A quick Facebook poll CW conducted this week and research of previous mentions elsewhere, suggests the male equivalent of #Karen is #Kevin or #Ken (apologies to every kind, well-adjusted, community-minded, hashtag-free Karen, Kevin and Ken out there).
Once simply a woman’s name, Karen has evolved from a pejorative term used in the US to call out white supremacy into shorthand for a woman perceived as entitled or demanding beyond reason – and, more lately, someone behaving badly during this pandemic (think #BunningsKaren). Of course, men are also capable of obnoxious behaviour; after all, two individuals issued with $1,000 fines in the ACT for COVID breaches have been adult males. They just didn’t go viral.
I was buoyed on Monday to hear a radio interview with an everyday Aussie in Melbourne who observed: “At the end of the day, it’s a face mask. Just suck it up and bang it on.”
Be kind. Get a grip (after taking essential hygiene precautions). Walk in other people’s shoes (again, hygiene).
Reasons to be grateful this past week include all the courageous, hard-working frontline and essential workers toiling here and around the world, a nourishing Friday night dinner with friends, ripe pears, belly laughs while watching Norsemen on Netflix, displays of support from our cherished readers and advertisers (you know who you are), and that #Julie is not a thing. Take care.
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