What causes the entitled Karen personality?

[Dr. B]

i don't deny that there is a push to create hatred between genders and races, but obnoxious entitled middle aged women 100% exist. And the meme is not just pushed by media, it's also driven by people somewhat recognize the "character" from real life and want to make fun of it.

its not just middle aged women though, and the term itself is used for even younger women and men isnt it. I get the character but using the name Karen for it is problematic, and it is just a part of the societal double standards similar to concepts like the BLM movement, beyonce releasing a film called "black is king" (iirc she admitted she was referring to the African race with that title). Stereotyping someone based off their name isn't far apart from stereotyping on other traits, and theres plenty of other names where it would be unacceptable to joke about them, but sometimes exceptions are made like with Karen, or Joe/John, or even Tyrone/Chad...

 

[Julles]

I think it is generalization that does all the damage. There always was and always will be grumpy ladies and grumpy lads. Definitely grumpy ladies make more noise. Personal environment plays the most part for grumpiness. Some 'karens' are right, some are not, most are just overcomplaining.

I also think seeing a mature lady with a 'karen' hair cut and instantly assuming what that person is, is just wrong. And it is just bad for all the woman named Karen. lol

 

[Birdie]

I think it is generalization that does all the damage. There always was and always will be grumpy ladies and grumpy lads. Definitely grumpy ladies make more noise. Personal environment plays the most part for grumpiness. Some 'karens' are right, some are not, most are just overcomplaining.

I also think seeing a mature lady with a 'karen' hair cut and instantly assuming what that person is, is just wrong. And it is just bad for all the woman named Karen. lol

Yes, I think it must be lousy for the women named Karen. I have two friends, older ladies, named Karen! I don't think they mind a bit, but they are the confident type anyway.

 

[andrew81]

Both of these are undoubtedly part of it - women are routinely bullied to deny their natural calling of bearing and nurturing children and instead apply that nurturing instinct to a multibillion dollar corporation for crumbs, and a few words of praise from essentially strangers (not family) in management. Not good.

interesting take

 

[JudiBlueHen]

They have always been "Karens" (yes they were raised to be entitled) but the pandemic gave them a cause and a voice. So now we all have to put up with them.

 

[Nebula]

Being a woman. There’s nothing wrong with women who get upset about something being out of order and expressing their distress. They may be a bit stressed, but for the most part I think it’s natural and healthy behavior for women. Overreacting to and demonizing them is probably a greater sign of not being healthy. I’ve come to find it kind of cute and I enjoy trying to make women laugh and calm them down when they get upset over something they probably don’t need to be. We all have blind spots sometimes. There’s no need to overreact to it.

 

[DojaCat]

i don't deny that there is a push to create hatred between genders and races, but obnoxious entitled middle aged women 100% exist. And the meme is not just pushed by media, it's also driven by people somewhat recognize the "character" from real life and want to make fun of it.

i agree but how would it be any different than Shaniqua in the black community of a loud ghetto black woman. Which there is a surplus of however it's wrong to stereotype and is demonized by the media. Karen is just the white version.

 

[Doc Sandoz]

A woman I know said of them, "Princess at 18, Karen at 40."

 

[Dr. B]

i agree but how would it be any different than Shaniqua in the black community of a loud ghetto black woman. Which there is a surplus of however it's wrong to stereotype and is demonized by the media. Karen is just the white version.

it is similar mate, Karen is maybe used across multiple different races more so than Shaniqua, but even so, as a concept, it's still stereotyping someone based off an irrelevant trait, a name. I feel Karen is a more general name like Joe, not race specific, but still shouldn't be generalized. it probably falls under the same category of stereotyping off of race, gender, hair color, hair texture, eye color, height, etc. you have some level of choice over your name, but it's not as much a choice as something like a religion, political views, profession

 

[Drareg]

It's a created and strategized media personality created in the hopes of demonizing middle-aged white women and dividing the races even more by the elite

Spot on.
If only we could get a glimpse of the Melinda Gates of the world behind closed doors.

 

[Peatness]

I think some of it may have something to do with misogyny – there I go. I’ve said the M word.

 

[Regina]

.

 

[S.Holmes]

It's a created and strategized media personality created in the hopes of demonizing middle-aged white women and dividing the races even more by the elite

THIS!

 

[DBCoast]

THIS!

Yep.

 

[Nebula]

It's a created and strategized media personality created in the hopes of demonizing middle-aged white women and dividing the races even more by the elite

It’s blatant and gross, but most people don’t see it. I watched the first two minutes of that movie Spirited with family over the holidays and its the theme of the tasteless opening scene and knew the movie wasn’t worth watching. I can only assume the particular influential groups that aggressively promote these type of messages into culture are projecting their own dysfunction and unwellness.

 

[gunther]

High estrogen/serotonin I feel like. I notice that women that tend to wear a lot of make-up tend to be very arrogant/self-entitled whilst girls who don't tend to be more chill and from what I've observed with my sister is that make-up in general tends to boost estradiol - I think is is why women who wear a lot of make-up tend to be emotionally sensitive types - the type who can't take a joke or to easily cry/lash-out etc.

Most of the videos I see with "karens" labeled tend to be fat women (implied higher estrogen) and they seem to lash out at something small so I would say unchecked high estrogen/serotonin... high stress hormones in general that go unchecked due to poor metabolic state

This is most likely the answer, but there is also a societal component. Our cushy way off life is slipping away at the same time TV tells us we should open a cup cake shop and afford an $80k suv and a $2M farm house in New England. Unmet expectations and lots of stress.

 

[BestSinceDAYONE]

The same reason why we see grumpy old men, I think it's high cortisol / low androgens

We know women produce less testosterone than men (obviously) testosterone is an awesome cortisol antagonist

 

[Warrior]

Like most of societies ills a heady mixture of a lack of self worth, a desperate need for attention (good or bad, makes no difference) and repressed emotions all shaken up, filtered and presented through the distorted lens of media perception.

 

[lilsticky]

misdirected anger