By Camilla Johnson Perry
Special to the AFRO

It seems we can’t go a week without hearing or reading about a “Karen” episode.

“Karens” have become the colloquial name and street vernacular for White women, considered privileged and entitled. They have gained notoriety from wanting to talk to someone’s manager, or worse yet, threatening and calling the police on Black people with false allegations. 

Some say Karens do this because they can. Others lament Karens are depressed, sad or unhappy. There have been enough episodes for all of us to establish a trend. “Central Park Karen,” “Ultra Karen,” “Show me Your Keys Karen,” “You don’t live in this neighborhood Karen” and the list goes on and on.

Camilla Johnson Perry (Courtesy Photo)

Just recently, I read an article about Karen berating a Black man for not assisting her in a grocery store. Like her, he was also a shopper, but Karen mistakenly assumed he was an employee. 

There was the incident in a convenient store, where Karen called a Black woman the N-word after she clearly articulated the consequences of doing it again. You probably remember the Karen walking her dog in New York’s Central Park. She called 911 because a Black man asked her to leash her dog. Fortunately, her outrageous and privilege-laced soliloquy was caught on video. 

We are seeing these micro-aggressions play out in every Karen episode. Whether or not the Karen phenomena is a trap, with every scuffle or interaction, we gamble our fate because her tactics and our responses are not new.

It is easy to just call the Karens of the world racist B-words, but where is Jesus in that description? As a Christian and an educated Black woman, the last thing I want to do is call another woman a degrading expletive. Plus, that wouldn’t be demonstrative of my spirit nor my values. But, don’t get me wrong, I understand it, I just don’t condone it.

It’s much easier to judge Karens than to understand them. Surely, these women, who have established internet infamy, cannot possibly believe their behavior is rational. However, before judging the causal provocation, the analytical nerd in me can’t help but try to understand the phenomena. I think it’s important to try to assign some behavioral science to it before someone else is fatally injured, like we have seen so many times in the 20th Century. We can’t forget the “Rosewood Karen” in 1923 and the “Scottsboro Boys Karens” in 1931, among others.

I can’t help but wonder whether something more is happening inside Karens’ brains, especially now when racial tensions are at an all-time high in many places, and for many reasons. 

For most of us, the knee-jerk response is to respond in-kind to their behavior. However, if we really want to sufficiently and effectively address stereotypes, biases and racism, I believe we start with coaching others toward the behavior we seek. 

I am seeking to understand the social construct and neuroscience behind Karen, and our responses to her. I am hoping by understanding her influences, we can rewire our thinking in order to resolve racial tensions, as well as control the spread of Covid-19, because I believe the behaviors are related. 

Today’s Karen uses to her advantage the disparities in our criminal justice systems and the institutional racism that has infected our communities. Karens’ phone call to police instigates a gamble in favor of racist behavior on Blacks. The Karen stratagem (which has been propagated for centuries) seems like a tone-deaf unicorn in the face of a movement that is demanding social justice and equality. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Right now, we’re in the midst of a pandemic; the numbers are rising steadily every day; and here comes Karen; and where is her damn mask?

Dr. King believed it is our actions in these moments that measure and define who we really are. So, is it possible to pause here, and rethink recycling violence? For me, forestalling violence looks like modeling post-conventional morality; it encompasses the “Fruits of the Spirit,” namely long-suffering. Perhaps Dr. King’s nonviolent approach was his attempt at socializing long-suffering to promote racial equality, particularly among those with covert and implicit biases.

I wonder what would happen if we all modeled long-suffering instead of cursing or fighting with Karen? Long-suffering is a biblical term, meaning long-tempered, or having a long fuse. Some sources define long-suffering as patiently enduring an offense for a long time. 

It is clear from the national and international protests, many of us, and some of you reading this column, believe that we have suffered long enough. I don’t disagree. However, we know violence almost always begets more violence, and neuroscience supports this conclusion.

The brain’s ability to respond to stimuli, on a neural level, is established long before overt or outward behavior begins. The brain’s amygdala is an almond-sized group of neurons responsible for processing and controlling emotions of fear, anger, aggression and other moods. The amygdala helps store memories of events and associated emotions, enabling recognition of future events. Everyone perceives fear differently. Our fear, and perception of fear is indicative of how well our amygdala functions. 

Perhaps Karens suffer from an impaired amygdala. Or, perhaps they really are depressed and suffer from anxiety or low emotional intelligence? All of these issues stem, at least in part, from a dysfunctional amygdala. I can’t be certain about what’s wrong with Karen because I am not a neuroscientist, but I do know that this area of the brain, and its relationship to racism and biases, merits further exploration. 

While we might think the influence that Karens have on police actions is diminishing, beware! Whereas, her threat is passive aggressive, it is nevertheless doubly dangerous. If you don’t think so, ponder on the recently released recordings of police officers, one whose rhetoric perfectly describes his fantasies for a civil race war, near my hometown, in Wilmington, N.C. 

So, while you can’t control Karens’ amygdala, try to control yours. Don’t fall for her trap! Prepare your brain and your spirit now to respond in a way that shows what you stand for, before you meet Karen, because she may very well live in a neighborhood near you.

Camilla Johnson Perry is a wife, mother, former Army Officer and Desert Storm Veteran.