Why Good Karen?
September 2020
First, the name. Why Good Karen? Well, you may have noticed that the name Karen has been dragged through the mud lately. It has been made synonymous to a group of complaining—or even racist—white women. The first time I was made aware of a Karen meme was a couple of years ago when my nephew sent my three kids a meme. It read, “Do babies named Karen even exist, or do they just sprout up one day with three kids, asking for the manager.” My kids found it hilarious, citing times I had, in fact, asked for the manager. I only actually have asked for the manager when the situation called for it, but my kids still laughed uproariously at the meme.
But recently Karen memes have become racially charged, with the media labeling racist middle aged white women as “Karens.” The name has been so maligned, that it tempted me to change my name to Kate or KC (my middle name starts with a c). But I figured instead, I’d keep my name and call my website Good Karen, to prove—I hope—that there are some good Karens out there.
The focus of this site will likely change as I change. Right now we are in the middle of a pandemic the likes of which the world hasn’t seen in more than 100 years. Our country is also in a political battle that may not even have a historical precedent. So — there’s a lot going on.
My focus will be to bring as positive an energy as I possibly can to current events through essays, stories, paintings (my talented husband’s) and poems — maybe even a song or two. My family has been pretty creative during this quarantine, so this is a good place for me to share some of that as well.
I hope you like what you read, see and hear.
Best,
Karen
