Do you ever think about your name and what it means? Up until mid-2020 I had not thought about my name of 56 years and certainly never apologized for it.
As we moved into 2020, COVID changing our lives forever and a social media surge I started receiving a text here and a DM there with Karen memes, some were rather funny and then there were others that caused me to reach out to the people that sent them to me and inquire why they sent it to me. At that point Karen was not yet ubiquitous and it seemed innocent.
That changed one morning while watching The Today Show. “When we return, we will explain the Karen phenomenon that everyone is buzzing about,” said Savannah Guthrie.
Glued to the screen, there it was……middle aged, privileged, rude, demanding, insufferable, annoying, anti vaxxer, typically blonde with the Kate Gosselin haircut. Do you have a picture in your head?
I decided for the next 60 days with “Karen” intent I was going listen for, read about, and engage on the new meaning of my name. There are a couple other names out there with a lighter reference, Susan, Becky, and an occasional Ken. Most men tend to be more complacent or unwilling to complain to a manager so there are an exceptionally low number of Kens. So, to gather some facts from let us just say the horse’s mouth I asked 1 of 2 questions when Karen was referenced on social media or in a conversation when I heard my name.