People Are Criticising The Use Of ‘Karen’ After A White Woman Pulled A Gun On A Black Mother

In the last year alone, we’ve met quite a few Karens who have made headlines for their racist actions.

In May, we saw Central Park Karen lose her dog and job after making a false 911 call against an innocent black bird watcher. Then there was San Fran Karen, who lost sponsorships over the fact that she didn’t like that an Asian man was stencilling ‘Black Lives Matter’ on his own property.

But while Karen is normally a term that describes angry and entitled white women, who love to speak to the manager and cut their hair into bobs, the word has now become synonymous with white women who are actually dangerous.

Earlier this week, Missouri couple Ken and Karen went viral for pulling guns on protesters who walked past their mansion. Then, just two days ago, ‘Chipotle Karen’ went viral after pointing a gun at a black mother and daughter in a Michigan parking lot.

‘Chipotle Karen’ — real name Jillian Wuestenberg — was filmed pulling a handgun on Takelia Hill and her 15-year-old daughter, Makayla, after a disagreement.

The argument started when Wuestenberg bumped into the teenager and refused to apologise, according to The Detroit News. After trying to walk out of a Chipotle, Wuestenberg collided into Makayla and, instead of apologising, “started cussing [Makayla] out” and claiming that the teen was “invading her personal space”.

Moving the conversation out into the parking lot, the mother and daughter then requested an apology, to which Wuestenberg refused. After Hill and Makayla called Wuestenberg “ignorant”, “racist” and a “dumb-ass bitch” as she entered her car, Wuestenberg replied: “You cannot just walk around calling white people racist”.

“This is not that type of world. White people aren’t racist. No one’s racist,” she continued. “I care about you, and I’m sorry if you had an incident that has made someone make you feel like that. No one is racist.”

As the argument ended, Hill started to walk away behind the Wuestenberg’s car. At the same time, Jillian’s husband, Eric, began backing out of their parking spot and Hill slapped the back window thinking she was going to be run over.

In response, Jillian Wuestenberg hopped out of her car, pulled a handgun out on Hill and Makayla, and told the pair to “get the fuck away”, which was seen in the now-deleted video shared on Twitter.

After Wuestenberg pointed the cocked gun at Hill, she hopped into her SUV and her husband speedily drove them away. However, despite fleeing the scene, the Oakland County Sheriff’s office announced that they found the Wuestenberg’s and confiscated their weapons before charging them with felonious assault.

A THREAT TO SOCIETY ?????? https://t.co/waU3ieSjYW

— Kehlani (@Kehlani) July 2, 2020

Despite the original tweet — which was shared by Makayla’s aunt — calling Wuestenberg a ‘Karen’, people online have criticised the frivolous use of the term.

As more and more ‘Karens’ pop up in the media for their increasingly more dangerous and targeted actions, people found that reducing them to a comedic term downplays what they do. Pulling a gun on innocent black people isn’t the same as complaining to the manager when you don’t get your way.

Plus, calling these dangerous women ‘Karen’ instead of by their real names gives them a degree of anonymity that protects their real identities. As catchy names trend online, racist Karens are protected from the full brunt of consequences.

Also, by turning problematic and dangerous white women into memes through quirky Karen names trivialises their actions and desensitises people to them. While we laugh at how sensitive, overdramatic and nosy these white women are, it ignores the real problem at hand: Racist women are dangerous and what they do to minorities is not normal, nor is it OK.

1) the term “Karen” has been so overused that now any white woman could be wielding a GUN at innocent people and simply be “a Karen.” this action desensitizes people from the fact that she’s not simply a “Karen,” she’s actually maniacal and fully capable of murder

— ★채호－chaeho★ (@vechseln) July 2, 2020

i hate how now “Karen” has become a way to distance white women from being straight up out for blood

white women freaking out cause they have to wait in line at Disneyland = karen

white women pulling out guns, coughing on people, and screaming with intent of murder ≠ karen

— certified thembo | em lovebot (@OmniAstral) July 2, 2020

stop calling white women pointing their guns at people karens and instead try white supremacist or domestic terrorist, this is not the same as asking to speak to the manager or throwing a tantrum at whole foods

— patrycja (@bigstupidnoodle) July 2, 2020

Karen was black lingo used for annoying ass white women and now white people took it and are using it for fucking klan members and bitches pulling guns on us

— ari (@B1GK4T) July 2, 2020

It’s kind of bizarre watching the term Karen go from being used for “self entitled white woman who thinks she can call your manager on you for anything she doesn’t like” to “white woman straight up trying to kill you with a gun”.

— Ghiaccio’s Cognative Ball Therapy (@VanigliaRy) July 2, 2020

Simply put, a Karen is not a woman who pulls a fully-cocked gun on innocent black people over a minor inconvenience. That, my dear, is assault with a deadly weapon.