Definitions by ToxicAid
Karening
The act of aggressively, obnoxiously and unnecessarily asserting one's opinion, rights or demands, usually in public, usually at a service worker and almost always with the energy of someone who has never been told "no" in their entire life.
Often involves:
· Demanding to speak to the manager
· Calling the police on people of colour for existing
· Weaponising tears, privilege or usually both
· Saying "I pay your salary" to someone earning minimum wage
· Claiming a "medical exemption" for something that's clearly not medical
· Believing rules apply to everyone except them
Origin
Derived from the name Karen, popularised by a 2005 Dane Cook comedy routine and cemented in internet culture by viral videos of white women calling the cops on black people for barbecuing, birdwatching and selling water. The term exploded in 2020 when "Central Park Karen" became a global meme.
The present participle form, karening, emerged as internet users needed a verb to describe the behaviour in real time.
Often involves:
· Demanding to speak to the manager
· Calling the police on people of colour for existing
· Weaponising tears, privilege or usually both
· Saying "I pay your salary" to someone earning minimum wage
· Claiming a "medical exemption" for something that's clearly not medical
· Believing rules apply to everyone except them
Origin
Derived from the name Karen, popularised by a 2005 Dane Cook comedy routine and cemented in internet culture by viral videos of white women calling the cops on black people for barbecuing, birdwatching and selling water. The term exploded in 2020 when "Central Park Karen" became a global meme.
The present participle form, karening, emerged as internet users needed a verb to describe the behaviour in real time.
"She was karening so hard at the checkout that the cashier just walked away."
"I saw a woman karening on about her 'medical exemption' at the supermarket. It was a haircut."
"He was karening so loudly I thought he was going to call the cops on the kids for playing outside."
"If you're karening at a 16-year-old working a register, you need to go home and rethink your life."
"The meeting was going fine until Susan started karening about the seating arrangement."
"I saw a woman karening on about her 'medical exemption' at the supermarket. It was a haircut."
"He was karening so loudly I thought he was going to call the cops on the kids for playing outside."
"If you're karening at a 16-year-old working a register, you need to go home and rethink your life."
"The meeting was going fine until Susan started karening about the seating arrangement."