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I've been thinking about how much I despise the whole "calling out of Karens" phenomenon. Of course, I don't think people should call the police in response to minor annoyances, even in a country where the police behave in an exemplary fashion. Don't waste police time. 1/
But the idea that the person calling the police is responsible for any brutality to which the police subject the suspect is completely backwards. If I feel threatened by someone of any skin colour, I will call the police. You should too. 2/
Our focus should be (a) on stopping police brutality towards suspects & (b) on getting better mental health care for all Americans (a lot of the viral Karen videos seem to involve mental health issues). 3/
But we cannot turn this into some kind of race war between black men & white women. Too many people are pedalling the dangerous narrative that these two demographics are natural enemies. Those doing this from the left are saying that white women are the baddies & should 4/
be shamed online. From some, I'm hearing the idea that, even when threatened or vulnerable women should not be permitted to take normal precautions to defend themselves from men if those men happen to be black. This is absurd. 5/
And, of course, on the right, some are resuscitating the disgusting idea that black men are intrinsically dangerous to white women. The ethical contortions & hypocrisies of the Karen-shaming phenomenon makes this foolishness seem more convincing to some who were on the fence. 6/
On the one hand, we have hysteria from some feminists who portray the most innocent interactions between men & women are terrifying & tout questionable statistics that contribute to keep women unduly afraid. 7/
And on the other woke people who seem to think white women have some kind of moral duty to allow themselves to be physically endangered because race is more important than sex in the intersectional hierarchy. The ironies & hypocrises on all sides are dizzying. 8/
*Some* woke people—this is clearly a minority view. Whether you're on the right or left, a feminist (like me) or not, woke or not, a supporter of Black Lives Matter or not, call out this stupidity. It's a witch hunt. And a distraction from the real issues, which are societal. 9/
