Happy Mother's Day, Karen

If we're not careful, we can become angry and overly critical, especially when our life's circumstances become unstable.  Ecclesiastes 5 warns us against allowing our fleshly impulses to
supersede our spiritual capacity:
1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.
2 Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few.

These verses caution us against speaking in an impulsive manner.  We can become angry and disgruntled and take out our frustration on others.  We can allow critical thoughts to invade our minds rather than dwell on the contentment that Christ wants to bring us.  Circumstances that we feel are beyond our control should ideally point us to the One who is in control, who is calling us to walk in His peace as we allow Him to renew our minds.

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There is a Casting Crowns song that speaks of a "plank eyed saint."  The Lord desires that we rise above a critical spirit and look in the mirror before we try to fix somebody else.  Jesus teaches in
Matthew 7:
3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?
4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?
5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Don't be a "Karen."

That seems to be a simple message that proceeds from a meme that was created to denigrate what is perceived to be a grumpy class of adult women.  And, apparently, the legacy of Karen is running rampant on social media and at times, attitudes toward this typecast person skew toward the vulgar.  A Financial Times article describes how teens are taking to social media in droves to denigrate this characterization.

 One of the general descriptions of the "Karen" mom is that she has that attitude of always wanting to "speak to the manager."

At The Federalist, writer Taylor Lewis contends that:

Coronavirus is bringing out the “Karen” in all of us. For the uninitiated: Karen the meme of a middle-aged, tan-blemished, peremptory woman with a bottle-blonde pixie cut who is a bogey to fast-food workers everywhere.

Lewis adds, "The novel coronavirus, which has prompted shelter-in-place orders from most states, is giving the Karens in our midst an excuse to unabashedly fly their busybody flag. Woe unto them who learned as children to mind their own business."

She highlights stories of three Brooklyn residents who violated the 6-foot social distancing radius, apparently turned in by some sort of "informant."  Of course, Mayor De Blasio has been encouraging citizens to actually tattle on their fellow New Yorkers.

The Federalist article goes on to say:

A humorous write-up in Slate documents the extent to which social isolation is turning once-amiable neighbors into throng narcs. This overeagerness to police proprioception is occasioning 911 calls.

The report, leavened with quotes from community platforms like Nextdoor and Facebook, reads like a backward comedy of manners, with Karen-esque snoops threatening to request the neighborhood manager, e.g. the police. “For all you people waking (sic) and riding bikes!! $500 tickets or arrests good luck! (sic) Stay home please,” reads one example of the homespun notices.

Lewis adds:

The coronavirus has laid bare the civically corrosive tendency to pull a Karen and demand swift penalization for any violation of the statutory code. Vaccinologists may soon develop an inoculation to ward off COVID-19, leading to a societal re-opening. The chances of a cure for Karenitis? Not high, especially with our overreliance on officious government.

On one hand, the busybody, complaining Karen is someone we do not want to emulate. The Bible speaks to this personality; you know, those who want to get the speck out of someone else's eye before they get the log out of their own.  And, those logs can certainly blind you - to your own faults, including a crusading anger that bubbles under the surface. We have to be careful that the altered lifestyle doesn't drive us to engage in cynicism and criticism - perhaps an altar-ed life can help; that is, to bring our lives to the altar and let Christ's power transform us.

And, in this week of Mother's Day, I think it's a good word for moms - and dads - to be less angry and judgmental and not allow the pressures of life to dominate us.

But, on another hand, the characterization of Karen might just be an errant generalization, in some ways. For instance, shouldn't we be glad for moms that would go to bat for us?  Perhaps that has happened to you.  Maybe your mother has exhibited the characteristics of a "mama bear," who is concerned with defending her kids, and perhaps, yes, will even "go to the manager" to make sure that we are treated rightly?  That's a positive characteristic, and parents can do that without being overprotective.

When we are feeling anxious or angry, prone to be critical or cynical, we can "speak to the manager." The ultimate "manager," our Heavenly Father, who will help us to manage our emotions and responses.