race, implicit uspol, getting along in society, narcissists, serious question
What do you to do stop a rampaging Karen if she's black and you're white?
I just saw a hell of a tantrum thrown in my favorite cafe, by a woman who apparently was a serial mask-flouter. She was screaming accusations of racism, but it sure sounded to me like she wasn't denying ignoring the signs and getting aggressive when asked to respect the rules.
I hate that it feels like an unbeatable strategy. I hate that it involves nakedly exploiting other people's suffering to justify doing something irresponsible. And I really, really hate the fact that this woman probably has some entirely legitimate background trauma that would explain why she resorts to this.
Hell, she's probably *right* that there's some degree of racism involved here. The cafe owners are discussing whether to call the cops, and... would they be that fast to do so with a white woman the same age? (Christ, I hope so, because Karen vs. Cop is one of the few scenarios where I'd root for the cop. -_- )
I can't pretend that it's not true that *every* commercial interaction between white owners and black customers is a bit racially charged. But it still seems absurd to me to leap into accusations of racism over a mask.
I just honestly don't think there was anything I could do to defuse the situation that wouldn't have just left this feeling *more* racially charged, and I'm really curious if anybody has any insights.
re: race, implicit uspol, getting along in society, narcissists, serious question
I did the most sensible indirectly confrontational thing I could think of: I went to Yelp and left the cafe a five-star review thanking them for dealing with a customer who did not respect my safety.
If she goes there (as she threatened) to slander the cafe, there's an account of how people ACTUALLY behaved waiting there for her.
(Say what you will about the last five years, it's been a grand education in psyops. The secret is to get in there first...)
