Wired September 1, 2020 “La View Karennesque” “What French feminism can teach us about the viral female archetype” By Virginia Hefferman.
Karen-“There she was: Another white woman, shrieking, stabbing the air, berserk over obscure and chronically unmet needs.” Historically it is noted that “French feminists…often relish extravagant displays of feminine emotion…”. For the article, Hefferman researched French feminists Helene Cixous (b. 1937) famous for "The Laugh of the Medusa", Julie Kristeva (b. 1941) famous for 30 books including "Powers of Horror", and Luce Irigaray (b.1930) the author of Speculum of the other Women. Hefferman reports that in common they all share hysteria as part of feminism.
As we have all experienced sometimes in person but for sure on viral Social Media Karen hates rules “They drive her to madness.” “Karen holds a mirror up to social nature, revealing the ghoulish face of self-dramatization and reflexive white imperialism.” Cixous might say “admirable hysteria”, Kristeva might opine that Karen “subverts [power and authority] at a fever pitch the master discourse of rules and regulations.” After all she makes and commands the set of rules-they don’t really apply to her legitimately!
Is Karen a “monstrous embodiment of femininity gone amok?” Maybe she’s the 2020s version of Archie Bunker. Karen’s bad behavior, should you need a refresher of internet postings, include “hurling plastic-wrapped pork and chicken onto the floor to protest”…having to comply with store rules to wear a Covid-era protective mask, “coughing in the face of another…” when asked to wear a mask at a Bagel shop and at Trader Joe shouting “Democratic Pigs” again about mask wearing. In this later case, Karen goes masculine by issuing various excuses for being called-out. She digs herself deeper by claiming a medical exemption and exhorting to the employees that they are violating Federal Law. Off camera, she tells the local ABC unit, that she was actually acting in self-defense, as any women would, having been called the “C-word” by a man.” Other claims Karen’s have used to counter rules being applied to them include-“my father will sue you” and made famous in the dog-off-the-leash in Central Park “officer an African American [man] is threatening my life.”
“Karen makes scenes turning ordinary spaces into spotlighted stages.” “Get that on camera!” Unlike “we’re all in it together, Karen’s in it alone.” Nobody though is coming to the rescue but she, her acquaintances and really anyone can relive her moment Ad-infinitum on the internet. “The sin of Karening does seem to punish itself.”