Page 16 - IAV Digital Magazine #516

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
There’s A Support Group In Grand Rapids For People Named ‘Karen’
By: Stacie Richard, Michael Scheidt, Briana Augustus
In the last couple of years the name 'Karen' has gotten a bad rep. It was so bad that last year some- one even made
a Karen Halloween
mask and it had the hair and angry face to go along with it. If you're kind of out of the loop as to what the name 'Karen' signifies, here's a definition from urban dic- tionary:
“Middle aged woman, typically blonde, makes solutions to oth- ers' problems an inconvenience to her although she isn't even remote- ly affected.”
The most com- mon phrase that comes out of a Karen's mouth is "let me speak to
your manager" and she usually has a haircut that resembles Kate Gosselin from her "Kate Plus 8" Days.
While the whole concept is pretty funny, and has spurred a bunch of memes, there
are people named Karen who don't fit the description but still get judged, and that includes ladies here in West Michigan.
A local "Karen" named Caren Robinson says she wants to
bring positivity to the name so she has started what essentially is a support group for other Karens called "Karens for the Community." Caren told WZZM “it’s important to unite and encour- age a culture of compassion that
supports all human beings regardless of what their name is.”
She said the idea came to her after she was out to eat and she did in fact ask for the manager and then her
son accused her of being a "Karen."
Currently the community lives on Facebook as a private group that you can request to join and all spelling variations of Karen's are welcome. The objective of the group is build empowerment for those who sup- port and look out for their commu- nity, even if does involve having to ask for a manger. The description from Facebook says, “In this group we are NOT the "Karen's" of the world that seek to lie, cause divi- siveness, or per- petrate hate against our fellow human beings due to any differ- ences we may have.”
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine