La Ron S. Readus
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The Difference Between a Karen and a Becky VIDEO SCRIPT)
🕑 Added 2020-04-13 20:00:03 +0000 UTC
(Reading a book)
Oh! Sorry. Didn’t see you there. Hi. My name’s La’Ron Readus. And I want to teach YOU the difference between a Karen and a Becky
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With major areas of the United States currently under lockdown, a lot of people have recently come to the realization that they have a LOT of time on their hands.
And depending on what you do, your current level of creativity, or your current level of boredom, some things individuals choose to do range from self-care, personal amusement, and borderlining stupidity
Just like British writer Julie Bindel did when she took to Twitter declaring the names Karen and Becky as racial slurs toward white women -- some even comparing it to use of the N-Word. Which, as a result, immediately set us feminists back by at least 10 years.
Now you might have been one of those individuals who saw this set of tweets, which are still up on her Twitter account as of the recording of this, bless her heart
And either thought to yourself one -- or all -- of the following:
One: How can she put those two names in the same category
Two: That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works
Or Three: Oh. I see that White People are White People-ing again
In which case, all of those feelings are accurate, because all of them are true.
So in order for us to reach an understanding of why this is an EXTREMELY bad take, we must first go over why the names Karen and Becky are used in these regards in the first place.
Karen is the most well known, and also the most coincidental yet ironic in its current depiction since its conception.
/And this is because the name Karen is Danish in origin meaning “pure,” after branching from the English name Katherine/
We see these women -- who are mostly white -- display that “purity” with a holier than thou attitude inside shops or restaurants when they’re trying to get their way, rubbing their privilege in the faces of shop and food workers that are less fortunate than they are.
Thus when it gets to the point where even the slightest challenge to their “purity” is made by said individuals, as an attempt to get the workers reprimanded for their actions or to make sure their purity is given the respect they believe it deserves, they release their battle cry in intimidation: I would like to speak with your manager.
That is how the roots of the name ironically link with the behavior we currently see in those we associate with the name Karen. The reason why it’s coincidental on the other hand, is because more than likely such an association was not done on purpose
Like the haircut we associate with the name-turned-term, the actions of individuals began to grow and evolve to the point where the name Karen just felt right
Of course it should go without saying that it is ENTIRELY untrue that every white woman named Karen behaves in the way according to the stigma currently associated with it; I know PLENTY of white Karens that treat people the way they want to be treated and do not act as if they are above anyone else.
Which is why it constantly pains me...that their parents decided to name them Karen
Becky on the other hand tends to be the more malevolent of the two.
Whereas Karen’s tend to run on mostly privilege, Becky’s utilize a mixture of privilege, prejudice and systematic racism.
Becky’s tend to notice the likes of minorities either trying to live, succeed, or have fun -- all within the boundaries of the law -- yet are compelled to involve the display of systematic racism upon these individuals -- mostly because she doesn’t want them there -- by reporting their activities to the police and using their privilege as a white woman as leverage.
Even moreso when it’s proven she was wrongfully accusing said minorities, by immediately shifting the use of her privilege to argue that she was the TRUE victim.
This use of the name-turned-term is largely thanks to the white woman nicknamed “Barbeque Becky” who called the police on a gathering of African Americans having a cookout in a public park, stating that it was illegal to barbeque in the park with charcoal
Other instances of the term Becky can be seen in the white woman calling the police on a black girl selling water outside her home because she didn’t have a permit
And a white woman calling the police on a black man moving in to his apartment thinking he was breaking into it
Both Karen and Becky are current terminologies associated with white women that respectively bring attention to the displays of both unbridled ego and privilege, and racial domination over minorities
So what should you do or say if your name is ACTUALLY Karen or Becky, but you do not display any of the traits associated with the term they now carry? (Shrugs shoulders) Nothing. Continue to live your life. Because despite it being your name, you are not who individuals are talking about.
The only prejudice associated with utilizing these names in the way they are currently used, is that it brings unwanted attention to individuals who continue to exuberate the negative qualities that the names-turned-terms heavily critiques
As a matter of fact, the only ones actually complaining about how the names are treated and stating that they’re slurs are individuals who have never experienced the dangers of systematic racism, have never experienced what it’s like to have someone speak down on them or think lesser of them because of their hierarchy of privilege, and/or are seeking any and every reason under the sun to claim that they are offended.
Which in retrospective is a very Becky thing to do...
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to watch this PSA, and I hope you now have a better understanding of deciphering a “Karen” from a “Becky.”
But if you still believe that the current use of Karen and Becky are the equivalent of “The N-Word,” just remember: You don’t say The K word or the B word in front of other people. You say Karen and Becky.
Now try it with the other one. (Pauses & Nods) I thought so.
