Dealing with the "Karens" in old-time, and modern Phoenix, Arizona


Although the term "Karen" is fairly new, the concept is not. If you're not familiar with the slang term of a "Karen", it's a derisive term used to describe someone who insists in a public place, usually very loudly, to defy the rules, nowadays usually refusing to wear a mask (it's May 10th, 2021, during the time of COVID-19).

And my heart goes out to the wonderful people out there who just happen to have that name, but know to cover their mouth when they cough, wear shoes and shirts in a restaurant if there's a sign requesting it, and thousands of other things that keep a society, well, social. I would hate to wake up tomorrow to find that a "Brad" meant something I didn't want to be, the way the name "Poindexter" did, and doubtless many more. If you're old enough to remember what was once commonly used as a nickname for Richard, please don't comment on this post, thank you!

There really is a fine line between standing up for yourself and making an absolute idiot out of yourself in public. Speaking for myself, I've taught myself to hesitate, and determine if it's worth my speaking up. People who don't use a leash for their dog in a park where there are children playing will get a "hairy eyeball" from me, but usually not much more. In more extreme circumstances, I'm not afraid to call the police on someone, but I have to be absolutely sure that I know what I'm doing, and that it's necessary. Usually it isn't, but I'm a full-grown man and if you're at the counter of McDonalds cursing out someone who forgot to give you ketchup with your fries, I'll walk over there and stand next to you. I'm not a particularly big man, but I'm wide at the shoulder and narrow at the hip, and I have eyes that can burn holes through a coward.

A true "Karen" (and as far as I know there's no male name equivalent, although it can be a male) will not only show that they have no concern for the people around them, they'll do it in as belligerent way as possible. In the past twelve months or so I've seen people being forcibly ejected out of grocery stores, and videos of people being escorted off of airplanes. I've lived long enough to remember seeing people light up a cigarette under a "no smoking" sign, and while I always wished that I could just push a button and have a trap door open underneath them, I've spent a fair amount of time pondering what was going on in their minds. Yes, they could read, and as far as I can tell these people want to push a system as far as it can go.

As you've probably guessed by now, a Karen is usually someone who has all of the convictions of the uninformed. They most often haven't read a book since "To Kill a Mockingbird" in high school, and they usually avoid mainstream media (often referred to by them as "lamestream"). And trying to reason with these people is basically an exercise in futility. If I were hitching my team up on Washington in the 1890s, and someone came out a-wailin' and a-whompin', and Henry Garfias sauntered over, he would probably just ask me kindly to move to the other side of the street, both of us knowing full well that it wasn't necessary, but just to keep the peace.

Glad to oblige! Move along now, nothing to see here.
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