Karens. Where did they come from? Have they always been here, among us, and they’re only now being exposed by the all-seeing eye of the internet? Or, are they a new phenomenon? Something borne from these decidedly divided, racially charged and ignorance fueled times?

It’s hard to say for certain. All we really know is that they’re here, they’re angry and they’re impossible to argue with once they’ve been triggered. They lash out. They kick things, break stuff, spit. Sometimes they get racist. Sometimes they just have a public meltdown. Rarely is it a pretty sight, and anyone caught in the crossfire of an angry Karen losing her shit, deserves our sympathy. Such misfortune can jangle a person to their core.

The rise of the Karen has been a distressing thing to watch (particularly for a white person such as myself). They’ve become a viral species of white-woman, instantly recognizable and inherently difficult to deal with. You know a Karen when you’re dealing with one.

Which is what makes the “Karens Gone Wild (COVID-19 edition)” video edit so goddamned funny. It’s a throwback to the old 90’s/2000’s commercials that only ever aired on TV after midnight — but this time, instead of college girls going wild, flashing tits and getting crazy for the camera, we’re watching Karens lose their shit, freak out, scream racist things, lick doors and be, generally, a major pain in the ass.

Funny as all this is, I have a dark feeling that the term “Karen” (like any derogatory term, Boomer, Cracker, Beaner, Slope, or so many others I’ll let you fill in the blanks) is only going to drive division. Slurs never bring a society closer together, or any closer towards genuine social progress. They only function as instruments of division.

We don’t need more Karens in America, but neither do we need any more slurs to label and insult each other with.

… that being said, I would buy the shit out of this “Karens Gone Wild” DVD.