The terminology of being a “Karen” is not foreign to students at Gibson Southern or anyone in the United States. “Karens” have gone viral on the internet for years because of their obnoxious behavior, their sense of entitlement and their excessive demanding nature. Though they circulate the internet, students at Gibson Southern have not only witnessed “Karens” going off online but also in person. Freshman Kenley McEllhiney recounts an incident where she saw a “Karen” in the wild.
“I was at Walmart one time, and I was checking out with my family,” McEllhiney said. “Walmart has that salon where you can get your hair done, and there was this lady who had just gotten her hair done. The lady who did her hair had her daughter there sweeping up hair and stuff. When it was time for her to pay, the hairstylist said it was $100. The lady had $50, so she gave the hairstylist $50 and when the hairstylist asked for the other $50, the lady started to freak out, saying that her (the hairstylist’s) daughter had taken it.”
McEllhiney went on to say that the lady was immensely disruptive and annoying.
“She was throwing a fit like a toddler, on the ground crying,” McEllhiney said. “Eventually, the Walmart staff called security, and they came and got her. The lady was still throwing a fit, so the police came and took her out.”
McEllhiney is not the only Gibson Southern student to encounter a “Karen” in public. Sophomore Evelyn Anderson also witnessed a “Karen” making her stand at a concert venue and freshman Ella McGuyer saw a “Karen” at a public pool.
“A mother and a daughter were going to the bathroom, and I guess they (the concert venue staff) had closed the bathroom for a cleaning,” Anderson said. “This was already a said-and-done thing. It was closed, but the mom was demanding the lady for her to open the bathroom for her daughter. The cleaning lady was like, ‘Sorry, I can’t do this,’ but the mom kept insisting on opening the bathroom just for a second so that her daughter could go.”
Similar to McEllhiney, Anderson said the lady was being rude for no reason to a worker who was probably underpaid. Though Anderson and McEllhiney just witnessed a “Karen” interaction, McGuyer actually confronted the “Karen.”
“I was at a public pool, and it was me and two of my cousins, and we were in line for this waterslide when these two kids came down the slide,” McGuyer said. “And, then this lady came up to them and just grabbed their float from them as soon as they got off the slide. At first we thought it was a bit weird, but then the mom of the kids came up to them and was like, ‘That’s ours, and you can’t take that,’ but the lady was like, ‘I had it first.’ Once we saw this, we helped the mom fight off the ‘Karen’.”
Anderson, McEllhiney and McGuyer are not the only students at Gibson Southern to encounter a “Karen.” According to a survey of Gibson Southern students, 90.9% of respondents answered “Yes” when questioned if they have ever been involved in a “Karen” situation. In addition, when questioned about where they have witnessed or encountered a “Karen”, 54.5% of respondents answered at work, 36.4% at a store and 18.2% at a restaurant.
“Karens” are not only mean and disruptive, but they are very annoying. McEllhiney said that when it comes to “Karens,” she tries to steer away from them.
“I think that they are very mean and need to take a chill pill,” Anderson said. “They need to learn not to take everything personally.”
“Karens” are notoriously known for their obnoxious behavior towards other people, and it makes people wonder why they think it is okay to be rude to others.
“Like, were they raised to be like that?” McGuyer said. “When is it okay to act so rude to people like that? Why are they the way they are?”
