Discarded jackets and sandwiches on the streets of San Francisco tell a similar story to yours about the artisanal bread: social workers will never ‘solve’ homelessness. Beggars insist on being choosers, vagrants bite the hand that feeds. It’s not scarcity, it’s personality.
Homelessness would drop precipitously if every financial effort to stop homelessness ended, and the current homeless would be far better off. There is a huge contingent of people who work to make sure the problem is never solved.
The Karen phenomenon is real, but so is the decrying of someone as a Karen just because they're a white woman who has the audacity to expect Ceiling-Bird-American women who work at Denny's to do their fucking job.
Bring back the terms Jewish Princess and African-American Princess, since they're the demographics most likely to Karenize.
In ancient times, a woman could only act this way if her husband was high-ranking in the tribe, otherwise she could damage her husband's reputation by being so brazen.
I'm not a big proponent of repealing the 19th. But. Just sayin.
I'm exasperated with the scolds, too. When unable to avoid them (sometimes you can't walk away), I ask them to describe specifically what the problem is - and dismiss their characterizations as a conclusion - "just tell me specifically what you say happened." Sometimes these old birds just want attention. If they lose the attitude, I'll give that to them, if I have time. Sometimes their ire has nothing to do with what they say is the precipitating event. It's their problem (loneliness, feeling worthless, whatever) and nobody else's and it really is undignified of them to *demand* respectful attention.
Real phenomenon, but a category error. Karens have evolved, however, they evolved from women who finally began to assert themselves after a lifetime of "waiting their turn", which conveniently came after all the boys and all the prettier girls. This is why they are known for requesting the manager - they are bypassing people not perceived their equal in agency - who placates them enough to continue their patronage.
I believe the going term for your encounters originates with vengeful female dogs, and the difference between a Karen and them akin to finding a fly in your ointment versus that someone decided to piss in it.
I liked your article on the Girl Boss a few months ago and therefore subscribed. I found your recent writings “On Indians” and this one was to be whiny, childish, petty, and shortsighted.
I myself am aligned with right-leaning, more traditionalist views. The topics you write about interest me. However, I’ve found some of your attitudes in recent posts to be mildly racist and classist. I’m not sure what your upbringing was or what your religious orientation is, but if you are writing from the perspective of being a “higher status western man” there is a concept for the higher classes of “noblesse oblige” which is the obligation of the higher classes to be merciful to the lower classes or those of different status or cultures.
I think there is a space to recognize that status is real, but also to have a nuanced and merciful approach to others.
I immediately felt bad for writing such a critical comment and want to apologize as it’s not kind and I really do appreciate your work and understand a lot of time and effort goes into your writing. And so many of your points are brilliant!
I suppose I was just a bit put off at the use of petty personal examples and personal one-off interactions with either Indian people or with “Karen-like” women as enough evidence to make such broad sweeping statements and takeaways about a whole culture or cultural phenomenon.
Sometimes it feels a bit silly to read what feels like a complaint about inconvenient dealings you’ve had in daily life.
I think there’s a way to address societal issues from the lens of being a higher status westerner that isn’t so limited as to how individuals (often of lower status) inconvenience us.
Also, I want to clarify, I am not saying that Indians are lower status in any way than white people. Quite the contrary actually. Many of those that end up in Silicon Valley and corporate America are higher status than we could imagine as Americans and hold values and levels of piety that we couldn’t achieve if we tried.
Thanks for the frank response. The "bread" incident was the catalyst to this article, and if my writing came across as too venomous from the experience, that's something I need to work on.
Discarded jackets and sandwiches on the streets of San Francisco tell a similar story to yours about the artisanal bread: social workers will never ‘solve’ homelessness. Beggars insist on being choosers, vagrants bite the hand that feeds. It’s not scarcity, it’s personality.
Homelessness would drop precipitously if every financial effort to stop homelessness ended, and the current homeless would be far better off. There is a huge contingent of people who work to make sure the problem is never solved.
Mark Twain put it best: “The difference between a man and a dog is that a dog will not bite you when you feed him.”
The Karen phenomenon is real, but so is the decrying of someone as a Karen just because they're a white woman who has the audacity to expect Ceiling-Bird-American women who work at Denny's to do their fucking job.
Bring back the terms Jewish Princess and African-American Princess, since they're the demographics most likely to Karenize.
In ancient times, a woman could only act this way if her husband was high-ranking in the tribe, otherwise she could damage her husband's reputation by being so brazen.
I'm not a big proponent of repealing the 19th. But. Just sayin.
I'm exasperated with the scolds, too. When unable to avoid them (sometimes you can't walk away), I ask them to describe specifically what the problem is - and dismiss their characterizations as a conclusion - "just tell me specifically what you say happened." Sometimes these old birds just want attention. If they lose the attitude, I'll give that to them, if I have time. Sometimes their ire has nothing to do with what they say is the precipitating event. It's their problem (loneliness, feeling worthless, whatever) and nobody else's and it really is undignified of them to *demand* respectful attention.
Real phenomenon, but a category error. Karens have evolved, however, they evolved from women who finally began to assert themselves after a lifetime of "waiting their turn", which conveniently came after all the boys and all the prettier girls. This is why they are known for requesting the manager - they are bypassing people not perceived their equal in agency - who placates them enough to continue their patronage.
I believe the going term for your encounters originates with vengeful female dogs, and the difference between a Karen and them akin to finding a fly in your ointment versus that someone decided to piss in it.
Great piece haha
The large wheel still keeps turning.
I liked your article on the Girl Boss a few months ago and therefore subscribed. I found your recent writings “On Indians” and this one was to be whiny, childish, petty, and shortsighted.
I myself am aligned with right-leaning, more traditionalist views. The topics you write about interest me. However, I’ve found some of your attitudes in recent posts to be mildly racist and classist. I’m not sure what your upbringing was or what your religious orientation is, but if you are writing from the perspective of being a “higher status western man” there is a concept for the higher classes of “noblesse oblige” which is the obligation of the higher classes to be merciful to the lower classes or those of different status or cultures.
I think there is a space to recognize that status is real, but also to have a nuanced and merciful approach to others.
A bit disappointing
(I hope you don’t call me a Karen!)
Could you elaborate on what was "whiny, childish, petty, and shortsighted" about this article?
I immediately felt bad for writing such a critical comment and want to apologize as it’s not kind and I really do appreciate your work and understand a lot of time and effort goes into your writing. And so many of your points are brilliant!
I suppose I was just a bit put off at the use of petty personal examples and personal one-off interactions with either Indian people or with “Karen-like” women as enough evidence to make such broad sweeping statements and takeaways about a whole culture or cultural phenomenon.
Sometimes it feels a bit silly to read what feels like a complaint about inconvenient dealings you’ve had in daily life.
I think there’s a way to address societal issues from the lens of being a higher status westerner that isn’t so limited as to how individuals (often of lower status) inconvenience us.
Also, I want to clarify, I am not saying that Indians are lower status in any way than white people. Quite the contrary actually. Many of those that end up in Silicon Valley and corporate America are higher status than we could imagine as Americans and hold values and levels of piety that we couldn’t achieve if we tried.
Thanks for the frank response. The "bread" incident was the catalyst to this article, and if my writing came across as too venomous from the experience, that's something I need to work on.
reporting all the above to management
so you recognize that you're a Karen, but don't want to be called that?
Be nice.