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#8 Freak, Freak, Hair on Fleek: The Rise and Fall of the Karen
Description
An episode so nice we recorded it twice! Our perfectionism may be a hindrance on us but TRUST it’s a blessing for y’all <3. Abigail and Benjamin are back here this week to talk all things Karen/CAREN. We dive into the etymology of the term which leads us through an exploration of Mean Girls (side note: please look up ‘Amanda Seyfried dulcimer’ to enjoy a most glorious side of the Internet today), To Kill A Mockingbird, reclaiming pejorative terms, and how leaning into the clickbait-iness of our news cycle is sometimes the best way to actually achieve attention on a serious matter. Also: is *the* haircut necessary or sufficient to being a Karen?? Do Karens face trouble at the DMV for their bangs like Abby did?? Is our summer project going to be passing the THEIR Act in North Carolina?? Is Karen Pence ‘Mother,’ ‘mother,’ or just plain freak?! So many questions! Just one episode! Enjoy!!!!
BTW: Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Go eat some Lucky Charms!
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New episodes of Red State Reboot drop every Monday.
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IG: @redstaterebootpod
Website: www.redstatereboot.com
Contact: rsr@friedgreentomatomedia.com
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SOURCES:
Goldblatt, Henry. 2020. “A Brief History of ‘Karen.’” The New York Times, August 3. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/31/style/karen-name-meme-history.html
Montell, Amanda. 2018. “A Brief History of the Word ‘Bitch,’ Necessitated by Benedict Cumberbitch.” Medium, March 24. https://medium.com/the-wifey-word/a-brief-history-of-the-word-bitch-necessitated-by-benedict-cumberbitch-676af728bbd0
Nagesh, Ashitha. 2020. “What Exactly Is a ‘Karen’ and Where Did the Meme Come From?” BBC. July 30. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-53588201
Poopatroopa. n.d. “Karen (Slang) : R/Etymology.” https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/q23l68/karen_slang/
Secure the Call. 2024. “Secure the Call - Saving Lives, One Phone at a Time.” October 2. https://securethecall.org/
SLAP BANG. 2019. “Entitled White Women’s Tears | Commercial.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uCvOkro9iM
“The Evolving Pejoration of ‘Karen.’” 2023. Department of Linguistics. April 14. https://www.colorado.edu/linguistics/2023/04/14/evolving-pejoration-karen