The term "Karen", it must be admitted, has to suck for women actually named Karen. The definition also seems unnecessarily racialized to me. That said, having done a customer service stint recently, my experience is that the worst customers are women. And the best customers? Also women. Men aren't sufficiently invested in purchases to make as big of an impression either way.
Also after a week of a job where you're constantly answering the phone, you might spend a day or so hearing electronic telephone rings that aren't there.
2 comments:
I encountered a person with those tendencies years ago when we lived in Portland but hadn't yet moved to a place near the hospital. One morning at the bus stop I stepped away from the group to light what would be my last cigarette until lunchtime when to my surprise a woman marched over to me and began berating me for smoking right there where she could see me. Too shocked to say anything at first, my next thought was to feign I was deaf and so I did. Pretending to think she wanted one I offered her a cigarette from my pack and when she began shouting I acted like I couldn't understand her meaning by shrugging and raising my hands in question between puffs. Finally she flounced off in disgust. When the bus pulled up I climbed aboard right behind her and said good morning to the driver. The look on her face as she turned around to stare at me was priceless.
I agree using the name Karen may be racialized - I rather prefer the term that starts with 'b' and ends with 'ch'.
I guess it's a good thing these days not to be named Brandon.
That was a clever--and by the sounds of it pretty funny--ruse of pretending to be deaf. I kind of wish I had been there, although it's better that I wasn't because I would have blown your cover. The closest thing I've ever done to that is a couple of years ago, also at a bus stop. One of the other people waiting was this guy who was unhinged and abusive, trying to pick a fight with everyone. (Or maybe he just wanted people to think he was crazy.) Anyway, I didn't feel like dealing with it, so I made my stare a little more vacant and pretended to be mentally slow. Not too difficult.
Well that's a perfectly serviceable Anglo-Saxon word. Although I might mostly use it to refer to actual dogs.
Brandon? I don't know. I have a feeling the "Let's Go Brandon" thing has run its course. Although the sentiment is still thhere.
Post a Comment