With all of the recent controversy surrounding COVID-19 and protesting there has been a new viral media “Karen & Kevin” sensation of people getting recorded during their own outrageous and insensitive public out bursts. The media has coined this new “Cancel Culture” phenomenon where now people in society are actually being held accountable and are losing their jobs and some even facing criminal charges for either vocally and/or physically expressing their negative personal biases and viewpoints. We have even seen major celebrities and influencers get attacked on social media and get “canceled out” for making insensitive comments that are extremely hurtful towards minorities and other groups of people. I think it is great that companies are strictly enforcing a zero tolerance for employees that promote hate, racism, and other negative stigmas. Has anyone actually witnessed a “Karen” or “Kevin” public altercation that has gone viral and received media attention? In my city there was an incident where a Starbucks barista was shamed on social media by a “Karen” who was refused service for not wearing a mask inside the store. The shaming social media post back fired on the individual and a GoFundMe was created for the barista who stood up to lady, which ended up raising over $100,000… Incredible!
. Yeah - very annoying. People are getting canceled for something they wrote or tweeted years ago. The intolerance needs to stop.
I love that this is titled Karen’s and Kevin’s! It’s such a widely known metaphor for people who act entitled and out of line, and it fits your Starbucks example perfectly. I heard that story, and I love how people banded together in support of the barista. Good for them for standing up for themselves (and the company rules) when that customer was yelling.
I agree the cancel culture is upsetting, and seeing how people act on the internet is truly disgusting. Comments on posts or tweets, reactions to how people act and dress - it’s truly harmful to the person on the receiving end and even detrimental to those reading such negativity. We’re lucky so many people thrust in the limelight like that have thick skin; from influencers to celebrities to leaders to customer service and retail employees. Many people are so comfortable as keyboard warriors, and I agree it needs to stop!
I’ll start off with saying I am not a fan of cancel culture as I like to believe people can learn from their actions and change. Everyone deserves a chance to do that.
However, with the video feature so easily available on our phones, it’s been very easy for these “Karens” and “Kevins” to be recorded. Some I have seen stop their rant the minute they see they are being recorded which is interesting. Seems like they have no issues saying it to someone’s face, but they don’t want the world to see their actions. It’s interesting how throwing a camera in the mix changes how people react.