Conversations on the internet about slurs are now more common than ever. By now, we should all know that a slur should not be coming out of your mouth or typed on your keyboard if you do not belong to the community that slur is typically directed against. This has been a hard pill for many white people to swallow.
Some white people see oppression as a trend that they want to be a part of.
I recently came across a Tweet by someone claiming that the term "Karen" is a racist and sexist slur that is just as harmful as the N-word. In case you are unaware of what being a "Karen" means, Camilla Blackett, a writer for "Skins (UK)" and "New Girl," defined it perfectly:
"Karen is a catchall for entitled middle class CIS white women who weaponise their status against the working class and minorities"
Not only is it not racist to call a white woman a "Karen" because white people cannot experience systematic racism, but this term also does not hold the same history as the N-word. One word has direct ties to slavery and has been used for generations as a way to discriminate against and dehumanize black people and the other word is a jab at white women who use their privilege to get their way in any situation.
Calling someone a "Karen" as an insult does not mean that white women are being oppressed by the term.
Not a single white woman has ever been denied any opportunity because someone saw them as a Karen. If anything, their status of being a Karen helped them get what they wanted.
Matthew A. Cherry, the Oscar-winning director of "Hair Love," replied to the tweet about Karen being the same as the N-word and said:
"If it's comparable. Write the whole word out and not just 'N Word' just like you did Karen. Just write it. I'll write it with you."
The person that made the original tweet never responded to him, which is not a surprise because there is no possible way to tell Cherry that he is wrong. His tweet sums up just how ridiculous that person's stance is. If one of the words is so awful that you are incapable of even writing it out, it is clear that that word is the worse of the two.
And honestly, there is nothing more Karen-like than complaining about the term Karen.
