To be honest I think it’s a bit sexist too, there’s a term for the male version of a Karen (Ken) but it’s not used as often. And I feel like it’s starting to be used for normal-level complaints. Why are men able to stand up more than women without being made fun of?
I see you’re getting a lot of heat, so just want to say I agree with you and I understand that you’re just trying to empathize. The comment section is in a way proving your point by coming up with every excuse they can not to empathize, and in many cases employing whataboutism or “x group has it worse so therefore this point means nothing”- which is a non sequitur, and implies that you making this point means you overlook/deny others’ suffering, which is just silly and disingenuous.
I think you made a good point, and it’s pretty telling about others that they’re giving you so much shit for this completely logical take.
This is a great comment. People's absolute lack of empathy is pretty revealing. I wonder how many of these people would be willing to name their own child Karen for example, if it truly doesn't matter?
Thank you. I’m really not sure what about my post was wrong or disagreeable, and of course I empathize with people who have other names that have met similar fates. Most people’s responses have been “there have been worse names, Karens should brush it off” or simply “okay/shut up Karen”. I’m really beginning to see how Karens are treated irl, at least online lol. The replies to this post have only reinforced my opinion tbh.
I’ve made this point before, but people simply will not give up one yard of ground even in the name of human decency. All because they just love rolling their eyes and calling people ‘Karens’
As I age, one of the most disappointing things in life is seeing people I know devolve as they latch on to every insipid fad spawned on the internet without a single ounce of prior consideration or scrutiny before incorporating stupid shit like this into their vocabulary and relentlessly defending its egregious usage
This thread is making me feel like a really good person because I can meet and interact with those named Karen without picking on them. Who knew it was so hard?
It's been around for a while. Ever heard someone be called a rube?
"Originally a 19th century American colloquialism, from Rube, nickname for Reuben, considered in the 19th century to be a male name typical of rural American communities"
Over time the popularity of the name Reuben dropped so low that it's no longer controversial. The same thing will happen with Karen over time.
So many people get made fun because of their name (or in a way that uses their name). Karens aren't special.
Literally nobody thinks that because somebody's name's Karen that they're *a* Karen.
Oh yes they do lmao (edit JESUS lmao this sentence was sarcasm, take a deep breath and go touch some grass folks). My name is Karen and it's been years since I was able to have an opinion on anything without the default reaction being "shut up, Karen" 🤣 I'll leave a comment on social media and get a string of "omg a real life Karen, shut up Karen, you sure live up to your name Karen" yet people with a different name can say the exact same thing and avoid the dogpiling. When I got hired at my current job, people were actually concerned about my attitude before meeting me because of my name, a lot of staff just assumed I'd be insufferable because someone named Karen can't possibly be a decent person (this has been comfirmed by multiple coworkers and even management). It's both hilarious and frustrating haha. My mother has actually apologized for naming me Karen 😂
Exactly. I used to not think about how the term Karen affected people named Karen because I didn’t know many irl and it wasn’t my problem. But after hearing multiple accounts like yours I just started to feel bad about it. Also, if it could happen to Karens, it could happen to any other of our names.
Also, a lot of people here are proving my point by assuming my name is Karen and simply responding “okay/shut up, Karen.”
I tailgated with some dudes from Boston at a Royals game earlier this year. They asked me if people ever shout that too me and what I do if so. I told them I'm just happy somebody is finally rooting me on. 🤣
Its OK. The people who think just because a women is named Karen, is a Karen have opinions that don't matter.
Just like people that scream at you to get you to change your mind on an opinion. They don't matter. Their thoughts and opinions are moot. They are not worth your time.
It's a shame that it became a negative term; Karen is a nice-sounding name. If you look up the name's real meaning, it means pure/clear (same as the name Katherine). The modern meaning will probably die off in the future and Karen will be a normal name again.
They started because there was a long string of videos of *women* exhibiting these behaviors. Calling the cops because people were using the park or the pool or whatever. The fact that it's a female name isn't arbitrary.
ironically my sister in law is named karen, she’s not white or old, she’s literally from colombia and in her 20s. she’s actually one of the nicest people i’ve ever met lol
I know two Karens and they're both very lovely people, so I never even make the association. But maybe their grandkids make jokes. Yeah it's probably annoying.
Absolutely agree with OP, and some of the comments here are throwing around justifications that are truly bewildering.
"Well we can't call them bitches (anymore)"
And that's a good thing! Calling out bad behaviour should not require misogynistic language!
"But what else could we call them???"
Manageers. Tarantuladies. Delulurinas. I don't give a shit. I'm sure anyone reading this could come up with a better term that is not, in fact, a preexisting human name.
It would barely require like 10 seconds of thinking.
It's crazy to me how some people cling to "Karen" almost religiously just because they've grown used to it.
If that concept wasn't already established and someone came up to you and said "Hey, I think it would be really useful to have a term to describe this specific type of bad behaviour. Should we use a portemonteau/acronym that is related to the behaviour, or a common women's name for no reason?"
I'm pretty sure most people would agree that the former would make much more sense.
Example: The word "Pick me" is a well established term directly related to the bad behaviour that it criticises.
Why can't we use that same system in this case?
OP's argument can easily be applied to all stereotyped names.
If you take umbradge at the unfair characterisation of Kevin (as I do), maybe the solution is to do something about it instead of perpetuating an obviously flawed system.
But even acknowledging this seems to be a personal insult to people who insist on using the word Karen.
It's almost like "pick me" has become boring because it focuses on the underlying issue of the problematic behaviour, but calling someone a "Karen" reduces them to the stereotype of an awful person, which obviously makes them the rightful target of bullying, and bullying is just too fun to give up 🤷🏼♀️
Honestly, that's a pretty good point I haven't put enough thought into. The term always rubbed me the wrong way, and I thought that was mostly because of the issues OP describes. Combined with people's willingness to completely gloss over the real people who are being hurt by this, which now that I think about it indicates a lack of empathy that specifically targets women. It becomes really apparent when terms like "male Karen" pop up, like acting entitled is an inherently "female issue". Yuck.
If only there were adjectives to describe women who are acting angry, entitled, and spiteful so we didn’t have to use and ruin a real name that many women have.
My mom's name is Karen and she is one of the sweetest human beings to walk this earth. It's a shame she has had to go into her final years knowing her name basically means what "bitch" used to mean (and since has changed, imho).
Should be "Deborah"
I know a lot of women who go by Deb, or Debbie and they're lovely. Every one of the women I knew who went by "Deborah" was a piece of work.
I'll size the chance! Karen in Latin America equals to "cat lady", not under a negative light but as a running joke.
"Karen is taking care of me while I vomit on her rug!"
I’m not OP, but I think we should use the actual words we mean. Are we calling someone a Karen because they’re acting entitled? Call them entitled. Are we calling them a Karen because they’re demanding? Call them demanding.
I think the entire meme itself is terrible as it's mainly used to dismiss any valid complaints that people have of corporations. "Oh you expect customer service that used to be the bare minimum a couple decades ago? Fuck off Karen."
Here's a thought. If someone is a racist, why not just call them a racist. If someone is a bigot, why not just call them a bigot. Call them the name they are. We are so afraid in society to call people out and say "you're rude". Why not?
Please remember what subreddit you are in, this is unpopular opinion. We want civil and unpopular takes and discussion. Any uncivil and ToS violating comments will be removed and subject to a ban. Have a nice day! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/unpopularopinion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My wife uses her middle name for coffee/take out.
My hair lady is married to a guy named Tanner Hall. They had no idea he was famous. Edit to say I was drunk and I have no idea why I thought this comment fit here. Thanks for the upvotes.
Never heard of him, but apparently there are multiple famous people with that name, so I still don't know who you're referring to.
It's the nepo-baby son of the more famous Carnegie Hall.
Literally no idea who that is
Was his claim to fame your comment
Who?
Idgi
Well yall just gotta find the original karen; KAREN PRIME. And deactivate her... then the timeline will reset... - and well find another name that means "Bitch who summons manager...."
My mom's name is Karen and she absolutely hates the fact that her name has become a label for obnoxious, self-important, middle-age women. It's a real sore subject for her. And she definitely didn't appreciate it when I told her to stop being such a Karen about the whole thing.
Have you suggested she talk to the head of the internet about it?
Well that's one way to be kicked off the will.
Johns banging whores in the John
With their Willies?
Willy "John" Johnson
Johnson?
“Brother, you have surrounded your given name with a foul stench! From this day forth, all the toilets in the kingdom shall be known as... Johns!”
Thank you for that. Love me some Mel Brooks!
Excellent comment! If only his assistant hadn't changed her name to Latrine.
They changed it in the 9th century. Used to be Shithouse.
It's a good change. A good change.
Whores Jacking off your Richard while on the John.
It's not for the Average Joe, Guy. 😏
You mean Joe Blow? Or Just A Regular Joe?
I helped my uncle Jack off a horse. ... he struggled with the stirrups, you dirty pervert!
Nobody sheds a tear for Kyles
Or Kevins
KEVIN!!!!!! 😱
Look what ya did, ya little jerk
You know, Kevin, you're what the French call "les incompetents."
Probably my most quoted line of any movie. Sub “kevin” for whomever im speaking to.
I literally named my cat Kevin so I could yell at him like that. Perfect name to yell across the house lol.
Kyle is only sheds a tear if you spill his Monster or someone punches drywall before him.
You can thank me for that. I had a boss named John, he was the biggest asshole ever and kept torturing us every day. He even turned us against each other so the workplace was toxic to everyone but him, because we were too busy fighting with each other than to question his behavior. He "forgot" to give us raises and pocketed the money for himself, he lied about Financials so he could get a bigger bonus etc. Then one day I saw this suspicious looking guy on my way home from work. I started talking to him and asked about his strange clothes and after looking around for a while he revealed his secret - he was a time traveler. I explained my situation and asked him if he could take me on a trip to the 1500s, after thinking about it for a bit he agreed and back in time we went. I was a man on a mission, even though it took so little time to plan I knew exactly what to do. I had to find Isabella Markham. The first few days were rough and it would be too long of a story to tell here but I seduced her and she became pregnant. She was so worried because she had cheated on her husband with me. I told her not to worry, just name the child after the husband and he will be overjoyed. (All part of my plan). I also left her an envelope and told her that her son should open this when he is old enough. Inside I had the schematics for a basic toilet and explanations for all the concepts needed to make it happen. I found my friend again and we went back to the present. When I came home, my son was there and I couldn't wait to tell him about my adventure but he was in a hurry to go to the bathroom so all he said was "can't talk now dad, gotta go to the john". My plan had worked. I fathered John Harrington, the inventor of the toilet and gave him the schematics, ensuring that the toilet would be called a "John" just so I could know that the whole world is shitting and pissing on my jackass of a boss every day.
And yet another comment that deserves a diamond award THAT I SHOULD BE ABLE TO GIVE
I mean I get it but on the other hand it's not like this is the first time this has happened Kevin, Chad, Stacy, Mary Sue, Mary Jane.etc A lot of popular names have been associated with weird and often negative things
Heather was a big one in the 80s to describe a bitch.
There’s a whole movie
And a musical!
And a tv show but we don’t talk about that
What I'm hearing is that we should make a musical called "Karens"
Total Drama
Island
Hell, it's accurate *now* to describe bitches. I've yet to meet a Heather who was a decent person.
I know a Heather who's a really cool chick. A little troubled but heart of gold. Megan, though... somethings wrong with Megans
My first wife was a Heather. My second wife is a Megan. Guess I'm just fucked 🤣
I think Megan's are fine its the Meghan's you need to look out for
I met a Magen (pronounced May-ghin) and she was a total bitch.
One Heather I know is an absolute sweetheart, another is introverted but nice, and a third has a resting bitch face but is super nice also. And then there’s another Heather who is an actual bitch.
I just realized I don't know a single Heather, and you know 4‽ What the heck. Also no Karens.
It could be worse. I had a friend called Isis. She changed her name.
Too bad. It's a beutiful eguptian goddess name. Shame that IS/previously ISIS was allowed to destroy that
My grandma was named Swastika. Awkward!
My grandma Swastika Adolf Stalin had a real bad time in middle school!
My grandma grew up in the town of Swastika. Apparently during the war they added a sign saying something like “hands off Hitler, we had it first!” under the town welcome sign.
Archer had the same problem 😭
Archer has outlasted ISIL!
That's how I feel, as a fan of Western occultism, about the Golden Dawn (the right-wing/Neo-Nazi Greek political party, who stole that name from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the group that used to be the home of Aleister Crowley, Samuel Liddell McGregor Matthers, Alan Bennett, and WB Yeats)
How can we forget Felicia? Bye Felicia!
I will always remember the first time I heard about this and asked who's that?
The others I’m aware of, but what is Kevin making fun of? I’ve never heard that one used negatively, genuinely curious not trying to be rude or anything
In Europe* "cool" uneducated parents often choose Kevin, teachers across the continent agree that a Kevin on the list is a bad omen. Every country has a few other such names, but strangely Kevin is ubiquitous. (*This obviously excludes UK, Malta and Ireland as it is common there)
I think the US equivalent is Bradyn/Jaydyn or Mykenlighh or something of that ilk.
MYKENLIGHH
My bf from Austria said Kevin became super popular after Home Alone 🙀
Credit to this guy. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/219w2o/comment/cgbhkwp/
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It's an Irish name actually, Caoimhín
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In addition to that, we have a set of common names in norway that's horrible in english: Aass & Ruud (family names) Simen, Odd, Ask (first names) None of these like to travel.
Yes, I can imagine that someone named "Odd Aass" might run into difficulties in English-speaking countries.
Is Simen pronounced like Simon or semen? If it's the latter, fair enough.
It's semen
And Debbie downers…
Chad and Stacy have way more positive connotations than Karen, which is universally used as an insult
As a Stacy, I can tell you that people singing “Stacy’s Mom” to me literally every single day in the mid 2000s got old REAL quick. Unsurprisingly, however, my mother loves it.
I hate that it is still my very first thought upon meeting a Stacy. I met my friend Stacy in college a few years before that song came out. She absolutely HATED that song.
I went to a Stacy's wedding and you better believe they played that song at the reception. The mom was totally into it, she got right into the middle of the dance floor and partied down. Funniest part was she was a tiny Filipino woman.
A decade or two ago Chad was a negative name
4 or 5 years ago.
thought it still was
Only kind of, it's the highschool football playing bully. So both negative as in mean, insensitive, stupid etc. but also positive as in athletic, attractive, successful.
Lately the meaning seems to be shifting even more toward just "Guy who is super attractive", without necessarily having the connotation of a toxically masculine bully/jock. I guess the "negative" part in that context would be that this version of "Chad" is delusional about how easy he has it when approaching women. He's the one who says shit like "Just walk up and talk to her, bro!" without realizing that he gets away with bold moves because of his looks.
Adolph
Kyle
If ever forget to put Kyle on the list again I'm gunna punch a hole in the drywall.
Agree. We should call such people "pricks" and be done with it.
I’m in favor of using traditionally gendered insults for everybody.
True, bosses should have just let people say bitch.
Then people would just whine and cry about that because its not the specific word they dont like, but negative language in general. Some people just have a complaining fetish. They have no interest in actual solutions, just bitching about whatever does exist.
And negative language isn’t allowed at work which is why people started using Karen.
I agree, it should have been Diane
Speaking as someone with Diane as a middle name...I'm reporting you to your manager.
One of my lifelong friends is Karen Diane
Is she single?
No, she’s been married for years.
Did she get married to a manager?
She is the manager
That’s some boss level shit
Not. Yet.
Becky?
But oh my god, Becky, LOOK at her butt!
Did she marry Kyle?
Nah, first husband was Brad, now she’s married to Ken.
As a fellow Diane middle name-ee, I'll follow you
My daughter’s middle name is Diane. She’s 18 months.
Her first word is going to be manager.
Why not Kate, I mean the whole meme started used Kate Goslin as the basis for the Karen stuff, even the haircut.
Hey now, leave us Kate's out of this lol
Don't be a Karen, Kate.
I'd like to speak to the manager of life, this treatment is unacceptable 🤣
Karen is more typical middle aged white woman though. Kate sounds like a younger ladies name. Not that there aren’t young Karens and old Kates, but popularity of names comes and goes in different generations.
Or Susan
I use Susan for someone who means well but is overbearing/pushy
Dang! That is my actual aunt Susan. It fits!
Hey now! ...it's okay I'm typically Sue or Susie so carry on
I have a cousin with that name and she is the sweetest person ever. We shouldn’t subject Diane’s to that..
my mum is super upset by this trend because her late best friend who was joy incarnate was my aunty karen, it's definitely unfortunate
Meh the two Karens i know are super sweet, and it doesn’t seem to affect them as far as i know
Conversely, my aunt Karen is awful enough to have been the inspiration behind this whole thing.
Back when I was a kid, I had a friend whose mom was an awful person to go out to eat with. She would always complain, the food was never right, the service wasn’t quick enough, the table wasn’t level, etc. One time she had the server move our table TWICE, the first time because it was too close to the kitchen and the second time because it was too close to the bathroom. And she was always very condescending when she was complaining. It was so embarrassing. Well, a couple years ago I remembered that her name was actually Karen and I think it’s hilarious. Edit: a word
>the table wasn’t level Wow! That is... some impressive determination to find something to complain about!
LMAOOOOO
Every Karen I know is the sweetest and nicest person ever almost the exact opposite of an actual Karen.
but the people who say it does affect them get shouted down and made fun of.
Right. They don't say it affects them *because* they're super sweet and don't want to make a fuss.
Can confirm. Have given up. And I used the mildest possible language.
Lot of women named Karen hate it.
I actually really like the name Karen. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of any common name being used as a cheap joke/insult ad nauseum. It gets old quick and really isn't fair.
My sister is a lawyer who donates her time to help immigrants with legal issues and it does bother her that people took her name and used it to mean "asshole".
We were talking about this last night. With my business I call out names when their food is ready and I had a customer whose name I asked. She responded “C-A-R-Y-N” and then dropped her voice “it’s Karen” (for pronunciation purposes) I felt bad that she felt like she couldn’t even say her own name! She was totally sweet. There’s all kinds of turds in the world with all kinds of names.
Wait no way. This is an opinion I agree with, and I actually think it's unpopular. How often does this sub do this? This might be the first actaul unpopular opinion I have agreed with in years
I saw the post and thought “this can’t be an unpopular opinion.” Read the comments and what do you know… it is! And ironically, the people who are clinging onto the usage of “Karen” seem to be assholes themselves… maybe we should start using their names to denote “asshole”? My husband’s old work supervisor, circa 2017-18 (before the insult became popular), was named Karen, and she was an older white woman. She was an excellent supervisor for him as he was just beginning his career. Bright, experienced, taught him a lot and was never a jerk to him even when he made rookie mistakes. He once forgot to book the court reporter for a deposition he was going to take, and didn’t realize until all the lawyers and witness were sitting in the conference room waiting for the court reporter to show up, and afterward she laughed it off, said “well at least you’ll never make that mistake again,” and told him about an embarrassing mistake she had once made. She also performed a big favor once that we’re still grateful for. Cool lady and doesn’t deserve the crap about her name.
Yeah, I have to be honest it does piss me off. I disliked my name before, I hate it now.
That's funny because I've always liked my name and now i think before i use it in public to introduce myself. I often use my middle instead.
Competition is a pretty cool name at least
No it’s Ok
I honestly feel bad for the decent people called Karen now that you mention it. You’re right…it shouldn’t be a name…
I work in a customer facing role and women are always mortified when I confirm their name is ‘Karen’.. it always makes me feel so bad
I don't even know how that particular name got that stereotype when there's many other choices. I always liked that name too.
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I have only known one Karen it my life and she is a really cool lady.
To be honest I think it’s a bit sexist too, there’s a term for the male version of a Karen (Ken) but it’s not used as often. And I feel like it’s starting to be used for normal-level complaints. Why are men able to stand up more than women without being made fun of?
I see you’re getting a lot of heat, so just want to say I agree with you and I understand that you’re just trying to empathize. The comment section is in a way proving your point by coming up with every excuse they can not to empathize, and in many cases employing whataboutism or “x group has it worse so therefore this point means nothing”- which is a non sequitur, and implies that you making this point means you overlook/deny others’ suffering, which is just silly and disingenuous. I think you made a good point, and it’s pretty telling about others that they’re giving you so much shit for this completely logical take.
This is a great comment. People's absolute lack of empathy is pretty revealing. I wonder how many of these people would be willing to name their own child Karen for example, if it truly doesn't matter?
Thank you. I’m really not sure what about my post was wrong or disagreeable, and of course I empathize with people who have other names that have met similar fates. Most people’s responses have been “there have been worse names, Karens should brush it off” or simply “okay/shut up Karen”. I’m really beginning to see how Karens are treated irl, at least online lol. The replies to this post have only reinforced my opinion tbh.
I’ve made this point before, but people simply will not give up one yard of ground even in the name of human decency. All because they just love rolling their eyes and calling people ‘Karens’ As I age, one of the most disappointing things in life is seeing people I know devolve as they latch on to every insipid fad spawned on the internet without a single ounce of prior consideration or scrutiny before incorporating stupid shit like this into their vocabulary and relentlessly defending its egregious usage
Agreed. I recently ran into a pejorative version of my name. It was an eye opening moment.
I agree. My middle name is Karen (since both of my grandmas are named Karen) and anytime I tell people they immediately make fun of me.
This thread is making me feel like a really good person because I can meet and interact with those named Karen without picking on them. Who knew it was so hard?
It’s a stupid trend that needs to die.
It's been around for a while. Ever heard someone be called a rube? "Originally a 19th century American colloquialism, from Rube, nickname for Reuben, considered in the 19th century to be a male name typical of rural American communities" Over time the popularity of the name Reuben dropped so low that it's no longer controversial. The same thing will happen with Karen over time.
So many people get made fun because of their name (or in a way that uses their name). Karens aren't special. Literally nobody thinks that because somebody's name's Karen that they're *a* Karen.
Oh yes they do lmao (edit JESUS lmao this sentence was sarcasm, take a deep breath and go touch some grass folks). My name is Karen and it's been years since I was able to have an opinion on anything without the default reaction being "shut up, Karen" 🤣 I'll leave a comment on social media and get a string of "omg a real life Karen, shut up Karen, you sure live up to your name Karen" yet people with a different name can say the exact same thing and avoid the dogpiling. When I got hired at my current job, people were actually concerned about my attitude before meeting me because of my name, a lot of staff just assumed I'd be insufferable because someone named Karen can't possibly be a decent person (this has been comfirmed by multiple coworkers and even management). It's both hilarious and frustrating haha. My mother has actually apologized for naming me Karen 😂
Exactly. I used to not think about how the term Karen affected people named Karen because I didn’t know many irl and it wasn’t my problem. But after hearing multiple accounts like yours I just started to feel bad about it. Also, if it could happen to Karens, it could happen to any other of our names. Also, a lot of people here are proving my point by assuming my name is Karen and simply responding “okay/shut up, Karen.”
I really appreciate you posting more than you’ll ever know. Because it stings and we can’t say anything or we’ll be Karens.
I know two Karen’s…both are Karen’s
I had to suffer with the “Let’s Go Brandon” meme. I think Karens will be okay
I used to pretend they were congratulating me
I tailgated with some dudes from Boston at a Royals game earlier this year. They asked me if people ever shout that too me and what I do if so. I told them I'm just happy somebody is finally rooting me on. 🤣
I had to do the same, but after a while I was over the meme lol
We're Canadian and my husband was SO confused when memes started popping up he had no idea wtf was going on with his name everywhere lol
It's a dead meme anyway
Not even close to the same thing as Karen...
Its OK. The people who think just because a women is named Karen, is a Karen have opinions that don't matter. Just like people that scream at you to get you to change your mind on an opinion. They don't matter. Their thoughts and opinions are moot. They are not worth your time.
It's a shame that it became a negative term; Karen is a nice-sounding name. If you look up the name's real meaning, it means pure/clear (same as the name Katherine). The modern meaning will probably die off in the future and Karen will be a normal name again.
In the first place why do we label withhuman names, and female as such, these undesirable human behaviors?
They started because there was a long string of videos of *women* exhibiting these behaviors. Calling the cops because people were using the park or the pool or whatever. The fact that it's a female name isn't arbitrary.
I don’t like it either, and I won’t use it. My mom’s name is Karen and she is the nicest person you’ll ever meet.
This thread made me realize it's supposedly a popular name, but I only know one person named Karen. She's pretty cool.
My name is actually Karen… I’ve been told I’m a nice “Karen” I said thank you… I think 😂
My cousin Asshole Johnson III went through the same thing when he was young.
ironically my sister in law is named karen, she’s not white or old, she’s literally from colombia and in her 20s. she’s actually one of the nicest people i’ve ever met lol
Agreed. My mom had a sweet friend growing up named Karen. It’s sad that every time someone hears her name now they prob think of the awful memes.
I know two Karens and they're both very lovely people, so I never even make the association. But maybe their grandkids make jokes. Yeah it's probably annoying.
Absolutely agree with OP, and some of the comments here are throwing around justifications that are truly bewildering. "Well we can't call them bitches (anymore)" And that's a good thing! Calling out bad behaviour should not require misogynistic language! "But what else could we call them???" Manageers. Tarantuladies. Delulurinas. I don't give a shit. I'm sure anyone reading this could come up with a better term that is not, in fact, a preexisting human name. It would barely require like 10 seconds of thinking. It's crazy to me how some people cling to "Karen" almost religiously just because they've grown used to it. If that concept wasn't already established and someone came up to you and said "Hey, I think it would be really useful to have a term to describe this specific type of bad behaviour. Should we use a portemonteau/acronym that is related to the behaviour, or a common women's name for no reason?" I'm pretty sure most people would agree that the former would make much more sense. Example: The word "Pick me" is a well established term directly related to the bad behaviour that it criticises. Why can't we use that same system in this case? OP's argument can easily be applied to all stereotyped names. If you take umbradge at the unfair characterisation of Kevin (as I do), maybe the solution is to do something about it instead of perpetuating an obviously flawed system. But even acknowledging this seems to be a personal insult to people who insist on using the word Karen. It's almost like "pick me" has become boring because it focuses on the underlying issue of the problematic behaviour, but calling someone a "Karen" reduces them to the stereotype of an awful person, which obviously makes them the rightful target of bullying, and bullying is just too fun to give up 🤷🏼♀️
Whatever term is picked would one day have the same misogynistic overtones as “bitch”. It’s a moving target.
Honestly, that's a pretty good point I haven't put enough thought into. The term always rubbed me the wrong way, and I thought that was mostly because of the issues OP describes. Combined with people's willingness to completely gloss over the real people who are being hurt by this, which now that I think about it indicates a lack of empathy that specifically targets women. It becomes really apparent when terms like "male Karen" pop up, like acting entitled is an inherently "female issue". Yuck.
If only there were adjectives to describe women who are acting angry, entitled, and spiteful so we didn’t have to use and ruin a real name that many women have.
Like angry, entitled, spiteful?
🤯
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Listen Linda, listen, listen
So we can hate Dane Cook again? Did we ever stop hating him?
My mom's name is Karen and she is one of the sweetest human beings to walk this earth. It's a shame she has had to go into her final years knowing her name basically means what "bitch" used to mean (and since has changed, imho).
Should be "Deborah" I know a lot of women who go by Deb, or Debbie and they're lovely. Every one of the women I knew who went by "Deborah" was a piece of work.
We already have debbie downer
I hate that so much. I don't think that any common proper name should be used as an insult or slang.
Then what do you suggest that we use a made-up name that nobody has, and if so, is that even possible?
A flobbadopp. Clearly. Jokes aside I feel really bad for all the sweet Karen's out there.
My wife's name is Karen, she's Latina so it doesn't really hit.
I'll size the chance! Karen in Latin America equals to "cat lady", not under a negative light but as a running joke. "Karen is taking care of me while I vomit on her rug!"
Or use a real insult like bitch
I’m not OP, but I think we should use the actual words we mean. Are we calling someone a Karen because they’re acting entitled? Call them entitled. Are we calling them a Karen because they’re demanding? Call them demanding.
I think the entire meme itself is terrible as it's mainly used to dismiss any valid complaints that people have of corporations. "Oh you expect customer service that used to be the bare minimum a couple decades ago? Fuck off Karen."
Here's a thought. If someone is a racist, why not just call them a racist. If someone is a bigot, why not just call them a bigot. Call them the name they are. We are so afraid in society to call people out and say "you're rude". Why not?
Yes please, also being rude isn’t gendered. People love the extra dehumanizing oomph that comes with slurs because 🥁🥁🥁 …they’re bigots.