Rex Kerr
1 min readFeb 2, 2022

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So the argument is that nobody could think of a term that didn't slur a bunch of innocent people?

There are about 1 million people named Karen in the United States, most of them aged 40-60. The suicide rate for that demographic is about 9 per hundred thousand (from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db330.htm), meaning around 90 people named Karen commit suicide every year (and roughly 10x that many attempt suicide).

Finding your name suddenly a target of hatred (because of its association with hateful behavior) can be distressing.

Facebook pages and websites have become serious support groups for real Karens, says one administrator.

“We even have workshops by a professional anti-bullying coach who talks about how to keep our name and deal with the toxicity,” says Van Hook of Somerville, Massachusetts.

(Source: https://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/real-karens-ask-nicely-please-stop-insulting-us/article_14b604ee-7fa7-5789-8719-ad0135ad649b.html)

So just how sure are you that this isn't a matter of life and death, too? And how sure are you that this form, just taking a common name, without even adding anything to it ("Overbearin' Karen"), was a necessary measure for harm-abatement, rather than just a callously and unnecessarily cruel maneuver that caught on because "people named Karen" is a really small minority group, so who cares if we other them?

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Rex Kerr
Rex Kerr

Written by Rex Kerr

One who rejoices when everything is made as simple as possible, but no simpler. Sayer of things that may be wrong, but not so bad that they're not even wrong.

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